Mistletoe Anyone?

Growing up in Ohio, I never knew what Mistletoe was. I knew it was involved in a Christmas tradition: something about kissing under a little sprig of the stuff, but still I didn't know anything about the plant itself.
Then I moved to SW Germany. One winter day I wondered, what are all those round green balls in the trees around here? That was the day that I learned about mistletoe.

At the risk of upsetting this cute little Christmas tradition with the "rest of the story"...the fact is mistletoe is a parasite. Mistletoe feeds off of host trees.
I took the photo above through an upstairs window of our apartment this morning. Mistletoe grows in trees and can actually kill its host - hows that for a nice Christmas thought? I'm not a tree hugger, but those trees in our neighbor's yard could use a hug. I can almost hear them calling for help. :-)
The other day I told our student body the truth about mistletoe - cruel I know. After telling them about the little plant, I challenged them to not be "takers" like the mistletoe plant, rather be "givers" like Jesus was who came to give life and life more abundant. (John 10:10)
And then I told them, "The next time someone tries to coax you into kissing under the mistletoe, tell them, "Personally, I would prefer not to stand under a blood-sucking, low-life, vampire plant, but if you insist...ok."
Have a great Christmas - look for me somewhere far away from the mistletoe.