During the cold Christmas season, people are in need of much warmth. They often turn to the fireplace for some heat, but sometimes it isn’t enough. Hot as the fireplace appears to be, it pales in comparison to a tiny shrub that sends tingles down the spines of passionate couples. That shrub is called the mistletoe, Christmas’ best excuse for kissing. If caught with your significant other beneath the small plant, you have no choice but to give your partner a smack on the lips.

Real or Unreal?

Surprisingly, mistletoe was a parasitic plant before it progressed to become the romantic Christmas ornament. Garden owners get rid of it, since it steals nourishment from its host. They are more than happy to remove the parasites from the trees then make a fortune out of those plants. In your case, your options are:

• to sever and tweak the Christmas ornament from trees,
• purchase it from a plant store,
• or to just use synthetic items for creating a replica.

Natural mistletoe looks good with wooden and nature-themed homes while the synthetic counterpart, with its robust colors and perfect features, blend well with modern homes. Just choose which compliments your home theme better.

Cutting Mistletoe from a Tree

Before turning natural mistletoe into an official Christmas item, you should know how to remove it from its host. Strong legs and a good sense of balance are necessary for you to cut mistletoe latched on to the tree. If you don’t see yourself doing this, you might as well get help from a professional, or purchase some from a plant store. That way, you can style the shrub without any physical risks.

Materials Used:

• saw
• pruning equipment
• twine
• rake
• gloves

Procedure:

1. Locate mistletoe in your garden. It should be growing on the branches of your trees.
2. If you’re adept at climbing trees, ready your gardening equipment and head off to the branch with mistletoe. People who can’t climb trees must seek the help of professionals.
3. Use your saw to remove the mistletoe-filled branches. Displace sparse formations using your pruning equipment. The cut should be a foot from the parasitic plant, since the surrounding area may have mistletoe seeds.
4. Tie the mistletoe bundle with twine, then single out the best-looking ones for creating Christmas mistletoe. Toss the regular-looking ones inside a garbage bag.
5. Once done, use a rake to remove fallen leaves and mistletoe off of your garden.

With enough raw materials, you can proceed to create the Christmas ornament. You should now prepare your arts and crafts materials, so you can stylize the plant properly. Refrigerate the mistletoe to keep it fresh all throughout the Christmas season. Spray it also with insecticide occasionally to keep it safe from house pests.

Transforming Mistletoe to a Romantic Christmas Ornament

The mistletoe, as the holiday season’s kiss inducer, should look elegant, otherwise people won’t see the point of kissing under it. Its appearance must bear a balance between intensity and natural beauty to match your home’s theme, as well as tap the passionate sides of people. Clearly, it requires some time and much patience to create the ornament. Though, you and your partner will certainly reap the benefits when it has been completed.

Materials Used:

• 1/2 bushel of boxwood (6-inch twigs)
• mistletoe twig
• 1 quart water
• 1 quart 7-Up
• 2 yards red ribbon (7/8 inch)
• 2 tbsp bleach
• potato
• scratch awl
• metal hanger
• pliers
• glue
• metal florist pins
• large bowl
• red ribbon
• red beads/fake cherries
• 2 red bows

Procedure:

1. Pour the water, 7-Up and bleach in a bowl. Mix the three until they blend.
2. Soak the boxwood twigs in the solution for a day.
3. Make a hole at the center of the potato using a scratch awl.
4. Once done, use your pliers to straighten the metal hanger, forming a straight metal line.
5. Insert the potato at one end of the line. Use your pliers to create a hook at that end.
6. Push the potato through the hook’s end.
7. Use your pliers to hook the line’s opposite end. If you find the wire, which serves as the ornament’s base, too long, you can cut it and hook its end.
8. Measure the length of the metal line. Cut two ribbon strips bearing the same length.
9. Apply some glue at the end of the ribbon strips, then use them to cover the line.
10. When the base has been formed, get the boxwood twigs. Remove the leaves and small branches at the end of each twig.
11. Riddle the entire potato with holes. Make sure that the openings are exactly 1/2 inch apart.
12. Stick the twigs through the holes until the structure looks like an overflowing ball of leaves.
13. If the mistletoe looks too untidy, you can cut some of the twigs. Consider placing some symmetry in the twigs’ lengths, so it looks appealing.
14. Affix a bow, a pair of red beads/fake cherries and some ribbon at the back of the mistletoe using metal florist pins.
15. Fix and attach a bow at the potato’s top portion.
16. Hang it on a high doorway.

With the mistletoe completed, you can devise a plan for your crush to stop beneath the mistletoe. You can accidentally drop an object right below the ornament. When or she walks to pick it up, dash in front of your crush and point to the mistletoe. You can then reap your romantic reward right away. Another good plan is to leave a hundred dollar bill underneath the mistletoe. Any sucker or prospective lover will surely fall for that trap.

Synthetic Mistletoe

Synthetic mistletoe has two distinct advantages over natural ones - they last longer and they look more stylish. The ornaments, made from shrinky dink sheets, have a high tolerance for temperature changes. In addition, they practically don’t age if properly maintained. You can paint the sheets with bold colors to make them look striking, even from a distance.

Materials Used:

• 1 pack of shrinky dink sheets
• bond paper
• scissors
• fake stems
• pen
• paint
• painbrush
• oven
• cookie shee
• red bow
• florist’s wire
• fake red berries
• superglue
• thin metal wire

Procedure:

1. Purchase a pack of shrinky dinks from the supermarket. As for the rest of the materials, a visit to the craft and home supply stores should do the trick.
2. Get a shrinky dink sheet from your supply and a sheet of bond paper. Set them down on a table with the shrinky dink’s rough side facing up.
3. Sketch the outline of the mistletoe leaf on bond paper. Make the contours slightly curvy to add a touch of realism.
4. Cut the outline.
5. Once done, set the outline on the shrinky dink sheet. Cut as much leaves as possible from the sheet using the outline.
6. Repeat step number 5 until you have enough paper leaves to create a small bush.
7. Color the leaves with green paint. Make the colors bold, so your mistletoe will stand out, even if it is placed near a group of Christmas ornaments.
8. When all the leaves have been painted, place them on a cookie sheet.
9. Set the oven at 325° Fahrenheit.
10. Place the cookie sheet in the oven and heat it for a minute. You shouldn’t go beyond one minute because shrinky dinks burn easily.
11. Get a bundle of six-inch florist’s wires and superglue the leaves onto them.
12. Tie the wires together and reinforce the connection with a thin metal wire, forming the mistletoe’s base.
13. Once done, tie a large red bow near the top of the leafy structure.
14. Attach a few fake red berries by the bow, so the mistletoe looks more elegant.

This stylish creation will certainly look good on your doorways this Christmas. You can create more than one to boost your house’s aesthetics and of course, for more chances to kiss your special someone. The stark appearance of this creation also makes it a good item to sell to your neighbors.

Tiny Synthetic Mistletoe

Tiny synthetic mistletoe is surprisingly more versatile than its large counterparts. It can be used to induce kisses from a lover. Though, unlike regular mistleto, it can be tweaked to form small supporting items such as Christmas tree ornaments, components of large Christmas structures, or stylish fridge magnets. Just determine what Christmas item your home interior needs prior to creating the small ornament.

Materials Used:

• A sheet of dark green felt paper
• A pair of red beads or fake cherries
• florist’s wire
• thin metal wire
• scissors
• pen
• superglue
• paint

Procedure

1. Look at the picture of an actual mistletoe, or at least a nicely done fake.
2. Purchase the felt paper, thin metal wire and red beads from a craft store and the florist’s wire from a flower shop.
3. Sketch the outline of the leaf on the sheet of felt paper. If you are satisfied with the outline, make another one on the same sheet.
4. Cut out both leaves. Make sure that the contours look natural.
5. When the leaves are done, cut off a two-inch piece and a couple of one-inch pieces from your supply of florist’s wire.
6. Tie the two half inch pieces to the florist’s wire using a thin metal wire.
7. Use superglue to stick the leaves to their corresponding wire stems.
8. Cut two half-inch pieces of florist’s wire and tie them in between the two leaves.
9. Stick the beads/fake cherries to the half-inch pieces. Reinforce the connection with superglue, if necessary.
10. Paint the metal wires brown or green, so they can blend with the mistletoe’s appearance.

After completing the tiny synthetic mistletoe, you have the option of sticking it on your doorway or turning it into a different Christmas ornament. Stick a florist’s wire-based hook behind the mistletoe if you want to create a mistletoe ornament for Christmas trees. For fridge magnets, you need to affix a magnet behind the small decoration. As you can see, the decorative options for this item is almost endless.

Romance is Just a Doorway Away

Mistletoe, with its romantic connotations, is a must-have decoration, especially for individuals looking for a chance at romance. The well-made ornament should always be accompanied by an even better strategy to turn “friends” into instant lovers. Place it on the doorway of a usually populated place on your home and see how the Christmas item weaves its magic. You may actually mistake Christmas for Valentine’s Day.

Watch The Video

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