It isn’t easy finding different Christmas themed brooches to write about for The Casket, so I was delighted when I spotted this unusual representation of Mistletoe at an antiques fair in Kent a few years ago. It is by Jess Lelong and is silver with enamel.
Lelong Designs was started by Jean Lelong, Jess’s father in the 1950s. Jess joined the family business at 16 as an apprentice. The company specialises in Art Deco and Art Nouveau inspired designs using vintage French findings stamped from the original steel dies from the late 19th and early 20th century. Four or five times a year Jess and her father travel to Paris in search of findings from old factories, sadly most of the old stamping houses have closed but over the years they have managed to build up an impressive collection of diecast stamps. And it is one of these old Parisian stamping house casts that Jess has used to produce this Mistletoe brooch. You can find more of Jess’s jewellery at her Etsy shop – Lelong Designs
Mistletoe isn’t like a normal plant. It grows on other trees, taking its nutrients and water from the host tree. Mistletoe doesn’t usually kill the host tree, but it can weaken it. Favourite host trees are Apple, Hawthorne and Poplar. It grows in round clusters, giving it the appearance of magically sprouting.
In Roman mythology, mistletoe was used by the son of Venus and Trojan hero Aeneas to reach the underworld where he sought to learn Rome’s destiny. And in Norse mythology, Balder (the son of Odin, the god of war and death) is killed with an arrow made of mistletoe. Balder’s mother, Frigg, is so upset, her tears turn to white berries which cover the plant and symbolise her love for him.
The custom of kissing under the mistletoe is thought to have originated in England in the 18th century. In the Pickwick Papers (1837) Charles Dickens describes how Mr Pickwick enjoys kissing the ladies under the mistletoe at Mr Wardle’s Christmas party.
The custom at the time was a man was able to kiss any woman underneath the mistletoe, and a berry would be picked with each kiss. It was good luck to accept the kiss and bad luck not to.
My late mother-in-law always hung a sprig of Mistletoe from her garden in a doorway. Sadly, we don’t have any growing in our garden.
Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and Peaceful 2025. And if you find yourself under some Mistletoe this festive season, be sure to ‘pucker up’.