Daddy, how do you get mistletoe down?
I asked that question one cold day while we were back on the mountain. Daddy had just pointed out mistletoe growing way up high among the branches of a leafless tree.
Christmas was near. And up to that point, the only mistletoe I’d ever seen up close was the plastic bit with red berries Mamaw hung in the den doorway every year.
Come on, punkin. I’ll show ya.
That might have been the first time I noticed the parasitic plant growing in the tree tops. I can’t recall.
But I do remember walking back to the house so Daddy could grab a rifle.
Gun in hand, Daddy guided me back to the tree with mistletoe bunches sprouting from its limbs. He made me stand way back as he took aim.
I closed my eyes and plugged my ears.
Kerplow!
The sound of the gunshot echoed off the mountains, and the smell of gunpowder burned my nose.
Kerplow! Kerplow!
When I opened my eyes, I found Daddy on one knee, gathering up the fallen mistletoe. I rushed to his side to help.
We walked back home, hand in hand.
Mamaw gave it a good soak. Then, Daddy and I walked around the head of the mountain and dropped off pieces to family and friends.
Anytime I spot mistletoe growing in a leafless tree, I think of that day. Which is often this time of year.
I’m looking up at a bunch of mistletoe in an old oak tree a few houses down from ours right now, and I’m wondering: do other people shoot down mistletoe, too? Is it a Southern thing? An Appalachian thing?
I’m not sure. But one thing is certain – it’s a memorable thing.
My wife’s father and his brother collected mistletoe from trees in the Lamm’s Pond swamp area near Bailey, North Carolina. They used a 22-caliber rifle to shoot down mistletoe bunches. They clipped off sprigs and tied ribbons around their bases. They sold the sprigs for 25 cents each to make money at Christmas time.
Reminds me of my daddy collecting nightcrawlers out of the cow pasture. He’d collect gallons and then sell them for gas money when I was little.
For sure a memorable part of Christmas! Love your memories of you and your daddy!
Thank you, Tipper. He was a mess – and is missed.
I’ve never heard of this tradition—I grew up in upstate New York—but I think it’s outstanding to have and share memories of this with your readers. Thank you.
Thank you, Mike! I love talking about this kind of stuff. It’s worthy of being remembered, treasured, and preserved.
I loved doing this with my daddy. He’s been gone 3 years and I miss him so much this time of year.
I’m so sorry. I lost my daddy a long time ago, and I still think about him on the holidays. Talking about him is just one of the little ways I help keep his memory alive. <3
The problem with shooting mistletoe is that you generally lose the berries (maybe it was because I did it with a shotgun). It might not be a bad thing to lose the berries as they are supposedly highly toxic. Most of the mistletoe I harvested was in the swamps and from a canoe.
It’s so long ago that I can’t remember if they had the berries still attached or not. I do think my daddy used a rifle instead of a shotgun, though. 😉