Comments on: Mistletoe / Dung-on-a-twig… :)

By: Tony

Tony — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 03:32:48 +0000

Having spent at least ten Christmases in the Philippines, mistletoe is one of the things I miss about Christmas in England. I also miss logs burning on an open fire in the lounge, especially if they are from apple or cherry trees which smell gorgeous, holly with bright red berries and Christmas crackers which I have never been able to find here. Next year I will ask a relative in England to send me crackers, mistletoe and holly.
I know that if we move back to England there would be some things I would miss about Christmas in the Philippines, like warm sunny weather and the whole noche buena thing. This year we had about about twenty people here that night of which about eleven were children.

By: atbnorge

atbnorge — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 11:11:35 +0000

@Delia, Heisann! It is so nice to find someone living in Norway here in MarketManila…Ja, I noticed they turn a bit yellowish brown when they begin to shed twigs and then they fall to the ground; but the main branches remain. Everytime I saw mistletoe twigs on the ground, I thought my son and his playmates were messing the “parasite” again. But it’s a natural occurence; then new twigs come out again. I actually have a small birdhouse (a little box with a small hole) beside the mistletoe and I get some “boarders” every spring.

By: iya

iya — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 06:46:55 +0000

i have never even seen a mistletoe. ang lungkot. hanggang poinsettia pa lang ako. :p

By: AT

AT — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 05:46:37 +0000

Just note that the plant is poisonous… especially the leaves

https://www.drugs.com/enc/mistletoe.html

By: kurzhaar

kurzhaar — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 00:19:06 +0000

There are many species of holly (Ilex spp.). I have a winterberry growing wild in my garden, quite beautiful with its brilliant red berries against fresh snow (of which we received close to 2 feet thanks to last night’s blizzard). Curiously the birds do not seem to care much for its berries, they don’t eat them until later in the winter…when, I suspect, they have little choice.

Larger holly species are used for their wood, which is very pale (“holly wood”). We have an antique chess set where the white pieces are made of holly and the black of ebony. And of course it is a holly species used in South America for tea (yerba mate is an Ilex species).

By: psychomom

psychomom — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 15:59:23 +0000

we have a holly bush but no berries. i was told you have to have both “male and female” bushes in order for berries to grow. am trying to figure the sex of our bush???!!! would have bought one of each if we had known.

By: James

James — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 13:30:10 +0000

MM … you are quite right, holly has red berries and has the leaves with sharp points. When I was a child, we had a hedge made entirely of holly.

By: sister

sister — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 13:08:52 +0000

You might find some mistletoe on a tree in the Phiippines!

By: mek

mek — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 12:44:15 +0000

there’s a mistletoe station at the power plant mall :-)

By: Ley

Ley — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 09:55:18 +0000

Thanks for the trivia MM! Merry Christmas to you and your family!