MISTLETOE has long been associated with Christmas, especially where parties are concerned, because its presence provided an excuse for strangers to kiss one another.

Party organisers would hang sprigs above doorways or in other strategic places where guests were likely to pass and, even within living memory, a kiss under the mistletoe was considered a daring and most wonderful achievement, especially for shy people.

This custom has made most of us aware of this curious evergreen plant with its sticky pearl-like white berries, but its association with Christmas or, to be more accurate, Yuletide, goes back centuries. Its links with kissing come from an ancient Norse legend which pre-dates Christianity, while its presence in the home also has its origins in our pagan past.

The story concerns Baldur, the young god of peace, who was threatened with an early death. His goddess mother, Freya, made him immune to anything harmful which came from the earth, air, water or fire.

She hadn't considered mistletoe and it avoided her magic because it was not a product of earth, air, water or fire. It was a parasite which fed from trees, so Baldur's enemy, Loki, made an arrow from mistletoe wood.

To test it, he gave it to a blind man called Hoder who, under Loki's directions, aimed it at Baldur. The arrow struck Baldur and killed him instantly. But it was not the end of him because the other gods came to his rescue and restored him to life. The arrow was then given to the goddess of love.

She said everyone who passed beneath it should show their love for one another by kissing, and so the legend was born. Mistletoe became the emblem of friendship and love instead of hate.

Thousands of years later, we still kiss under the mistletoe and in times past former enemies would meet under it to shake hands in peace.

At the time of the druids more than 2,000 years ago, mistletoe was regarded as sacred, magical and health-giving, with children carrying sprigs to ward off a range of diseases. On the continent, it was thought to prevent nightmares and, because mistletoe often grew on oaks, which were regarded as holy trees, it was held in extra high esteem. When the druids announced the new year, for example, they would parade with bunches of mistletoe to ensure the coming months were happy and prosperous.

In spite of the arrival of Christianity in England, mistletoe was still being carried from house to house on New Year's Day as late as the eleventh century.

One of the druids' main festivals was Yuletide, now known as Christmas, when mistletoe was cut from its parent trees with a golden knife. For this reason, it was known as the Golden Bough, but it was also known as All-Heal.

Sprigs were taken into the homes of the people and also laid on the altars in pagan temples. It was then thought to cure all manner of illnesses and diseases, both in cattle as well as humans.

When Christianity and Christmas replaced paganism and Yuletide, the churches banned all pagan emblems, including evergreens such as holly, ivy, yew and mistletoe, all of which symbolised everlasting life.

In spite of this, evergreens of every kind were taken into the churches at all the major festivals and this continued until after the Reformation, becoming increasingly uncommon during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, except at Christmas.

Evergreens are still taken into the churches, although some will not admit mistletoe. One striking exception was York Minster. On Christmas Eve, mistletoe was carried to the high altar as a public and universal liberty, pardon and freedom was proclaimed.

I think this custom died out about 1950 because some of the clergy disliked its symbolism. Nonetheless, I know of no formal ban in any church, Catholic or Protestant.

This year seems to have produced a wealth of mistletoe berries, the main production area being in Herefordshire, although it does grow in other parts of the country.

It is said to be capable of growing on more than 200 different species of tree, although it seems to favour the oak, poplar, hawthorn, apple and other fruit trees. It will even grow on conifers.

The sticky seeds are spread by birds, the mistle thrush in particular, and they germinate after being pushed into crevices behind the bark as the birds clean their beaks.

The stickiness prevents the seeds falling out and, in time, they will tap into a tree's sap stream. Growth is very slow and it might be two years or so before the first signs of a leaf appear.

Over the years, people have tried to grow their own mistletoe with limited success. I believe one tip is that the seeds of mistletoe grown on oak will only thrive on oak, those reared on apple will only thrive on apple trees and so forth, although I understand that mistletoe berries from overseas will often thrive on poplar. If you have the patience, you might eventually develop a commercial crop.

Today, being Christmas Eve, boasts several interesting customs and beliefs, some of which probably date to our pagan ancestors.

One of them, which is still undertaken in some country houses, is to bring in the Yule log. This custom begins with a small piece of last year's Yule log which has been preserved for its final role. It will be placed in the grate and ignited, then before it burns away, a brand new log will be introduced and lit from the old one.

The size of the new log varied according to the capacity of the grate, but in some cases it was a massive trunk, up to four feet in length, which had been previously cut and allowed to dry.

It was only the largest of grates which could accommodate such a huge log. It was placed in the grate and the original idea was that it would continue to burn throughout Christmas Day. If the blaze went out, it was thought bad luck would descend upon the household, so it was very important that the log continued to smoulder. It was equally important that a small piece was retained for next year, to ensure that this cycle continued.

In some of the big country houses, a colossal Yule log was kept smouldering throughout the entire 12 days of Christmas.

Alternatively, ashen faggots were used. These comprised a large bundle of ash sticks which had been bound together and lit with the remains of last year's faggot.

Even if the Yule log is no longer regarded with such reverence, I am assured that some smaller homes do their best to continue this custom. The trouble is that most of us can't remember where we stored last year's remnants of our very personal Yule log.

Another curious custom was for girls to make a dumb cake on Christmas Eve. The ingredients were flour, water, eggs and salt. Once cooked, it had to be eaten at midnight. The girl then went upstairs to bed, but she had to walk backwards up the stairs and that is when she believed she would see a vision of her future husband.

Another famous Christmas Eve dish was frummetty, sometimes known as frumenty. This was rather like porridge, being made from pearled wheat, which is wheat in the husk, although in some cases pearled barley was used. It had to be soaked in water during the previous day, and this made it swell. Some old accounts suggest a full day in water was necessary, and this was known as creaving. In some areas, a mixture of milk and water was used.

Once the mixture was creeaved (as they say in North Yorkshire), it could be cooked. This had to be done very slowly, up to three hours in some cases. The purpose was to eat it on Christmas Eve before going to midnight mass and, when it came out of the oven, it could be flavoured according to taste.

Cinnamon was widely used, although other things like raisins, sultanas, spices or even alcohol such as brandy, rum or sherry were added. In some households, the frummetty was followed by a piece of cheese with a cross carved on top.

There is also a belief that cattle, horses and sheep sink to their knees at midnight tonight and that hived bees hum the psalms. It is also said that Robin Hood died this day in 1247, and that he is buried at Kirklees Priory near Brighouse. And finally, I wish all readers a very happy Christmas