Inside the lobby of the Woolworth Building

"In the language of flowers, Mistletoe means 'give me a kiss.' This has

its basis in a Scandinavian myth. Balder (the Scandinavian counterpart for Apollo)

received a charm from his mother Frigga or Freyja (equivalent to Venus) against

all injury from everything which sprang from the four elements -- fire, water, air,

and earth. Loki, an evil spirit, having an enmity against Balder, formed an arrow

from Mistletoe which did not grow from any of these elements. The arrow was

placed in the hands of the blind Helder, whom Loki directed was to launch

at the seemingly invulnerable Balder. The Mistletoe dart struck Balder to the

ground. The tears of Frigga became the white berries of the Mistletoe. Through

the concerted efforts of the gods, Balder was restored to life and Frigga decreed

that the plant must never again serve as an instrument of mischief.

Frigga, being the goddess of love and beauty, grateful for the return of her son,

is said to bestow a kiss upon anyone who shall pass under the Mistletoe."

-- from 1001 Christmas Facts and Fancies by Alfred Carl Hottes

'The Christ-child lay on Mary's lap,

His hair was like a light.

(O weary, weary were the world,

But here is all aright.)

The Christ-child lay on Mary's breast,

His hair was like a star.

(O stern and cunning are the Kings,

But here the true hearts are.)

The Christ-child lay on Mary's heart,

His hair was like a fire.

(O weary, weary is the world,

But here the world's desire.)

The Christ-child stood at Mary's knee,

His hair was like a crown,

And all the flowers looked up at him,

And all the stars looked down.

from The World's Desire by G.K. Chesterton

The Oxford Book of Carols, 1928

  Days 'til Christmas