Mistletoe Has Gone Missing
Because of a lack of supply sparked by climate change the Texas drought, this holiday season will not feature much mistletoe, and no one will even notice it's gone. The New York Times today reports on a first-world problem -- the mistletoe shortage. "There’s not enough mistletoe in the State of Texas to run a commercial operation." Robert Tiemann, the owner of one the country's biggest mistletoe suppliers, told The Times. The bigger story may be how Tiemann had, until now, run a profitable business on a plant with about one month of popularity. Like any good New York Times trend story, someone in Brooklyn says the berry plant is done (ugly even), while someone says their Upper East Side townhouse just doesn't feel right without the real thing. It's perhaps a Manhattan florist who summarizes the semi-parasitic plant's fading appeal best:
“In 1901 you needed to be under the mistletoe to steal a kiss in public,” said Mr. George. “In 2011, you can do just about anything you want in public and it goes unnoticed.” When asked about the shortage, Mr. George was confident there would be no love lost.
For the full story head on over to The Times.
