Christmas A to Z Letter M

December 11, 2025

Welcome Back to Christmas A to Z
M …is for Mistletoe, Merry and Mincemeat

Mistletoe

Not many generations ago, before the advent of television and home entertainment centers, neighbors and relatives frequently visited each other for fellowship, and did so especially during the holidays. A common custom at Christmas-time was for the homemaker to place a sprig of mistletoe above a door frame, or hang it from the ceiling of the dwelling. During the frequent get-together's, any female who lingered there was fair game for a harmless kiss from nearby males.

A story written in 1920 by Washington Irving described Christmas decorations that included; "the mistletoe, with its white berries, hung up, to the imminent peril of all the pretty housemaids."

Mistletoe was supposed to bring luck to two people who kissed underneath it, and bad luck to those who didn't. Some say proper etiquette is to pick a berry off for every kiss, and stop when all the berries are gone.

Merry

The traditional greeting at Christmas - very commonly used on Christmas cards.

"A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You" was the verse that was shown on the first commercially available Christmas card in 1843.

1843 was also the year of the publication of Charles Dickens' Christmas Carol and it was around that time, in the early part of the reign of Queen Victoria, that Christmas as we now know it was largely invented,

Today there is an ongoing discussion on wishing each other Merry Christmas, but I choose to continue carrying on the tradition. So, “We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year”.

Mincemeat

Mince Pies, were originally filled with meat, such as lamb, rather than a dried fruit mix as they are today. They were also first made in an oval shape to represent the manger that Jesus slept in as a baby, with the top representing his swaddling clothes.

During the 1600’s in the UK, mince pies were a status symbol at Christmas! Very rich people liked to show off at their Christmas parties by having pies made is different shapes (like stars, crescents, hearts, tears, & flowers); the fancy shaped pies could often fit together a bit like a jigsaw! Having pies like this meant you were rich and could afford to employ the best, and most expensive, pastry cooks!

Now they are normally made in a round shape and are eaten hot or cold A custom from the middle ages says that if you eat a mince pie on every day from Christmas to Twelfth Night (6th January) you will have happiness for the next 12 months!

I was curious about the taste of this pie. I was able to find this recipe from Our Heritage of Health.

Old-Fashioned Mincemeat Pie Recipe from 1798

This traditional, old-fashioned dessert is a unique blend of savory and sweet made with real meat, apples and dried fruits, and plenty of spice. This recipe was adapted from American Cookery from 1798.

Ingredients

1 lb. beef (see notes below)
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 lbs. (about 3 cups) of apples that have been peeled and chopped
1/3 cup suet chopped into small pieces (or tallow, or coconut oil, or butter, depending on what you have available) See notes below.
3/4 cup apple cider
1 Tbs ground mace (or you can substitute nutmeg if you don't have mace)
1/2 Tbs. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 dried currents (or you can substitute an additional 1/2 cup of raisins if you don't have currents)
3 Tbs. chopped candied citron pieces (optional)
Pie pastry for top and bottom crust to fit a 9inch pie plate (See notes below)

Instructions

If using ground beef, brown the meat in a saucepan over medium heat. If you are using other cuts of raw beef, boil the beef until it is cooked and then chop it into small pieces. Or, if you are using left over beef that has already been cooked, you can chop the meat into small pieces. After chopping the beef, add the salt to the meat.
In a large bowl, combine chopped apples, chopped suet (or your suet substitute) cider, spices, and fruit. Add the beef and apple cider and mix well until all ingredients are thoroughly combined. (If you want to be more authentic, you can chop up all of the ingredients together at this point to mince them finely.)
Line a 9 inch pie plate with pastry and then pour in the mincemeat.
Add the top crust, sealing the edges with a fork and cutting slivers in the top to let out steam. If you want an extra golden brown crust you can brush the top of the pie with some egg.
Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 45 minutes until the crust looks golden brown.

Notes

Traditionally, this pie would typically have been with beef that had been finely chopped (or minced), but if you want a faster, more modern version of this recipe you can simply use ground beef.

The original recipe calls for suet, but good quality suet that is appropriate for use in baking is hard to find these days. If you have a good source of suet, then feel free to substitute that to be more authentic, but if not, then tallow, coconut oil, or butter can be substitutes. (If you decided to use coconut oil, I recommend using an expeller-pressed refined coconut oil if you want a more neutral flavor rather than a coconut flavor in your pie) If the beef you are using has a higher fat content, you can also adjust the amount of butter or coconut oil that you use. I was using an 85% ground beef, so 1/3 cup was about the right amount for me, but if you have a leaner beef, then you might want to increase the amount of butter or coconut oil by a little.

I hope you will join me again tomorrow for more of the Christmas Celebration