An elderly, but sprightly couple llive in this cosy cottage. It snuggles so closely to a great tree that it looks to be emerging from the trunk. Their cottage, on the edge of a forest, is aptly named, for their chief delight is in collecting and selling what they call "kissing parasite." Yes, you've guessed it; the parsite is mistletoe, which makes its home in the branches of its host tree.
   This pleasant couple gain a great deal of pleasure thinking about the folks who will exchange kisses during the Christmas season, under sprigs of mistletoe which they have gathered. You can see them most days in the autumn and early winter, walking into the forest armed with a bag of marker pegs and a small wooden mallet. They work steadily, knocking the pegs into the ground, marking the position of those trees that support the white-berried mistletoe high up in their branches. Later still, you'll see them again. This time, the man is carrying a ladder and his wife has a large wicker basket. From the man's belt hang a pair of shears. As they begin to harvest the "kissing parasite," we can be sure that, once again, the season's supply of mistletoe is safe.