CatersMeet Bacardi and Isla: two smooching Golden Retrievers bringing in Christmas under mistletoe.
As the festive day truly gets underway, keep an eye out for the mistletoe sitting atop lights and doors – as well as someone puckering up for a kiss.
As part of their first ever Christmas, two 10-month-old pups are warming up the internet with their unbearably cute affection.
Check out Bacardi and Isla sharing a kiss below:
The two pooches are spending their first Christmas with owner Jennifer Moraso in Richmond, Virginia.
As the owner holds the plant high up above their heads, the dogs’ heads rise up before eventually licking each other.
As they stand very picturesquely in front of a Christmas tree, the affectionate pair continually try to lick each other’s face as the spirit of the mistletoe overwhelms them.
CatersExplaining the process behind capturing the precious moment on camera, Jennifer said:
My mom held the mistletoe above them while I captured them giving each other kisses.
In order to encourage the pair to share a smooch, Jennifer shared her secret – they were given peanut butter. However, she did take care to remind animal lovers: ‘Just a PSA in case you try this with your dogs – mistletoe is toxic to pets so make sure the only thing they lick is your face.’
Obviously, dog fans have been lapping up the video, already amassing more than 30,000 views on Jennifer’s pup’s Instagram (@islathegoldenpup).
CatersPeople have been flocking to the comments, admiring the pups will jokingly noting that we should give them so privacy. One user wrote: ‘Idk if I should be watching this.. feels… private.’
Another user agreed, writing: ‘Oh gosh I’m feeling uncomfortable’ with a further viewer adding: ‘Whoa I thought insta was PG-rated.’
But just where did the tradition of having a kiss underneath the mistletoe come from? Well, according to Live Science, it started in ancient Greece.
The website explains:
The tradition of kissing under the mistletoe started in ancient Greece, during the festival of Saturnalia and later in marriage ceremonies, because of the plant’s association with fertility.
During the Roman era, enemies at war would reconcile their differences under the mistletoe, which to them represented peace. Romans also decorated their houses and temples with mistletoe in midwinter to please their gods.
If you happen to kiss anyone under the mistletoe today, just know it won’t be as cute as these pups. Merry Christmas!
If you have a story you want to tell send it to UNILAD via [email protected]
After graduating from Glasgow Caledonian University with an NCTJ and BCTJ-accredited Multimedia Journalism degree, Cameron ventured into the world of print journalism at The National, while also working as a freelance film journalist on the side, becoming an accredited Rotten Tomatoes critic in the process. He’s now left his Scottish homelands and took up residence at UNILAD as a journalist.