An unlikely pairing under the mistletoe

In an unlikely pairing, America's sprawling Oklahoma City (population 1.2 million) is to twin with Worcestershire's picturesque Tenbury Wells (population 3,786) for the Christmas season at least.

The two have been brought together by a mutual interest in mistletoe which peaks, for Tenbury Wells, in early December when the town becomes the UK's mistletoe capital, with the UK Mistletoe Festival on 6th December and a several mistletoe auctions. Oklahoma City, the 31st largest city in the US, also has a strong mistletoe theme - as well as Christmas mistletoe markets, the plant was adopted as the floral emblem for Oklahoma State back in 1893.

Tenbury's mistletoe heritage is well over 100 years too having hosted mistletoe auctions since the 1880s. European mistletoe is different to its American counterpart and grows largely in the abundant apple trees growing across Worcestershire - Queen Victoria described the Tenbury Wells as her 'little town in the orchard'.

To mark the twinning, a shipment of Oklahoma mistletoe is on its way to Worcestershire, compliments of Oklahoma's Chamber of Commerce, echoing and reversing a shipment of Tenbury mistletoe sent to America by Thomas Graves of Teme Street, Tenbury in 1885. A shipment of Tenbury mistletoe is also on its way to Oklahoma, dispatched by online mistletoe specialists', Tenbury English Mistletoe Enterprise, on behalf of the Tenbury Town Events Committee.

Oklahoma's adoption of mistletoe as a 'floral emblem' has a long history, being first suggested when a pioneer used mistletoe to decorate his wife's grave after she died during a hard winter in the 1890s. The husband resolved that this symbol of love, despite not having a pretty flower, should become the new state's official flower.

Tenbury's famous mistletoe auctions are now held just over the Herefordshire border showing how mistletoe's traditional theme of peace and love can be shared. The new twinning with Oklahoma may be seasonal but Tenbury hopes that this will also be a lasting sharing of mistletoe and an exciting demonstration of the power of mistletoe as a plant of peace and fruitful relationships.

For more information, log on to Tenbury-mistletoe-festival.co.uk / TravelOk.com.