# Would you kiss someone not of your preferred gender under the mistletoe? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 18, 2008, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kiss-someone-not-of-your-preferred-gender-under-the-mistletoe/477821 "2008-12-18T22:39:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kiss-someone-not-of-your-preferred-gender-under-the-mistletoe/477821/61 "2008-12-19T13:41:22Z")
I’d give a guy friend the same quick, meaningless peck on the cheek as I’d give a girl friend. But I’d _kiss_ my wife, yaknowI’msayin’? ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kiss-someone-not-of-your-preferred-gender-under-the-mistletoe/477821/62 "2008-12-19T14:23:02Z")
Mistletoe is about a kiss between a man and a woman. Only. It’s in the bible somewhere, probably near the anal sex advice. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kiss-someone-not-of-your-preferred-gender-under-the-mistletoe/477821/63 "2008-12-19T14:59:16Z")
Yeah, I’d kiss a girl. I’ve kissed girls before, not with tongue, but I’ve had friend’s moms give me a light peck on the lips, right after they did the same with their own kids. I am not used to it, it doesn’t happen often, but it wouldn’t ick me out either. ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kiss-someone-not-of-your-preferred-gender-under-the-mistletoe/477821/64 "2008-12-19T19:04:43Z")
\< runs through thread smooching everyone \> ---
**Author:** ![eldowan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/848f3c/32.png) [@eldowan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eldowan)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2008, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kiss-someone-not-of-your-preferred-gender-under-the-mistletoe/477821/65 "2008-12-20T03:06:20Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Mistletoe is about a kiss between a man and a woman. Only. > > It’s in the bible somewhere, probably near the anal sex advice. And they should be in love, and never kissed before too. or was that something else?? ---
**Author:** ![gravitycrash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@gravitycrash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gravitycrash)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2008, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kiss-someone-not-of-your-preferred-gender-under-the-mistletoe/477821/66 "2008-12-20T04:01:23Z")
That is hot ladies. Two women going at it. Two men going at it? Who wants to see two hairy male asses going at it? ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2008, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kiss-someone-not-of-your-preferred-gender-under-the-mistletoe/477821/67 "2008-12-21T04:02:41Z")
I think other criteria would be far more important than the gender, like what the implied house rules for the mistletoe are, how comfortable I am with the person in general and how comfortable they are with me, what kind of kiss, and the silliness factor level of the event. Which brings us to the related question of what you do if the bottle spins around and stops on someone of the non preferred gender… ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2008, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kiss-someone-not-of-your-preferred-gender-under-the-mistletoe/477821/68 "2008-12-21T06:43:59Z")
> [@Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](#): > > Men don’t kiss men. Then what the hell have I been doing, the past 45 years? Regarding the OP: I have exactly zero attraction to women, but I’d kiss anyone of any gender under the mistletoe, unless they were terminally repulsive. ---
**Author:** ![EarlGrayHot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e480ec/32.png) [@EarlGrayHot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EarlGrayHot)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2018, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kiss-someone-not-of-your-preferred-gender-under-the-mistletoe/477821/69 "2018-12-12T13:11:35Z")
Nobody kisses me without my permission, mistletoe or not. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2018, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kiss-someone-not-of-your-preferred-gender-under-the-mistletoe/477821/70 "2018-12-12T14:45:36Z")
While I usually avoid zombies (what we call long ended threads here that get pulled back up) (OK - I don’t really avoid them I was just trying to be polite) I come from a fairly tactile family of huggers and kidders and I wouldn’t have any issue giving someone of my gender a little peck under the conditions in the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2018, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kiss-someone-not-of-your-preferred-gender-under-the-mistletoe/477821/71 "2018-12-12T15:21:42Z")
No. And I would not stand under mistletoe. My physical contact with people is limited to shaking hands iwth strangers, and hugging close friends. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2018, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kiss-someone-not-of-your-preferred-gender-under-the-mistletoe/477821/72 "2018-12-12T15:45:29Z")
> [@EarlGrayHot](#): > > Nobody kisses me without my permission, mistletoe or not. Things were different 10 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2018, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kiss-someone-not-of-your-preferred-gender-under-the-mistletoe/477821/73 "2018-12-12T15:54:45Z")
Thank you, EarlGrayHot, for reviving this thread, and reminding me just how much of a bite in the ass Diogenes the Cynic was. 😉 Also, for the record: I’ve done it a few times. No big deal. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2018, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kiss-someone-not-of-your-preferred-gender-under-the-mistletoe/477821/74 "2018-12-12T16:06:04Z")
> [@WormTheRed](#): > > I wouldn’t have any problems with kissing a male friend on the cheek or a peck on the lips. It’s all in good fun and it might upset someone 🙂 Mostly this. I’d participate for the humor factor. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2018, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kiss-someone-not-of-your-preferred-gender-under-the-mistletoe/477821/75 "2018-12-12T16:14:21Z")
Kissing anyone under the mistletoe sort of smacks of peer pressure induced - I don’t want to say sexual harassment, because it doesn’t rise to that level - but its the sort of “good natured ribbing” that gets a pass in society but makes people uncomfortable. It reeks of when your Great Aunt Martha demanded kisses when you were seven and smelled of anchovies and a cheap Shalimar knockoff. I’m not a social toucher though. I’m not a social hugger - why would spiked eggnog suddenly turn me into a social kisser. (I do put up mistletoe - well, I sometimes put up a plastic ball of mistletoe that came from my grandparents if I find it in the box - I’m 52, and I’m certain the mistletoe is older than I am. It reminds me of Christmases at my grandparents growing up. But I haven’t seen anyone kiss under it since those Christmases…) ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2018, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kiss-someone-not-of-your-preferred-gender-under-the-mistletoe/477821/76 "2018-12-12T17:29:10Z")
SOME of us consider anchovies and a cheap Shalimar knock-off to be turn-ons. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2018, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kiss-someone-not-of-your-preferred-gender-under-the-mistletoe/477821/77 "2018-12-13T03:01:37Z")
I might do a kiss on the cheek, but only if the other guy clearly was okay with it, or it made sense as a joke. But then, that’s the same for a girl, save for I would kiss on the lips if she wanted. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2018, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kiss-someone-not-of-your-preferred-gender-under-the-mistletoe/477821/78 "2018-12-13T03:11:18Z")
No. Too many germs. No kissing of random folks. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2018, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kiss-someone-not-of-your-preferred-gender-under-the-mistletoe/477821/79 "2018-12-13T04:13:28Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > It reeks of when your Great Aunt Martha demanded kisses when you were seven and smelled of anchovies and a cheap Shalimar knockoff. You smelt of anchovies and cheap Shalimar knockoff when you were 7? And in answer to the OP, sure, why not? ---
**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2018, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kiss-someone-not-of-your-preferred-gender-under-the-mistletoe/477821/80 "2018-12-13T16:25:44Z")
Well, I wouldn’t. However I don’t really kiss people other than my wife so there’s that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kiss-someone-not-of-your-preferred-gender-under-the-mistletoe/477821.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-kiss-someone-not-of-your-preferred-gender-under-the-mistletoe/477821.md?page=5)