Mistletoe is often used as a Christmas decoration. "Viscum album" is used in Europe and "Phoradendron serotinum" is used in North America. According to custom, the mistletoe must not touch the ground between its cutting and its removal as the last of Christmas greens at Candlemas; it may remain hanging through the year, often to preserve the house from lightning or fire, until it was replaced the following Christmas Eve.