Is mistletoe symbiosis or a parasite?

Jacksonville is well lit for Christmas. During our Halloween volunteerism, the organizer from the Chamber of Commerce mentioned it took some doing to get all the businesses in downtown historic Jacksonville to chip in to get their holiday garlands and lights to match.   Seriously! It started the weekend after Thanksgiving and one by one, the shops got up tiny white lights framing all the shop windows with cedar-looking garlands bedecking the pillars and frames.  We missed the Christmas tree lighting as we were at the coast that weekend, but on several subsequent forays downtown we pass heavily decorated shop windows, passers-by in Victorian garb and people on the side walks giving away hot apple cider.

Last weekend we did our chores early Saturday and went on a wine tour of Upper Rogue Valley.  Didn't mean to hit 3 wineries before camping, but they were so co-located!
Agate Ridge Vineyard has a spectacular view of (much of the year) snow-covered Mount Mcloughlin.  In the summer they have live music and bond fires and giant games:  (life size Jenga and other stuff I guess.)  We just threw a slimy tennis ball for the owner's energetic dog, Syrah, and tasted some good wines.  We ended up with a free coupon for a tasting flight at the neighboring winery: Cliff Creek Cellar.  It happened to be their members' pick up day so they were having food and festivities.  We're not members but they let us eat their prime rib and chocolate and had generous portions on their tastings.  We imagined going back in the summer (since they're also 22 min from Jacksonville.)  Their grapes abut grapes at Folin Vineyard's, so we had to stop there too.   It sounded like they were closing after this weekend and we still aren't sure if they meant for the season or forever. We ended up with two beautiful wine glasses and the phone number of a dude who teaches fly-tying  (in case Judd needs a 6-8th grade project.)  

All we had to do at "camp" was open the yurt and turn on the heat.  (We had stopped at India Palace and picked up Indian food to warm up for dinner. It didn't even make it to the warmer.)  I did lose soundly at cribbage. Only drawback to Valley of the Rogue State Camp Ground:  it seems to be 20ft from Freeway  5 (they're free here) and apparently they don't turn off traffic at night. Zooming sounds woke us up all night.  We had a nice, brisk morning walk along the Rogue River and went home to prep for Sunday/Monday.  DId I mention these chores involved buying 9 pound boxes of spaghetti and 18 bags of mini marshmallows for Judd's "tower challenge?"  (i.e. have 6-8 graders spend the last day before holiday break seeing who can make the tallest tower out of spaghetti and marshmallows.) Doesn't sound lethal or messy, right?

On the way home, the fog was thick but the sunrise promised to break through.  It made stunning black and white snaps of the trees full of mistletoe balls. 

I refer you to this awesome Prezi by Wade Sumner and Elize Perez, if you can click through it with your arrow button:
https://prezi.com/ql1hdfrsyuqc/symbiosis-between-mistletoe-and-a-tree/

And, in an unrelated note:  Hotel at work conference in Seattle, The Edgewater (famous for  4 Beatles fishing out a window)  uses antlers in all of their decorating....