Wokery risks killing off the ancient tradition of kissing under the mistletoe at Christmas parties, according to the UK’s leading supplier of the plants.
Around a quarter as much of the festive foliage is up for grabs this year at Britain’s only annual mistletoe auctions in Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire, compared to past decades.
Once a staple of the office party, sprigs are now rarely bought by young people, renowned auctioneer Nick ‘Mr Mistletoe’ Champion lamented.
Mr Champion, 66, who has been staging the unique mistletoe auctions for 47 years, said that the recent cold snap should make for a bumper quality crop.
He said that he expects around 500 lots of the plant to go under the hammer across two auctions in the self-appointed mistletoe capital of Britain in the next fortnight.
But that compares to as many as 2,000 lots when holding sprigs to snog was still a popular custom and sales were in their heyday.
He said: ‘We used to have four auctions but mistletoe sales peaked in the early ’90s.
‘Young people aren’t interested in kissing under the mistletoe any more and the older generation who used to cut it down and bundle it up are dying off and not being replaced.
‘Workers used to kiss under the mistletoe at Christmas parties, but with all the wokery nowadays they would be accused of abuse.’
Once a staple of the office party, sprigs are now rarely bought by young people (file image)
The custom of kissing under the mistletoe is thought to stem from Scandinavia (file image)
Auctions of mistletoe and holly collected by farmers have been held in Tenbury Wells since 1862 and are a huge part of the town’s history.
This year, they are taking place on November 26 and December 3.
Mr Champion said: ‘Mistletoe needs a frost around now to ripen the berries and turn them from green to white. The recent cold spell means that it should be a great crop.’
Mr Champion said that there is much higher demand for holly, which fetches around £5 per kilo compared to £3 for mistletoe.
Golden and silver variegated varieties of holly go for as much as £15 per kilo.
Mr Champion said: ‘Holly wreaths are the one thing we see increasing demand for each year.
‘People may no longer have holly in the house as a traditional decoration but they will stick it on a front door
‘There are people out there who will pay £100 for a good 12 or 15 inch holly wreath from a smart farm shop or garden centre that looks impressive on their front door.’
Mistletoe is a parasitic plant that most commonly grows on apple trees in the UK.
There are as many as 1,500 species of mistletoe around the world but European mistletoe is a type called Viscum album.
In the UK, it is commonly found in Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Shropshire and Gloucestershire.
But more than half of UK apple orchards have vanished in the past 40 years due to developments and intensive farming.
The custom of kissing under the mistletoe is thought to stem from Scandinavia.
The UK tradition is believed to have started in the 1700s but it was the Victorians especially who became big fans of puckering up under the plant.
One theory for the tradition is that mistletoe is seen as a symbol of fertility and life, staying green in winter and growing around branches when all the trees are bare.
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