Wokery is in danger of destroying the age-old tradition of kissing under the mistletoe at Christmas parties, according to Britain’s largest supplier of the plants.
Around a quarter of the festive foliage will be up for grabs at Britain’s only annual mistletoe auctions in Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire this year, compared to recent decades.
Twigs were once a staple of the office party but are now rarely bought by young people, lamented celebrity auctioneer Nick ‘Mr Mistletoe’ Champion.
Mr Champion, 66, who has been organizing the unique mistletoe auctions for 47 years, said the recent cold snap should ensure a top quality harvest.
He said he expects around 500 lots of the plant to go under the hammer at two auctions in Britain’s self-proclaimed mistletoe capital in the next two weeks.
But that compares with as many as 2,000 lots, when holding twigs for kissing was still a popular practice and sales were at their peak.
He said: ‘We used to have four auctions but mistletoe sales peaked in the early 1990s.
‘Young people are no longer interested in kissing under the mistletoe and the older generation that cut and bundled the mistletoe is dying out and not being replaced.
“Workers used to kiss under the mistletoe at Christmas parties, but now all the waking got them accused of assault.”
Twigs were once a regular part of the office party and are now rarely purchased by young people (file image)
The custom of kissing under the mistletoe is thought to have originated in Scandinavia (file image)
Tenbury Wells has held auctions of mistletoe and holly collected by farmers since 1862 and is a big part of the town’s history.
This year they will take place on November 26 and December 3.
Mr Champion said: ‘Mistletoe now needs frost to ripen the berries and turn them from green to white. The recent cold spell means it should be a bumper harvest.’
Mr Champion said there is a much higher demand for holly, which fetches around £5 per kilo, compared to £3 for mistletoe.
Gold and silver variegated holly varieties cost as much as £15 per kilo.
Mr Champion said: ‘Holly wreaths are the one thing we are seeing increasing demand for every year.
‘People may no longer have holly in their home as a traditional decoration, but stick it on the front door
‘There are people who will pay £100 for a good 12 or 12in holly wreath from a smart farm shop or garden center that will look impressive on their front door.’
Mistletoe is a parasitic plant that grows mainly on apple trees in Great Britain.
There are as many as 1,500 species of mistletoe around the world, but the European mistletoe is a species called Viscum album.
In Britain the species is commonly found in Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Shropshire and Gloucestershire.
But more than half of Britain’s apple orchards have disappeared in the past forty years due to development and intensive farming.
The custom of kissing under the mistletoe is thought to have originated in Scandinavia.
It is believed that the British tradition began in the 18th century, but it was mainly the Victorians who became big fans of wrinkling 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.