Gen Z ‘wokery’ kills off romance of kissing under the mistletoe

The rise of Gen Z “wokery” could be killing off the ancient Christmas tradition of kissing under the mistletoe, the Yuletide plant’s top UK supplier fears.

Mistletoe sales peaked in the 90s but now just a quarter of that will be sold in the next few weeks at Britain’s only annual mistletoe auctions in Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire.

And renowned auctioneer Nick ‘Mr Mistletoe’ Champion has lamented that the sprigs – once a fun staple of the office festive party – are now rarely bought by young people who have no wish for a kiss under the plant.

And Mr Champion, 66, who has been staging the unique mistletoe auctions for 47 years, says it is a crying shame as the recent cold snap will be making a bumper quality crop this winter.

It’s anticipated that around 500 mistletoe lots will go under the hammer across two auctions in the self-appointed mistletoe capital of Britain in the next fortnight – compared to 2,000 lots in their heyday.

Mr Champion bemoaned: “We used to have four auctions but mistletoe sales peaked in the early ’90s.

“Young people aren’t interested in kissing under the mistletoe anymore 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.”

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 taking place on November 26th and December 3rd.

Mr Champion explained: “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.”

He 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 and there are as many as 1,500 different species around the world. 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 traditional custom of kissing under the mistletoe is thought to stem from Scandinavia, and in the UK it started in 1700s.

But like many of our Yuletide traditions – like Christmas fir trees which were made a mainstream staple by Prince Albert in 1848 – it was the Victorians who became big fans of kissing under the mistletoe.

One theory for the tradition is the plant’s deemed a symbol of fertility and life, staying green in winter and growing around branches when all the trees are bare.