Like clockwork, headlines warn that festive traditions are under siege and, each year, the claims grow more ludicrous.
It’s that time of the year again, when ‘Christmas cancelled’ outrage makes its way onto the pages of the right-wing press. Like clockwork, headlines warn that festive traditions are under siege and each year, the claims grow more ludicrous, as commentators try to spin any gesture toward inclusivity or administrative practicality into an assault on “traditional values.”
Here are some of the week’s best (or worst) examples.
“BBC Bargain Hunt star rages at ‘woke Christmas cancel culture’” – the Express
This week, the Express excitedly reported that antiques expert David Harper has “declared war on woke,” alleging secret attempts to abolish Christmas. His advice is to boycott any venue daring to use phrases like “festive season” or “winter festival,” and only spend money where Christmas is celebrated “unashamedly.”
It’s never explained who exactly is trying to “surreptitiously” cancel Christmas, perhaps because no such people exist, but the headline certainly does the job of stoking indignation.
“Britons rage over ‘woke’ Tesco’s decision to rename Christmas trees as ‘evergreen trees’” — Daily Mail
The Mail insists the nation is in uproar over Tesco supposedly renaming Christmas trees as “evergreen trees.”
One user apparently accused the supermarket of political correctness and called for the public to boycott Tesco. While others have “started questioning whether Tesco was offended by the Christian holiday.”
The article even cites Tesco’s logical and reasonable explanation, that it sells a wide range of Christmas products and it wants to make sure consumers know exactly what kind of tree is in the box. In any case, my local Tesco is selling Christmas trees, unabashedly labelled as such, at half price. Twenty quid for a six-foot tree – a pretty good deal I thought.
“Popular Christmas market cancelled in seaside village after 30 years” – the Sun.
This headline appears every year in some form. Somewhere, a Christmas market will be cancelled, and the culture-war merchants will circle.
This year, the unlucky location is Robin Hood’s Bay in North Yorkshire. But read past the headline and you discover the real reason – the long-standing organisers are stepping down and no one has volunteered to take over. Not even the Sun could quite twist that into an act of “wokeness,” though the headline still hints at something sinister.
“Reform council leader vows ‘party will NOT go woke’ as local authority replaces flags with Christmas
lights” – GB News
Over at GB News, where everything is a culture-war emergency, even putting up Christmas lights is framed as a bold stand against “woke.”
A Reform UK council leader in Warwickshire declared that the authority “will not go woke” after announcing plans to take down a set of worn-out Union Jack and St George’s flags, which have been flapping around in the elements since July, and replace them with Christmas lights. He even explained that many of the flags were deteriorating and would be refreshed in January.
You might think the “Christmas cancelled” brigade would welcome Christmas lights going up. But consistency has never been a strong point of outrage politics.
“Tesco shoppers to boycott supermarket over ‘Christmas’ dropped from fruit cake,” the Express
The Express doubled down with another Tesco-related saga. This time, shoppers are reportedly threatening a boycott the supermarket because it labelled a fruit cake as, brace yourself, “fruit cake.”
The article claims the supermarket “quietly removed” the festive term “Christmas,” before immediately admitting that the box is red, decorated with pinecones and holly, and looks, well, very Christmassy. The cake itself is packed with raisins, sultanas and glacé cherries, i.e., exactly the ingredients for a Christmas cake.
One outraged shopper even declared: “Already spoke with the wife we normally shop at Tesco, won’t be doing it anymore. I refuse to support shops that won’t support our traditions.”
Imagine boycotting a supermarket because it called a product what it actually is.
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