Just a quarter of the amount of mistletoe sold in the 90s is likely to be bought at Britain's only annual mistletoe auctions.Renowned auctioneer Nick "Mr Mistletoe" Champion has lamented that the sprigs, once a fun staple of office Christmas parties, are now rarely purchased by the young.Mr Champion, 66, who has been staging mistletoe auctions for 47 years in Tenbury Wells, Worcs, says it is a crying shame as the cold snap will make a bumper quality crop.It's anticipated that around 500 mistletoe lots will go under the hammer in two auctions in the self-appointed mistletoe capital of Britain in the next fortnight compared to 2,000 lots in mistletoe's 90s heyday. Mr Champion bemoaned: "We used to have four auctions but young people aren't interested in kissing under the mistletoe anymore." "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. This year sales are on November 26 and December 3.Mr Champion explained: "Mistletoe needs a frost around now to ripen the berries. The recent cold spell means that it should be a great crop." He said there is much higher demand for holly, which fetches around £5 per kilo against £3 for mistletoe.Golden and silver variegated varieties of holly reach £15 a kilo.Mr Champion said: "Holly wreaths are the one thing we see increasing demand for.People may no longer have holly in the house but they will stick it on a front door." Mistletoe commonly grows on apple trees in the UK with up to 1,500 species around the world. It is often found in Worcestershire, Hereford, Shropshire and Gloucestershire.The Victorians became big fans of kissing under the mistletoe. One theory for the tradition is that the plant is deemed a symbol of fertility and life.

Mistletoe given the kiss-off

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