Christmas cancelled? Watch as Ben Leo visits ‘Winter Come Together’ where stallholders are ‘told not to say the word Christmas’
Watch as Ben Leo visits the London Southbank ‘Winter Come Together’ where stallholders are reportedly being urged not to say the word ‘Christmas’.
The GB News star observed the lack of references to Christmas, Jesus or any other indications of the country’s primary religious holiday.
Ben approached stallholders at the bustling market and was firmly told by one “it’s a winter market” when asked if they were in a “Christmas market”.
Asked what the difference is, he responded: “It’s something to do with religion, they can’t say ‘Christmas’.”
Another stallholder indicated otherwise, showing Ben his festive jumper and Santa hat to prove he was in the festive spirit.
But speaking to market-goers, Ben sought to learn whether the public believe the word Christmas is increasingly being phased out.
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Asked whether it should be ‘Happy Christmas’ or ‘Happy Holidays’, one member of the public told Ben: “Both. Not everybody celebrates Christmas.”
Another said he would “offend” people with his belief that the holiday season should be referred to as Christmas.
The trend extends beyond institutions to family gatherings, where traditional Christmas celebrations face increasing scrutiny.
Even seemingly innocent festive traditions can become sources of tension, from the sustainability of Christmas crackers to debates over turkey sourcing.
Common phrases and compliments that were once acceptable are now being questioned, with terms like calling someone “a cracker” being labelled as potentially sexist.
Even Christmas entertainment choices face criticism, with classic films being challenged for being “sizeist”, “sexist” or “problematic”.
The selection of Christmas carols for background music also requires careful consideration, with some traditional versions now deemed inappropriate.
The Church of England recently sparked controversy by urging clergy to edit popular Christmas carols to avoid causing offence to other faiths.
An email sent to clergy in the Birmingham diocese advised using language that won’t “add further confusion or tension” to the Nativity story.
Traditional hymns including ‘O Come, O Come, Emmanuel’ and ‘Lo, He Comes With Clouds Descending’ have been singled out for containing potentially problematic language.
A vicar who shared the email with The Mail on Sunday said the Church has “really lost the plot”.
Canon Chris Sugden, former General Synod member, questioned whether other faiths would alter their liturgy to avoid causing offence.
The National Trust has defended itself against claims of “going woke” after criticism over Mother Christmas events at its properties.