Christmas is no longer in the shop window

The Daily Telegraph ^ | 07/12/2006 | David Derbyshire

[Mrs Ivan]

Press your nose against the windows of some high street stores and you could be forgiven for thinking that Betjeman's Christmas has been banished.

In an era when the traditions of Christmas are increasingly under fire, many shops appear to have abandoned their traditional displays in favour of less "culturally specific" images.

Instead of wise men, Santas and reindeer, shoppers are being enticed with topiary, skeletons and suspenders.

Church leaders believe the move reflects a worrying trend in Britain to turn Christmas into the secular celebration of Winterval.

Yesterday, in London's Oxford Street, the displays ranged from the austere to the downright eccentric. Selfridges has abandoned the Nativity in its windows to tell the tale of a highwayman, Topman's display features mannequins clutching glittering green skulls, Miss Selfridge's has jewels and pink neon lights, while Bodyshop has a white wreath pasted to its front window.

Karl McKeever, a shop display consultant with the company Visual Thinking, believes too many retailers are "dumbing down" and turning their backs on conventional Christmas displays. "They are trying to be as polite and inoffensive as they can and they've abandoned the notion of Yuletide," he says. "The most Christmassy it gets for many shops is the odd snowflake. The one store we found that had any real evidence of Christmas was Ted Baker — and that had a reindeer."

According to Mr McKeever, a good Christmas window should draw in the shoppers, tap into emotions and inspire gift hunters. However, too many appear to be embarrassed about Christmas.

The Bishop of Bolton said stores were falling into the trap of believing Christmas was offensive to non-Christians. The Right Rev David Gillett, the chairman of the Christian Muslim Forum, said: "When you talk to other faith communities, the Muslim members are not offended by Christmas. It's a Christian festival and they recognise that."

Selfridges insisted that its topiary and gold highwayman window display was seasonal. "It is Christmassy in the sense that we have given our windows some magic," said a spokesman.

House of Fraser also denied that its window, which features mannequins dressed in 1920s fashions, was not Christmassy.

"It's sophisticated Christmas glamour," said their designer.

[Mrs Ivan]

Bah humbug - in a none-scroogy way.

Get off the London high street for a bit - its very Christmassy elsewhere..

[Screamname]

I hear Hollywood is doing a remake of "A Christmas story" only they are renaming it "An Islam story". Hmmmm, this should be interesting......

"I want an Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Suicide Bomber kit!"

"Oh my son, you will blow your head off and you will be a Martyr, I am so proud of you!"

[Caipirabob]

"Honey, I won first place! I got this nifty Italian lamp...see? It's says 'FRA-GIL-LAY'. Let's put it in the window."

"I don't know dear, what will the neighborhood morality police think?"

"INFIDEL! Your stomachs will roast in hell for your shameless display of the satanic western lamp! BURN THE HOUSE DOWN!"

[snugs]

In Ashford we have a Christmas tree and Santa's Grotto