“While it’s likely that many people might have been inspired by what they’ve seen while on holiday in America, where they’ve been less inhibited about this kind of thing for a lot longer, could it not be that, almost unconsciously, many people are effectively standing up for Christmas?
“Many of these displays are to be found in areas which also tend to put the England flags out during cup matches. What these two practices have in common is a feel of the grassroots about them.
“They are not sanctioned in a wider sense, and they are both looked down upon by the metropolitan world, which considers them aesthetically and culturally beyond the pale. Could it be that, sensing that they cannot trust the establishment to protect and defend their customs, people are doing it for themsleves?”
