James

The British people are compassionate. We will always support those who are genuinely homeless. But we cannot allow our streets to be taken over by rows of tents occupied by people, many of them from abroad, living on the streets as a lifestyle choice. 1/4

It seems to me the M&S ad is an important moment in the way we think about Christmas. For the first time (I think), it marks a symbolic distancing not just from the original Christian meaning of Christmas - that unfortunately went long ago - but *also* from its secularised successor: family, children, food, games, tree, elves, and so on. The ad now presents it as an entirely selfish event - about doing what *you* want with the holiday, defining it yourself, and not being made to do anything you don't wish to. In that sense it is entirely in line with trends in society more generally, including a devaluing of tradition and a distancing from the Christian roots of our society. But the negative reaction at least shows that these are not yet deeply embedded or wholly uncontroversial. Moreover, just maybe, the tide is on the point of turning.