Drugcrazed wrote : '@Paul: had no idea there were people who'd dropped out of such fun...'
It never strikes the 'folk community' that the event they're supporting doesn't need or even want them. They just blunder in there and impose their ideas and ideology on a community that was doing fine, thank you very much.
I attended a traditional Maypole festival a few years ago. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. It had more in common with 'The Wicker Man' than anything I'd ever experienced. The pubs shut at 9.00pm 'because of the violence' and the police presence would have been more appropriate to a political demo. I'll not reveal the name of the village concerned but there wasn't a 'folkie' in sight. We were not make unwelcome, but I'll not be going there again. In the case of this thread its worth pointing out that the carols were once demonstrations of community identity. Carols were often unique to that locality. Now they are an homogenous singsong with the same or similar repertoire appearing in all venues. The folkies have a lot to be ashamed of.