What Christmas time activities do Britons do?
Watching Christmas films and listening to Christmas music are some of the most popular Christmas activities we asked about, with more than six in ten (62-65%) saying they are a typical feature of their festive fun. A similar proportion (64%) also pull Christmas crackers at some point during the holiday.
Eating mince pies and sending Christmas cards are also kept up by most of us, with clear majorities of Britons (56-58%) including them as part of their Christmas traditions.
More than four in ten Britons (43-44%) say they typically open an Advent calendar, wear a Christmas jumper, or visit a Christmas market at some point during the holiday season, while a third (33%) go and see Christmas light displays and 30% attend a Christmas party.
Mulled wine appears to be more of an acquired taste, with just 24% of Britons drinking some at Christmas time, while just 13% of Britons follow the tradition of watching a pantomime.
While Christmas may at heart be a Christian celebration, just one in seven Britons (15%) say that a church service is typically part of their festive plans, with a similar number (14%) normally attending a carol service over the holiday. Of course, there is overlap between these two groups, with six in ten (58-61%) who say they do one also doing the other.
In most cases there is variation between age groups, with younger Britons typically more likely to participate in the festive activity. For instance, around seven in ten 18-34 year olds (69-73%) watch Christmas films or listen to Christmas music, compared to around half of over 65s (50-52%).
Eating mince pies and sending Christmas cards, though, buck the trend, with older Britons being more likely to do so (69-73%) than younger Britons (41-43%).
Who do Britons spend Christmas Day with?
Six in ten Britons (60%) will spend Christmas Day with their partner, while 42% of people will be with at least one of their children and 41% with at least one of their parents on the big day.
Just over a quarter (27%) of Christmas Days feature someone’s sibling, while 17% typically include members of extended families, such as aunts, uncles, or cousins. Grandchildren are part of Christmas Day for 12% of Britons, while 6% see at least one of their grandparents. One in nine Britons (11%) spend Christmas with their parents-in-law.
Of course, Christmas doesn’t have to just be about family, with 5% of Britons typically spending their Christmas Day with at least one of their closest friends.
Not everybody spends Christmas with someone: 5% of Britons say they typically spend Christmas alone, rising to 9% of those aged 65 and over.
A common cliché, particularly on TV, is that family Christmas will inevitably descend into mean-spirited arguments, whether inter-generational political clashes or rows built from deep-seated resentments.
In fact, though, two thirds of those who spend Christmas with their family (65%) say there are never significant arguments in their family on Christmas Day, while a further 23% say they only happen sometimes. Arguments are a Christmas staple for only 6% of Britons.
When do Britons open their Christmas presents?
When to open the Christmas presents is subject to international variation: Germans, for instance, typically open them on Christmas Eve. This tradition is followed by the royal family, but few Britons (3%).
Instead, Britons largely exchange gifts on the morning of Christmas Day, with 72% of those who spend Christmas with their family doing so. One in seven (14%), though, wait until the afternoon to unwrap their pressies.
How many Britons say they watch the King’s Speech?
The monarch’s Christmas message has been a staple of festive television for pretty much as long as it’s been a thing. But while it might once have been seen as a unifying moment for the nation, the King’s Speech normally only features in 30% of Britons’ Christmases today.
There is a generational difference here, with 40% of over 65s saying the King’s Speech is typically part of their Christmas, compared to 31% of 50-64 year olds and just 25% of those in under 50 age groups.
Who does the Christmas chores?
The Christmas division of labour is not equal, with women consistently being left to do more of the Christmas chores.
Among people who have family Christmases, women are more than twice as likely as men to do all the work cooking the main meal on Christmas Day (27% vs 12%) or to have done all the food shopping ahead of the big day (38% vs 16%).
This increases to being more than three times likely than men to put the Christmas decorations up entirely by themselves (34% vs 10%) or to have done the household Christmas gift shopping alone (46% vs 14%).
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