Martine McCutcheon Is The National’s Festive Agony Aunt, Revelling The Top Family Drama’s This Christmas
FOR MILLIONS of Brits, Christmastime is often filled with dramatic soap-like drama which we all wish could stay on-screen, and new research has revealed exactly what makes households across the nation come to blows over the festive period.
A survey of 1,012 UK adults, from One4all Gift Cards, has revealed that for those who experience family dramas over the festive season, finding and buying Christmas presents (21%) tops the list as the biggest tiff to hit households in the UK.
For more than 1 in 10 Brits (15%), it’s deciding who hosts Christmas which causes an argument, while completing the top three is the age-old debate – deciding when to put up the Christmas tree (11%).
Delving into the Christmas battle of who controls the TV, it’s Christmas films (52%) like Love Actually that win out over Christmas special programmes (29%) and soaps (6%).
In fact, Love Actually (26%) topped the list as the film Brits are most looking forward to watching this year, followed by Elf (26%) and Home Alone (17%).
This year, with World Cup mania colliding with Christmas festivities, the nation is braced for off-pitch family dramas too, as nearly 1 in 5 (18%) believe the football taking place in December is going to add to the tension and arguments this year.
When asked how the World Cup will cause tension, the majority (60%) say it will cause arguments about whether to watch football or other things on the small screen, while 44% say they’ll be cross with family members watching TV instead of helping them with the Christmas shop or hosting duties.
The research further revealed the top gifting dramas at Christmas, as a staggering 89% of Brits confess to receiving at least one unwanted gift in their lifetime, which causes tension and leads to disappointment on Christmas Day.
This is something than 1 in 10 (13%) saying it happens every single year, with bath and soap sets (53%), food and drinks (39%) and framed pictures (20%) being the most common unwanted gifts.
Yet, despite all the drama, more than half (62%) of Brits admit the Christmas chaos in the build-up to the big day is worth it in the end, with nearly half (48%) confessing it is their most cherished time of the year with their family.
Lou Hickey, Marketing Director at One4all Gift Cards, comments on the findings: “Although Christmas is the most magical time of the year, the stress of decision-making and hosting duties can often cause chaos and drama amongst households across the UK. Whether you’re deciding to have a real or fake tree or who cooks the all-important Christmas dinner, it’s vital to put the drama aside at Christmas and make the most of spending quality time with loved ones.’
“To help ensure your gift doesn’t cause any drama this festive season, why not treat loved ones to a One4all Christmas Gift Card, which allows the recipient to choose something they really want and will help to keep the peace this Christmas.”
One4all Gift Cards has partnered with Martine McCutcheon as their Christmas Agony Aunt, as she helps to solve the nation’s festive dramas this year. Follow the link here for the full video.
Top Ten Christmas Family Dramas
Finding and buy Christmas presents (21%)
Deciding who hosts Christmas (15%)
Deciding when to put up the tree (11%)
What to watch on TV (10%)
Being a general bah humbug (10%)
Setting or not sticking to Christmas budgets (9%)
Who cooks Christmas dinner (5%)
What time to open presents on Christmas Day (3%)
Deciding what Christmas films to watch (2%)
What type of tree to have – real or fake (2%)
The One4all Gift Card can be spent in more than 55,000 stores across the UK and can be loaded with anything from £10 to £120. It is easy to buy from your local Post Office, Tesco, selected Morrisons, Co-op, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and Iceland supermarkets nationwide, as well as online at one4all.com.
