NEWS COPY
The average Brit loses the ‘excitement’ of Christmas by the age of just 23, according to research.
A study of 2,000 adults found that before they even reach their mid-twenties, 23 per cent no longer get excited on Christmas morning while 12 per cent are sick of the festivities by advent.
And 14 per cent feel 25th December is just like a normal day for them.
The average Brit also stops struggling to sleep on Christmas Eve in anticipation of the next day by the age of 16.
Despite this, 76 per cent believe Christmas spirit is needed now more than ever thanks to the events of 2020.
As a result, the study, commissioned by Sky Cinema to mark the release of Elf on the channel from December 8th, found two in five wish they had more Christmas spirit.
Another three in 10 long for the childhood magic of Christmas.
The study found that 34 per cent feel that while they used to get excited about the festive period, they lost this as they got older.
This was blamed on not having young children around (42 per cent), financial pressures (35 per cent) and no longer believing in Santa (29 per cent).
Four in 10 even went as far as to say their Christmas spirit has disappeared.
Although, eight in 10 are determined to make this Christmas as enjoyable as possible even with the Covid restrictions, while 52 per cent want to make it more special than ever before.
It also emerged that 27 per cent turn to Christmas movies to get them into the festive spirit, with the average adult watching six films in the lead-up to the big day.
And a fifth of those polled via OnePoll even admitted to watching their favourite festive movie following the first lockdown in March to boost their mood.
The nation’s favourite Christmas film was found to be the 2003 Will Ferrell hit ‘Elf’ (27 per cent) – where the main character Buddy spreads festive cheer to all he meets, followed by Home Alone (24 per cent) and Love Actually (20 per cent).
To celebrate the release of Elf on Sky Cinema from 8th December, comedian Jason Manford has launched a search for the country’s biggest Elf fan – the winner will receive an Elf inspired home transformation kit, to turn their home into a festive wonderland inside and out.
The kit will take cues from the film’s candy cane forest, Gimbles department store and the elves’ workshop.
The funnyman said: “I’m a huge fan of all things Christmas and Elf so I’m very excited about this competition.
“With this prize, more is more - think paper chains, a sea of swirly twirly gumdrops, plenty of six-inch ribbon curls and seven levels of the candy cane forest.
“Show us why Elf is everything to you, impress us with your ability to down a bottle of fizzy soda, wow us with your singing, prove how much you enjoy spaghetti with maple syrup, or show off your superior Christmas crafting skills - extra points if you can draw a portrait of me on an Etch-a-sketch.”
Full details of the competitions and T&Cs available at www.elfeverything.sky.com
