Today (Dec 15) is officially the day when Britons finally start to feel 'Christmassy', a study has found.
Despite Christmas promotions starting earlier each year, a nationwide poll has revealed the festive feeling only arrives when we’ve ticked off 60 per cent of the Christmas shopping and start counting down the days until family come together for the festive break.
Putting up decorations, wrapping a handful of gifts and hearing festive songs also contribute to the uplift in our mood, as does the office Christmas party, which takes place on the 16th December for the majority of us.
The date was revealed in a survey of 2,000 people by National Express who is offering everyone who books and travels by coach this December a festive 50 per cent off their first journey in 2012.
Yesterday Carly O’Donnell from National Express said: “While it seems like Christmas arrives earlier each year our results show that today is actually when Britain gets the ‘Christmassy’ feeling. By this point most of us have bought our presents, put the decorations up and have eaten our first mince pie.
“Winding down in work and getting glammed up for the Christmas party also help to create the festive feeling, with most people celebrating with their workmates tomorrow night.
“The last two weeks of December are traditionally when people start considering their Christmas travel plans. We’re expecting a surge in coach bookings over the coming week as people look for affordable, convenient ways to visit friends and family.”
Turning on the Christmas lights, watching Christmas movies and eating the first mince pie of the year are also likely to get us feeling excited.
A third of Brits say that sending Christmas cards gets them counting down the days and hours before the winter break while a quarter say that the smell of Christmas trees gives them a festive feeling.
Chocolates in the office, turkey and cranberry sandwiches and the pre-Christmas wind down in the office all contribute towards Brits getting in to the Christmas spirit.
Despite this one in ten say they never look forward to Christmas and a similar amount say that they don’t even bother putting up decorations.
Nearly two thirds said that they were more generous around Christmas and more likely to give other people their time as well as splash out and treat their loved ones while a fifth say they get on much better with their family over the winter break.
Parents are more likely to be filled with Christmas cheer than those without kids and watching the child’s nativity play and writing lists to Santa are the key factors that get parents feeling Christmassy.
Most of us will be enjoying the office Christmas party tomorrow night (Dec16) while the research showed that most people will pack up work and head back home for Christmas on December 20th.
One in seven of us will go carolling with our family to feel more ‘Christmassy’ and some of those surveyed said that hearing Cliff Richard’s songs and watching the Coca Cola advert were likely to get them feeling festive.
Forty per cent of us say it takes longer to get in to the Christmas spirit every year with most blaming a stress at work and money problems as the reasons behind their ‘bah humbug’ moments.
THAT MAKE US FEEL CHRISTMASSY
- Decorating the house
- Wrapping presents
- Christmas songs
- Christmas shopping
- Advent Calendars
- Snow
- Christmas movies
- Coca Cola Advert
- Christmas carols
- Smell of Christmas tree
