Seeing family around the festive period has been voted the best thing about Christmas, according to new national research by pub company and brewer Greene King.
Commissioned to identify the best and worst things about Brits’ festive spirit, data revealed that a third of Brits (28%) place family above all else at Christmas time, with other top festive traditions voted as Christmas decorations and visiting the pub for a festive meal.
Throughout December, Brits visit the pub an average of 4 times, with over a third of the nation (35%) considering the classic pub as the perfect place to have a festive celebration. What’s more, almost a quarter (24%) view the pub as the most important place for the local community at Christmas.
Shockingly, Christmas themed music, a staple of the festive period, did not make the top five favourites. In fact, when quizzed, over one in ten Brits (12%) said they’d ban “All I Want for Christmas Is You’ by Mariah Carey – a song played so often it reportedly earns the singer between $2.5-3 million in royalties each year.
When it comes to festive traditions we could do without, almost one in five (20%) would vote to ban Christmas jumpers (18%) with a further 13% voting to ditch the tradition of Secret Santa. Other traditions that the nation is tired of include singing Christmas carols (7%) and Christmas themed music (6%).
As with recent years, the cost of living continues to impact Brits’ festivities, with a quarter of people hosting Christmas dinner planning to charge friends for their attendance. Despite this, an overwhelming seven in ten (68%) say they’d be happy to pay, with a fifth (25%) saying they’d happily pay up to £20.
Andrew Gallagher, Marketing Director for Greene King Pubs said: “As a nation we’re big on tradition, and it’s fantastic to see that despite the ongoing pressures, Brits still place the pub at the heart of the community.
“Aside from the welcoming festive atmosphere, one of the main reasons that our pubs resonate so well with communities across the UK is that they’re accessible to all, and provide the perfect place to connect with loved ones at such an important time of year.”
