LONDON — Eight in 10 people who celebrate Christmas say real-life cards are more sentimental than digital ones. This new poll finds that while two percent admit that they’ve never sent a Christmas card, a staggering 80 percent will likely send one this year.
The survey of 2,000 adults in the United Kingdom found putting up the Christmas tree (40%), eating with all the family on Christmas day (37%), and watching festive movies (26%) tops the list of traditions most important to people. One in four carry on the tradition of eating turkey and sending out Christmas cards, and another one in five sit down each year to watch festive TV specials.
Of those polled, 49 percent of parents feel the need to keep Christmas traditions alive now that they have their own children.
“We know that sending cards remains a much-loved tradition even in a digital world – about twice the amount of mail is posted in December compared with other months,” says Nick Landon, chief commercial officer at Royal Mail, which commissioned the study, in a statement.
Do Some Traditions Need to Go?
While gathering with the family is almost a requirement of the holiday season, a new study has found that avoiding some parties can be great for your mental health. More than three-quarters of people in a survey confessed that they accept invitations to gatherings they don’t want to attend out of fear of being judged for declining. However, researchers found that loved ones not only don’t care about rejected invitations as much as people think they do but saying no more often can also be beneficial in avoiding burnout.
As for all the food around those holiday dinner tables, the tradition of scarfing down food until the new year may need a second look. The average person expects to gain eight pounds during the holiday season. According to a recent poll, 72 percent of the 2,000 Americans surveyed this year want to make the most of the rest of 2023, regardless of what that means for their diet, compared to 54 percent in last year’s survey.
Christmas Traditions Most Important to People:
- Putting the Christmas tree up
- Eating with all the family on Christmas Day
- Watching festive films
- Eating turkey
- Sending Christmas cards
- Watching Christmas TV specials
- Pulling Christmas crackers
- Eating chocolates
- Playing family games
- Eating Christmas pudding
South West News Service contributed to this report.
