How Britain will be celebrating Christmas 2021

Christmas this year is going to be very special with Brits ready for a Christmas doubler, and putting 2020 to shame. 

We’ve surveyed Christmas fans up and down the country, asking them a range of questions about this year’s festivities and how they will be celebrating. 

We’ve put a few hot topics to the test, such as when most Brits put up their Christmas tree, when it is socially acceptable to start decorating, and how much they’re planning to splurge this year. 

Now crack out some tinsel and some tunes, and let’s talk Christmas!  

The (un)official start of Christmas

First up, we wanted to figure out when Christmas really starts for Brits. 

While almost 1 in 3 (28%) participants stated officially going into December marked the point of no return, 1 in 4 said the November Christmas ad rollout was their top festive mood booster. 

In third place, 1 in 5 respondents said they were always in the mood and prepping for the festive season. That’s what we like to hear! 

This insight nicely follows Christmas search trend data too, where we see a massive spike in interest in Christmas ads around late October/early November, this year seeing a 417% increased interest in Christmas ad related searches this month. 

Britain's favourite Secret Santa gifts

Unsurprisingly, gadgets took the coveted top spot as the best Secret Santa gift with more than 1 in 4 agreeing that this is the ultimate gift for the fun tradition. 

Gadgets were followed, surprisingly, by very personal or personalised gifts where this was the go-to for almost 1 in 5. 

Secret Santa is a low-key occasion to regift things that you have received but either didn’t like or perhaps received multiples of. 

But which items are appropriate for regifting? 

According to our survey, almost 7 in 10 (66%) Brits think that wine & spirits are good to be regifted. 

While the top three items are fairly predictable, there are some surprising items in the top 10 with beauty products and perfumes both getting the stamp of approval from more than 1 in 3 Brits. Albeit further down the list, it seems like family heirlooms and even underwear are acceptable regifting items for some of the respondents. Now don’t say we didn’t warn you about an awkward family dinner! 

Britain's favourite time to start the present haul, get the decorations out and put up the Christmas tree

Moving on to more heated topics. Christmas presents, decorations, and putting up the infamous Christmas tree. 

The Menkind Christmas survey has revealed that more than a third of Brits are surprisingly financially savvy when it comes to buying presents, with 34% looking for deals throughout the year. 

In second place comes the November present haul, with 1 in 5 Brits starting their Christmas shopping during this time, and about 1 in 7 saying they start prepping in October. 

On top of the main present haul, our insights also show that on average, Brits are planning to spend £64.67 on stocking fillers this year. 

But what about Christmas decorations? 

The results here are fairly straightforward with approximately 2 in 3 starting their decorations in mid-December (32%) or late November (30%). 

Only a small 2% hold off on the decorations up until Christmas eve, and there is the eager 1% who simply LOVE Christmas, and start decorating in the summer. Who can blame ‘em? 

Of course, we also had to know when Britain finds it acceptable to put up the Christmas tree.

According to our survey, there are split opinions on when the perfect time is to put up your Christmas tree. 

While about a third of Brits (31%) put up their tree in mid-December, 1 in 4 opt for the start of December, and another 1 in 4 starting as early as late November, we think it safe to conclude that there is no correct or incorrect time for this. 

Whenever you’re ready to put up your Christmas tree, go for it! 

Britain's favourite Christmas beverages

We’ve saved a bit of a Christmas cracker insight for last. Let’s have a look at the UK’s favourite drinks around Christmas.   

With just short of 1 in 3 (29%) Brits favouring the non-alcoholic drink options for the holidays, we can conclude that this is the official Christmas beverage. Perhaps a reflection of Covid and a slightly increased alcohol intake has had Brits reconsider and choose more healthy alternatives. Plus, a good hot chocolate always puts you in the Christmas spirit when it’s cold outside. 

On a strong second place, we have prosecco and champagne with 1 in 7 favouring the bubbles. 

All the way down at 9th place is mulled wine with less than 1 in 10 Brits favouring this traditional hot drink. 

Cheers to everyone (in your beverage of choice) and happy Christmas from the Menkind team! 

The Menkind’s big Christmas survey which polled 693 people from the Menkind universe was conducted between 15th -22nd November. The survey data can be consulted HERE.