THE lights are on across city centres, Slade is playing on the radio and trees are appearing at a fast rate in your neighbours’ windows… are you Christmas-ed out yet?
If you are, it turns out you’re not the only one. According to a new study, more than half of Brits say they’re officially sick of the festive period by December 6.
With just under three weeks of festivities still to go, 60% of Brits already feel ‘over’ Christmas, with the celebrations and social occasions beginning as early as the 1st of November for many people.
While decorations, cards and gifts seem to have been appearing earlier and earlier each year, so too are festive themed activities, from the work night out to a trip to Santa’s Grotto.
The study found that the average person in the UK has now already had:
- Five shopping trips
- Two winter wonderland visits
- Seven Christmas-themed drinks
- Three Christmas parties
- Two Christmas dinners
- 12 Mince pies
- 23 Christmas adverts
Unfortunately, no partridges in pear trees.
But the packed festive social calendar and endless treating yourself (just because it’s Christmas) appears to be taking its toll.
The research, carried out by Gordon’s Ultra Low Alcohol Gin & Tonic flavoured drink, discovered that a third (33%) of Brits feel they simply have too much on in December and are worried about overindulging.
Enjoying in excess applies particularly to alcohol, with two thirds of men and almost half of women admitting that they find it hard to moderate what they drink at Christmas time.
With this, more than half (58%) of Brits are already thinking about how they can avoid some social events, with a quarter dreading all of them.
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Clinical Psychologist Rachel Andrews explains: “We have so many unrealistic expectations about Christmas – idealised images from films, TV and social media – which lead us to think that we should be celebrating Christmas in a certain way.
“When we can’t achieve these ideals, it triggers concern that we aren’t ‘living our best lives’ which can lead to feeling pressured into trying to do everything – which is exhausting and unsustainable.
“We need to feel confident that we can make individual choices about how we want to spend the festive period and the new year to ensure we find a balance that works for us – it doesn’t have to be all or nothing.”
If you feel exasperated by Christmas now, just think about when it’s all over.
A December of overindulging leaves a third of Brits feeling tired and unhealthy, with 42 percent feeling bloated, 41 percent sluggish and 33 percent left feeling generally exhausted.
63 percent of those surveyed say they’re already thinking about January moderation and health intentions, with a few resolutions planned.
If, despite all this, you’re still feeling festive, here’s a handy Christmas countdown:
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