Regardless of whether you love it or loathe it, that festive time of year is here again, and many Brits have already begun preparing for the big Christmas Day.
Whether it’s gift wrapping, bagging a turkey, or the dreaded travel planning, the Christmas checklist can feel endless and is something everyone has to get through over the festive period. Brits are making their lists, they’re checking them twice, and they’re arguing about who’s going to be the designated driver this year.
That’s why researchers from Asda Money have polled the nation to find out when drivers hit the road for Christmas, who they’re most excited to see and give presents to – and what Brits hate the most about the Christmas car journey.
Most Brits get into the Christmas spirit on the 1st of December
The big debate of when to put up your Christmas tree or when to finally watch The Holiday is one that is talked about a lot amongst Brits. However, the survey found that most people in the UK officially get into the Christmas spirit on the 1st of December, when they can finally get all of their festive spirit out.
The survey also found that almost half of Brits said putting up the Christmas tree is what makes them feel like Christmas has begun. Other top festivity starters included seeing the Christmas lights go up in town and watching a Christmas movie.
25% of Brits are most excited to see their mum during the Christmas period
There are plenty of reasons why 32% of Brits say that Christmas is their favourite time of year. 20% of Brits say that Christmas is the ONLY time of the year that they get to see all of their family at once and a quarter of Brits (25%) say they look forward to seeing their mum the most at the end of the Christmas drive.
However, despite these Christmas journeys often being long and sometimes stressful, Brits have confessed they can only spend three days with their family before they’ve had enough.
Brits are planning on beginning their Christmas journey at 10 am on the 22nd of December
With families spread out across the UK, it can sometimes feel like the festive period is spent as much in the car, as it is celebrating. In fact, the average Brit drives a whopping 116.8 miles over the Christmas period, and because of the Christmas traffic, leaves almost two hours earlier than usual to get there on time.
When asked when they plan on commencing their Christmas travel, the survey found that Brits will be setting off on the of 22nd December at 10am, to try and avoid the Christmas chaos on the roads.
Ed Doherty, Insurance Product Manager at ASDA Money, who commissioned the research, comments:
“As families and friends are often spread out across the country, Christmas drives are as much a part of the Christmas festivities as anything else these days, so it’s important to make them feel as fun and festive as possible. Whether that’s by putting on your favourite Christmas playlist or factoring in a journey break to share a hot festive drink, we want to encourage Brits to make the most of this time together.
“The icy roads, cold temperatures and long queues can sometimes make the long drives over Christmas difficult. That’s why carrying out essential car checks, such as tyre pressure and oil levels, ahead of your journey is just as important as checking you have all the presents packed in the boot.
“We encourage all drivers to check their cars over as well as their insurance details before heading out on long Christmas drives, that way, drivers will be lowering their chances of an unexpected bump in their journey. If your car insurance is up for renewal soon, you can visit Asda Money to find out more about comparing car insurance quotes.”
