Yes to Christmas

UK residents love Christmas, despite the fact that they think it is too materialistic (85.4%), they struggle to afford it and most of them feel it has lost its true meaning. These are the findings of a recent online survey conducted by the North East Regional Portal, n-e-life.com.

(PRWEB) December 25, 2004 -- North East residents love Christmas, despite the fact that they think it is too materialistic (85.4%), they struggle to afford it and most of them feel it has lost its true meaning.

These are the findings of a recent online survey conducted by the North East Regional Portal, n-e-life.com.

The study, which was conducted during November 2004 and involved 50 North East residents, found that 46% are 'quite looking forward to it with 42% saying 'I love Christmas and am really looking forward to it.

However, Christmas finances are clearly a strain for some in the region, with only half (50%) saying they can 'afford it without getting into debt, 39% saying that they will 'just about be able to afford it if they are careful and 21% saying they will 'run up moderate short term debts associated with Christmas.

Most cite 'not having enough time as being a reason for spending too much.

A staggering 85% believe that Christmas is too money-orientated and 73% believe that its real meaning has been forgotten. Yet only one third (33%) wish that people wouldnt spend so much on them at Christmas, and just 12% wish presents were banned at Christmas.

Norma Foster, general manager of n-e-life.com which also hosts a dedicated North East shopping site, n-e-shopping.com, said: I can understand that people feel that Christmas is too materialistic as most of us overspend at this time of the year. Yet clearly the research is saying that we like Christmas and we love exchanging presents.

Buying on impulse due to lack of time is often the reason for over spending. One way of avoiding this is to shop online, where you can be more measured about your purchases. You're less likely to be tempted by a pretty shop window or a great display and will be left with more time to enjoy the important things about Christmas, such as family and friends."

n-e-shopping.com offers a one stop online shopping mall where North East retailers are assembled under one roof. The website is the only shopping mall in the region that offers customers a one basket, one payment facility, saving shoppers time and making the process more hassle-free.

The study also found that fewer people are going to church than ever before, with only 34% attending church over the Christmas period.

Norma Foster adds: the survey is telling us that for the majority of people, Christmas is about being with family and friends and exchanging presents to celebrate their relationship.

"On the whole, people like giving but clearly many need more time to spend on buying presents to ensure that they spend wisely and dont overdo it. Shopping online is the ideal way to do this. It takes a fraction of the time."

The good news is that most respondents plan to spend Christmas with family or friends with no-one admitting to spending it alone.

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