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Festive figures - the numbers that will make Christmas 2017
Life & Style

Festive figures - the numbers that will make Christmas 2017

A WHOPPING 16 million carrots will be left out for Santa this Christmas Eve, as excited families prepare for the arrival of the big day.

Ahead of that people across Britain will have used 910,000,000 metres of wrapping paper, spent £228 on food and spent an average of 25 hours decorating their home to look its festive best.

The figures, have been compiled by British sofa and flooring specialist ScS, whose spokesperson said: “Christmas really is the most wonderful time of the year and it’s fascinating to see the figures behind what we invest in to make the day and the season extra special.

“It’s interesting and comforting to see that our homes continue to be a real focus of the perfect Christmas, with people dedicating both time and their hard-earned money to decorate their homes and prepare the perfect dinner.”

VITAL CHRISTMAS STATISTICS...

SHOPPING:

With the official countdown now on it seems that Christmas 2017 is going to be

bigger than ever, with

an estimated £38billion expected to be spent by shoppers.

CHRISTMAS CARDS:

Britain donates around £50 million a year by purchasing charity Christmas cards. Christmas cards themselves are big business, with an estimated 100 million individual cards sold and an additional 900 million sold in multipacks and by online providers, bringing in around £1.5 billion.

WRAPPING PAPER:

As well as festive cards, the average adult in Britain uses seven rolls of wrapping paper every Christmas. If the average roll is two metres long, the UK will use approximately 910,000,000 metres of wrapping paper, which is 565,447 miles and would go around the world 22 times.

DECORATIONS:

When it comes to festive decorating, adults admit to spending on average 25 hours perfecting their Christmas style.

CHRISTMAS EVE:

We all have different Christmas traditions and the nation seems divided on what to leave out as a snack for Father Christmas. This Christmas Eve an estimated 16.2 million mince pies and 16.2 million carrots will be left out as snacks for Santa and his reindeer, however with 13 million Brits leaving a whisky and 10.4 million leaving a beer, it may be that Santa shouldn’t be in the driving seat.

CHRISTMAS MORNING:

If you are a parent with children under 16, don’t be expecting a lie in on Christmas morning, with 67 per cent of parents admitting they’re up before 6.30am.

CHRISTMAS DINNER

When it comes to stocking up the fridge for the big day, the ScS study of 1,000 adults in Britain, reveals they are set to spend an estimated £228 per household on food alone, with an additional £182 being spent on alcohol. It may come as no surprise that plenty of seasonal favourites will be eaten over the festive period, although it seems that we are a nation with a sweet tooth, with 94 per cent of people choosing to indulge in chocolates and 71 per cent enjoying mince pies.

FESTIVE FOOD AND DRINK:

This year, the average person in Britain will...

■ Chomp down an average of eight chocolates each, equating to 520,800,000 nationwide

■ Guzzle six glasses of wine or fizz per person, totalling 390,600,000 across Britain

■ Scoff six sprouts, equating to 390,600,000 Brussels sprouts eaten across the nation

■ Munch on an average of five mince pies each, totalling 325,500,000 nationwide

■ Plate up four pigs in blankets per person, which totals 260,400,000 cooked nationwide ■ And, after all that there’s still room left for pudding, with an average three Christmas puddings eaten per person, amounting to 195,300,000 consumed nationwide

TELEVISION:

The average adult will spend five hours on the sofa on Christmas Day, that’s a whopping 258,000 hours across Britain. Whilst there, they will be tuning into the following...

■ Coronation Street – 34 per cent ■ EastEnders – 31 per cent

■ Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special – 29 per cent

■ Doctor Who – 26 per cent

■ Queens Speech – 25 per cent