Modern Day Christmas: No Religion But A Lot Of Arguements
Christmas traditions are changing, research from findmypast, a leading UK family history website, has found.
According to the research, ahead of the launch of Start Your Family Tree Week, 70 per cent of the population now celebrate Christmas without any religious aspects and are more inclined to a swig of sherry and heated arguments.
The 26th December 2010 will see the launch of the UK’s first ever family history awareness campaign, Start Your Family Tree Week, at a time when family is at the forefront of the nation’s minds.
However research shows it’s not all happy families, with one in five (20 per cent) admitting to arguing on Christmas Day and one in five (21 per cent) of those arguments starting at midnight the night before the big day.
Religion has now taken a back seat to shopping, presents and Father Christmas, with over two-thirds believing that going to church, or having a religious celebration, at Christmas is now completely lost as a tradition.
Travelling is on the cards for a third of the population this festive period who will be traipsing up and down the motorways in the pursuit of seeing family over the Christmas period, leaving two-thirds of the population (64%) celebrating with their immediate families on the 25th December at home.
A Christmas feast
A traditional Christmas turkey dinner is still the favourite yuletide fare with 65 per cent tucking in on Christmas Day. However, findmypast.co.uk has discovered that more unusual options are making it onto the Christmas dinner table, including seafood, venison, quail, and even egg and chips.
Sherry remains a staple tipple over the festive period with one in four (27 per cent) Brits breaking out the sherry by 11:30am on Christmas Day.
Twelfth night
Superstitions surrounding Christmas decorations still haven’t diminished with 92 per cent intending to take their decorations down on or by the Twelfth Night.
A US tradition is however becoming ever more popular in the UK with over a quarter (27%) of people decorating the outside of their houses with Christmas figures and lights.
90 per cent of people will have a Christmas tree this year and almost a third will have mistletoe or holly throughout the house.
Debra Chatfield, Marketing Manager at findmypast said: “Christmas is a fantastic time for families to come together and look back at the past. Here at findmypast we think that Christmas is the perfect time to sit down with the older generation, no matter how you celebrate it, and find out about your family’s roots and the Christmas traditions of the past.
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