Christmas is a time for traditions but some of us have had enough of some of the most common traditions – with Christmas cards the thing most would choose to banish. Also left in the bottom of Santa’s sack for good are families wearing Instagrammable matching Christmas pyjamas.
Meanwhile, all one in five of us want for Christmas is to ban festive music like Mariah Carey’s hit and Wham’s Last Christmas. The majority of people say they like to keep festive traditions alive, with a third saying the end of the year is a natural time for reflection and wanting good luck for the year ahead – while 30% say traditions and stories are passed down in their family.
Psychologist Jo Hemmings said: “We might not fully believe in our family superstitions, but we buy into them because our parents did before us and they give us that sense of familiarity. They can also be very hard to shake off – my sensible side knows I could probably walk under a ladder safely, but I still don’t do it.”
In a video shot at Amazon’s Fulfilment Centres, one employee shares his family’s unique tradition of passing grapes under the table: “You have to eat 12 grapes under the table, one for each month to give you good luck”
Many of the traditions Brits would banish focus on food – with Brussels sprouts unsurprisingly being voted into oblivion. More surprising is that a two thirds of those having a traditional Christmas dinner this year will opt for an alternative to turkey – and 18% saying the often-dry bird should be banned completely.
A step even further away from tradition than this, one in six report that they’ll be having pizza on Christmas Day, one in fifteen will be having fish and chips, and one in twenty say a kebab is their Christmas dinner of choice.
Jo said: “Our superstitions and our traditions are inherited in the same way, and even the slightly crazy ones are often passed down through the generations. We are now such a multicultural society that different traditions and superstitions are all around us, and that is wonderful to see.”