With December 25th fast approaching, Brits across the country are likely to be readying their homes for a flurry of Christmas guests.
And according to new research ensuring our homes are ready for the season has come at the price of a spending quality time with family and friends.
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The study by leading kitchen roll brand Regina revealed that a massive 63 per cent admitted to sacrificing time with their nearest and dearest, so that they can carve out at least a week for pre-Christmas cleaning.
For just over a third (37 per cent) of those questioned keeping up appearances was so important to that they spent between 10 and 18 days buffing, polishing and preening their properties to perfection in advance of Christmas day.
69 per cent of the 1,000 consumers polled also admitted that pleasing their Christmas guests was so important that they ended up doing twice as much cleaning as usual. So much for giving things the once over!
'Christmas is a time for family, friends and fun!' says Judy Reith, parenting coach and spokesperson for Regina. 'It makes me sad to see that so many people are getting caught up in the stress of cleaning. Dedicating so much time to the activity.'
'While it’s understandable that people want to make a sparkling impression on guests during the festive season – with a clear plan in place, a positive attitude, the time and energy spent scrubbing and cleaning can be greatly reduced. We can instead focus on enjoying family time.'
Further figures from the research revealed that Brits' work isn't done once their pre-Christmas cleaning checklist is complete. Over half of those surveyed confessed that their house is in complete disarray again within an hour or less of guests arriving. Despite best efforts to keep things in order.
So it comes as no surprise that 21 per cent named getting the house ready and keeping it tidy for the festive season as one of their top Christmas worries.
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What steps do you take to prepare for Christmas?