People in the East worry about who to invite over for Christmas, study reveals

‘Tis the season for magic, cosiness, decorations, and for many Brits – stress! From financial worries, making sure the Christmas dinner is perfect, to having to socialise with the relatives we wish we weren’t related to; this season can be as stressful as it is magical.

But which are the festive reasons Brits stress the most about? The experts at Iceheadshop.co.uk surveyed 3,084 Brits in order to find out which are the most prominent Christmas activities that worry them the most. Furthermore, Iceheadshop.co.uk got in touch with a Life coach & Wellbeing expert, as well as a food & catering and a financial expert, to help alleviate some of the worries many Brits encounter during the holidays.

These are the top 5 most stressful Christmas activities in the East:

• Who to not/invite for Christmas day
• Ruining the Turkey
• The cost of Christmas dinner
• Preparing / cooking the Christmas dinner
• The cost of Christmas gifts

According to 41.31% of respondents, deciding who’s invited over for Christmas day is an extremely stressful activity. Whether you don’t want to make the family and friends who are not on the guest list feel bad, not have the financial capability or space to have everyone you want over or you are not on good terms with some people, the weight of this decision can make some people in the East worry.

To combat the stress of this decision, Iceheadshop.co.uk got in touch with Life coach and Wellbeing expert, Helen Norbury, who offers her tips on how to decide who to invite over for Christmas day, without feeling worried or guilty about it.

“When you are considering who to invite for Christmas, first think about what you want to achieve from your day. You get to make the rules so don’t feel guilty for choosing what works best for you. Remember, you are choosing FOR you, not against anyone else.

If it is too stressful saying yes to some and no to others, maybe decide to create some new traditions, memories, and choices. Maybe you choose to leave the country or have Christmas in a hotel. Maybe you put your PJs on and have a film binge.

Perhaps Christmas Day is a protected space for you but on Boxing Day, you are happy to see family. You can see them out and about, but not in your home if the stress of the organisation involved in that is too much. Maybe you decide to have a family get-together in January and focus on your friends over the festive period.

If your friends and family truly care for you, they will understand that doing the best for you is the greatest gift you can give yourself and others.”

Festive Foodies: making sure the Christmas food is perfect is a worry for many people in the East

The second festive activity that stresses people in the East the most is making sure they’re not ‘ruining the turkey’. In fact, 25.90% of respondents are kept awake at night by nightmares of serving a tasteless or burnt Turkey for Christmas.

Furthermore, the fourth biggest worry relates to the second one, as 20.33% of people in the East worry about ‘preparing/cooking the Christmas dinner’. Here are some tips from Rachael Kiss, Marketing and Online Manager at the catering company Alliance Online, on how to make sure your Turkey dinner comes out nothing less than perfect!

“Defrost your turkey two days before Christmas!

Meat can’t reach a safe temperature for consumption while frozen and although the meat may look cooked from the outside, the inside will remain raw if it goes into the oven fully or partly frozen. If you are cooking a whole turkey, our advice is that you’ll need to take it out of the freezer two days prior to cooking, so it can fully defrost in the fridge.! In fact, turkey should be at room temperature when going into the oven to cook evenly.

Don’t overstuff the turkey

Whilst filling your turkey with an array of herbs and stuffings may be tempting, this can actually affect the cooking of the bird. If the turkey is overstuffed, it can stop the heat getting right through the meat meaning that the centre may be undercooked.

Avoid a dry turkey with a flavoured butter

Turkey is a lean meat, which means that it can become dry quite quickly if cooked incorrectly. But don’t stress, there are a couple of ways you can lock in the moisture and serve up a succulent bird.

Whip up a flavoured butter that you can put on top of and between the skin and meat before cooking- garlic and lemon work well, not forgetting your seasoning. This will keep the meat juicy, while also adding another flavour. Be careful not to tear the skin during this step as the butter will escape. Another tip is to add a drizzle of olive oil over the bird, as oil has a higher smoke point it will help keep the butter from burning in the oven.”

Living Costs: Many people in the East worry about not affording to celebrate Christmas

The ‘cost of Christmas gifts’ is the third biggest worry of those in the East, with 21.31% being concerned about affording presents for their loved ones. Similarly, the fifth biggest concern is the ‘cost of Christmas dinner’, with 18.69% of respondents not knowing how and if they’ll afford to have a traditional dinner this holiday season.

Iceheadshop.co.uk got in touch with Matilda Littler from A Millennial Saver who offered some tips on how to save money (and stress) this holiday season.

“Here’s a few tips to save money during Christmas:

1. Set up a sinking fund called ‘Christmas’ at the start of the year and set aside a certain amount each month until December to help with Christmas presents, dinner and the general increase in social activities we get around the Christmas period. Even something like £30 a month from January means you’ll have £360 by December.
2. Sign up to cashback apps, that way you’ll earn extra money on purchases – a few recommendations include TopCashback, Cheddar, Airtime Rewards and Daali.
3. If you’re buying clothing, use apps like Vinted or Depop to try and get it for a lower price.
4. Opt for doing a Secret Santa instead of traditional gift giving. This will allow you to set a spending limit.
5. Charity shops are a great place to shop for Christmas decorations.
6. DIY-ing your gift can also be a great way to save money.