20
December
2019
|
12:49
Europe/Amsterdam

Straight Talking Christmas

Gen Z choose chips for Christmas dinner, Dad falls asleep in record time and Boomers don’t argue – we reveal the reality of a not-so-Insta-perfect Christmas

 

We've polled the nation to discover the reality of Christmas and find out the truth behind the picture-perfect social media snaps – reflecting the ‘Instagram vs Reality’ trend that’s reached fever pitch on social media feeds across 2019.

As perfect Christmas dinner spreads and Instagram-ready trees get ready to fill our news feeds – the research shows nearly half of us (42%) think people post snaps just to appear more perfect or to make their followers jealous.

We've delved deeper and found some interesting results about the real Christmas in the UK, starting bright and early with 7:08am the average time a child wakes up on Christmas morning with 20% of kids rising before 6am.

Christmas dinner is changing with the generations and the research uncovered some surprising realities which aren’t seen on the ‘gram:

  • Chips were chosen ahead of parsnips and cabbage as a component of a classic Christmas dinner by Gen Z (18 – 24-year olds)
  • 10% of Millennials (25 – 34-year olds) are going meat free this Christmas
  • No turkey for Christmas Dinner for 52% of Gen Z
  • Yorkshire puddings named Christmas dinner must-have behind turkey, roast potatoes, pigs in blankets and stuffing

 

It’s not just the chip-filled dinner table that we don’t see on perfectly curated social media feeds, there’s a whole host of classic post-Christmas dinner happenings that are Snapped or Storied:

  • 34% of people say it’s Dad that falls asleep first after Christmas dinner, lasting an average of 83 minutes from last bite to shut eye
  • Glaswegians stay awake the longest at 104 minutes, with those in Norwich managing just 55 minutes

 

Christmas arguments are a common occurrence but are never shared on social media. The older generation (55+) seem to have mellowed with age compared to 18 – 24-year olds when it comes to how often they engage in a festive fracas:

  • 66% of Gen Z (18 – 24-year olds) have argued about which Christmas telly to watch compared to just 26% of Baby Boomers
  • 68% of 18 – 24-year olds argue about eating too much before dinner compared to the disciplined 26% of 55+ respondents
  • 61% of Gen Z respondents have argued about someone in the family drinking too much in comparison to a modest 23% of Boomers

 

We've partnered with parenting influencer Not So Funny Dad are encouraging the nation to embrace the not so picture-perfect Christmas day and share real snaps with pride. To bring these social results to life, Not So Funny Dad has created some tongue-in-cheek examples of what Christmas looks like on Instagram vs what it really looks like.

 

Christmas is a time most people embrace traditions but these results show there’s a revolution taking place with chips sneaking in and turkey on the way out of Christmas Dinners.  As more people are turning to tech to  keep entertained on the big day, we want to encourage the nation to embrace the reality of Christmas and share their imperfect seasonal snaps on social media with pride!
Chris Cotterill, Head of Marketing