Christmas Time: When Do Brits Eat and Open Presents?
Published 08:56am on 18 December 2024 by Matthew Banks
The debate of when Christmas Dinner should be eaten is one that has raged on forever. Last week on the BBC’s ‘Off the Telly’ podcast, there was a viral clip of Gavin and Stacey’s Joanna Page saying she always aims for a 12pm or 1pm start time. An outraged Natalie Cassidy, famous for her role in EastEnders, responded by wanting to eat as late as possible, saying “I want to eat in candlelight.”
This gave us an idea, why don’t we find out once and for all when Brits sit down to eat at Christmas? We surveyed 1000 people to get a definitive answer.
32.70% of the UK agree with Joanna, eating between 12pm-2pm. Nearly half (49.6%) of respondents across the country say they eat between 2pm and 4pm, making it the most popular time for the festive feast. For those who simply can’t wait, a surprising 7% of Londoners eat before midday, with their crackers popped and turkey served while many of us are still sipping our morning coffee. The national average for a pre-midday meal is just 1.3%.
Just 3.5% of Brits are on team Natalie and eat after 6pm on Christmas Day.
What time does the UK eat Christmas Dinner?
| Before Midday | 1.90% |
| Between 12pm-2pm | 32.70% |
| Between 2pm-4pm | 49.60% |
| Between 4pm-6pm | 12.20% |
| After 6pm | 3.50% |
When do Brits open their presents at Christmas?
It’s not just the time we eat that sparks debate. Did you know that In-keeping with German tradition, the Royal Family open their presents on Christmas Eve, rather than on the 25th?
We asked the same 1000 people when they open their presents to find out how many people agreed with them.
6.6% of people admit to opening their presents on Christmas Eve, with London standing out as a hotspot for this trend. In London, this number is much higher, with 20.6% of Londoners getting their gift-giving started a day early.
| Christmas Eve | 6.6% |
| Before 9am | 16.3% |
| 9am-Midday | 53.5% |
| Between Midday-3pm | 9.5% |
| Between 3pm-6pm | 10.3% |
| After 6pm | 1.8% |
| Boxing Day | 2.1% |
Methodology
This survey was conducted by YouGov on behalf of Slotswise. It gathered data from a sample of 1,000 adults in the UK, representative of the national population by age, gender, socioeconomic status, and region. The data was collected online using YouGov’s panel in November 2024, with weighting applied to ensure representativeness.
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