Evangelical Alliance

Political Correctness and Christmas

Is Christmas becoming too politically correct?
In a survey of 1,000 people by ComRes for Theos, conducted between May 13th and 14th, 2009 the following results were obtained:

• When asked to agree or disagree with statement "Christmas should be renamed to reflect our multicultural society" 84% disagreed.
• When asked to agree or disagree with statement "Christmas should be called Christmas even though we are no longer a Christians country" 77% agreed.
• When asked to agree or disagree with the statement "Christmas should still be called Christmas because we are still are Christian country" 85% agreed.

www.theosthinktank.co.uk/comment/2009/10/05/the-public-vote-to-keep-christ-in-christmas

No room for Christ on Christmas cards?
A 2011 survey by the Daily Mail of 6,576 cards in major supermarkets in seven locations in England and Wales found only 36 featured scenes such as Jesus in a manger or angels. Traditional nativity scenes appear on less than 0.5% of all cards available. Don Horrocks of the Evangelical Alliance was interviewed by the Daily Mail for the article and said supermarkets were "helping to kill of the Christian theme at Christmas. There appears to be an aversion in society to Christianity being public."

The results for cards available singly were:

• In Asda stores out of a total of 2,638 Christmas cards available singly only 4 (0.15%) had illustrations of the Christmas story.
• In Tesco stores out of a total of 1,739 Christmas cards available singly only 7 (0.4%)had illustrations of the Christmas story.
• In Sainsbury's out of a total of 1,394 Christmas cards available singly only 11 (0.78%) had illustrations of the Christmas story.
• In Morrisons out of a total of 805 Christmas cards available singly only 14  (1.7%) had illustrations of the Christmas story.

The results for cards sold in multipacks were slightly better:

• In Asda 13% of the cards sold in multipacks had a Christian theme.
• In Tesco 20% of the cards sold in multipacks had a Christian theme.
• In Sainsburys 23% of the cards sold in multipacks had a Christian theme.
• In Morrisons 11% of the cards sold in multipacks has a Christian theme.

Reported in the Daily Mail 22nd December 2011 http://bit.ly/tPnlty
 
The First Christmas Card
The first commercial Christmas card was commissioned by Henry Cole in 1843. He ordered 1000 copies of the card designed by John C Horsley which depict a family enjoying a festive drink together; Religious greetings cards came some years later. The cards were advertised for sale in the Athenaeum newspaper and cost 6 pennies each thus making them a very expensive luxury item. The card was described in the advert as 'Just published. A Christmas Congratulation Card: or picture emblematical of Old English Festivity to Perpetuate kind recollections between Dear Friends.'
www.postalheritage.org.uk

Three of the remaining eighteen cards from the first batch produced by Henry Cole were auctioned by Sotheby's in New York In December 2011 One card was sold for $10,500, another one sold for $4,250 and the card bearing the design pictured above sold for $7,000.
http://bit.ly/HfTRVj

Modern Celebration of Christmas

Special Christmas stamps
The King James Bible, which celebrated its four hundredth anniversary in 2011, was commemorated in last year's special Christmas stamps. Seven stamps were issued depicting scenes from the Nativity story as reported in the gospels of St. Matthew and St. Luke. In addition, the popular First and Second Class Madonna and Child stamps, first issued in 2007, were again available.

The Royal Mail expected to handle 700 million Christmas cards and 40 million parcels from Internet shoppers in 2011, the same figures quoted as for 2010.
Figures obtained from the Royal Mail website www.royalmail.com
A very expensive Mince Pie
A mince pie worth £3,000 was on display at a London shopping centre in Dec  2011. The pie was at the Mince Pie Manufactory, a mince pie workshop at the Exchange shopping centre. The pie had some very expensive ingredients including a platinum coin, platinum leaf and holy water from Lourdes. It took the creator of the pie Andrew Stellitano 1 week to create the pie.
Reported in: London Evening Standard, 17th November 2011
Presents Galore!
Research by swapit.co.uk in December 2010 found that almost 90% of under 18's would be happy to receive fewer presents to help ease financial concerns for their family. Five million people increased their debt in 2009 to buy Christmas presents. In 2010 the average child is due to receive six presents from their family although others may receive up to 14 gifts from their family.
Insurance company LV found in their research in 2010 that parents expect to spend an average of £168 per child for Christmas presents.
According to recent research by Moneyexpert.com many parents and relatives choose to hand out £2.4 billion in cash gifts on present-giving occasions such as Christmas as an alternative to buying toys.  Each child is said to receive an average of £95.
Reported in: Daily Mail 16th December 2010 http://bit.ly/GTGQRL Children's gifts with a future http://bit.ly/GWq828

Spending predictions for Christmas 2011

• British residents plan to spend an average of £560 per head celebrating Christmas in 2011.  Almost half are not planning to cut back on spending on gifts this year.
• The biggest spenders will be those aged 35-44 as well as those living in the North West of England.
• According to the HSBC Christmas Spending Survey 2011 20% of people say they will spend more this year compared to last year.
• The Retail Week Christmas Spending 2011 poll, however, gives the figure as only 10% and claims that people in the 45-54 age group are more likely to spend less than those in other age groups.
• The HSBC Christmas Spending Survey found that across the UK  people will spend an  average of £378 on gifts for their family members, and an additional £183 on food, drink and entertainment.
• On-line sales during the last quarter of 2011 are expected to be 16% up on last year partly because more goods are now available on-line alongside the traditional books, CDs, etc.   However consumers will still turn as much to the high street as they will to the Internet for Christmas gifts.
• 21% of people expected to borrow from one source or another to pay from presents.
• In a more recent survey - the annual Christmas survey carried out by the Co-Operative Bank - it was discovered that three quarters of adults would be cutting back on festive spending this year.  Of the three thousand people questioned, 55% planned to reduce the amount they spend on presents, but the majority refused  to pinch the pennies when it  comes to Christmas dinner.
  Sources: Retail Week Christmas Spending 2011 - September 2011  www.icmresearch.com/tag/christmas Brits Plan to Spend £560 Celebrating Christmas  www.newsroom.hsbc.co.uk/press/release/ Consumers to cut back on Christmas spending to avoid debt  http://bit.ly/hN9wls
  

What does Christmas mean to people and how will they be celebrating?
In a survey conducted by ComRes on behalf of Theos in December 2010 the following results were obtained:

• 41% of adults will be spending the same on Christmas presents as they did last year and an equal amount will be spending less this year.
• When the respondents who said they would be spending less this year were asked how this will affect them 62% said it will make no difference because Christmas is about more than just presents whilst 18% it will make Christmas better because it will help them focus on the things that matter. Only 15% said it would make Christmas worse because the can not afford the things they want.
• 68% of adults said they would be spending Christmas with their family, 18% with family and friends, 7% with friends and just 6% will be on their own. The most likely group of people to be alone at Christmas is the poorest and oldest.
• 51% agreed with the statement "The birth of Jesus is irrelevant to my Christmas" whilst 46% disagreed with the statement.
• 18% agreed with the statement "I dread Christmas" whilst 81% disagreed only 13% agreed with the statement "I would borrow money to ensure I could afford to buy decent Christmas presents" 86% disagreed with the statement.
• 54% agreed "Christmas is over-rated" whilst 44% disagreed with the statement.
• 61% agreed "Christmas is mainly for children" whilst 38% disagreed.
• 36% said they would be attending a Christmas service this year. 62% said they would not be going to a service, 2% were unsure.

Source http://bit.ly/GU6S8g
 

The Downside of Christmas

Christmas pressures mean divorce in January
A study has shown that January 8th is the busiest day of the year for divorce lawyers when up to one in five couples will enquire about divorce after the pressures of Christmas. The enforced intimacy of Christmas, coupled with the start of a new year is thought to be the main trigger. The other peak in the year is after the summer holidays. Adultery, lack of sex, abuse and boredom were the main causes of divorce enquiries. Studies show that fewer than 40% of those who divorce will be happier.
Reported in the Daily Telegraph 8 January 2007
The price of Christmas spending on mental health
An online poll of 116 people by the mental health charity Mind found that respondents were stressed and anxious about repaying their Christmas spending. Here is a summary of the survey's findings:

• 19 per cent of people felt less able to manage their mental health because of worries about paying off the cost of Christmas
• 25 per cent were feeling depressed
• 20 per cent will have problems meeting their rent or mortgage payments this month.
• Over 50 per cent admitted they had spent more than they could afford on Christmas.
• 39 per cent used credit cards to cover the cost of Christmas.
• 33 per cent estimated that it would take them more than six months to pay off their Christmas spending debt

Mind's Chief Executive Paul Farmer said: "Christmas is an expensive time of year but it's not just your wallet that could be hurt by excessive spending. Financial worries can have a devastating impact on mental health and can lead to serious problems such as stress, anxiety and depression...People who have mental health problems are already more likely to be living in poverty, with many dependent on benefits because they are too ill to work. Worries about finances and the prospect of not being able to afford the essentials like food, heating and electricity will only add to their distress...We are concerned that the predicted credit crunch in 2008 will result in more people experiencing money worries which could have a detrimental impact on their mental health. That's why this year Mind is launching a major new study investigating the real toll that poverty and debt has on mental health."
Reported in: Medical News Today 11th Jan. 2008 http://bit.ly/GTC5M7
More than 53% of Britons were worried about funding Christmas 2010, according to research done by Moneysupermarket.com. This was an increase on the previous year when 45% said they were worried.
Reported in: Investor Today 12/10/10
Christmas debt
A 2011 survey by M&S Money has suggested a large number of consumers will not keep within their means when it comes to festive spending. Its recent poll discovered four out of ten consumers have not made a budget for their Christmas outlay, while of those who have, 46 per cent expect to fail to stick to it.
Source http://bit.ly/GTCcHK
 

The Religious Celebration of Christmas

Church attendance over Christmas
Approaching three million people participate in a Church of England service on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. 35% of the population attend a Christmas service of some sort, rising to 42% in London.   22% among those from non-Christian faiths are also said to attend a Christmas service.
Approximately 118,500 people attended services in cathedrals on Christmas Day/Eve 2009 while services over the period leading up to Christmas attract attendances of 729,600. These figures appear to be adversely affected by Christmas Eve being on Thursday. Nevertheless, attendance over the Christmas 24 hours has increased by more than a quarter, 26%, since the beginning of the century.
www.churchofengland.org/about-us/facts-stats.aspx
Christian resources for churches and schools
The Evangelical Alliance Information and Research office has prepared a list of resources to help you plan a special service, talk or school assembly. The listing also includes sources for alternative gift solutions. www.eauk.org/resources/info/listings/christmas-resources.cfm
The dwindling religious significance of Christmas?
A survey commissioned by The Children's Society in 2010 found that only 10% of adults think that it's religious meaning is the most important thing about Christmas. Only 4% of 25-34 year olds thought the religious aspect was important whilst 20% of those over 60's years feel that it is the key aspect of Christmas. 67% of all adults said spending time with family was the most important thing about Christmas.
Source: Church of England Newspaper December 3rd 2010