Christmas quotes, surveys and statistics

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Political Correctness & Christmas

Despite there being a long list of local authorities announcing the switch on of their "Christmas" lights and the inevitable complaints by local people of all faiths when councils decide to rename their Christmas events "Winter Festival" etc each year we get at least one local authority each year who decides to get rid of the word "Christmas".

Winter Light Night in Dundee 2009
"Instead of the traditional Christmas Lights switch-on, residents will be attending the "Dundee Winter Light Night". Council officials have also decided that rather than a retelling of the Nativity story there will be a disco, a contemporary circus, a continental market and a 7ft fairy on stilts. Disgruntled members of the Presbytery of Dundee have voted to voice concern to the city council, saying that the religious aspect of Christmas was being eroded.
One churchgoer, Philip Harris, from Broughty Ferry, said: "It seems ludicrous to have a Christmas event which makes no mention of Christmas. It just seems like the usual political correctness".
At last year's Christmas Lights switch-on in the City Square, the Rev Allan Webster was invited to address the crowd - a tradition that, along with the title of Christmas Lights, he feels should be upheld. "I have asked if there will still be a role to play for the Church and I would be delighted to take up any offer, if asked," Rev Webster said. "The general feeling is that calling it the Winter Light Night rather than the Christmas Lights is an erosion of a religious festival. It is important for all faiths to be able to celebrate their festivals and I must stress I would also be concerned if people of any other religion had their festival diluted."

From an article by Lindsay Macintosh in The Times November 13th 2009

www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/scotland/article6915061.ece

****Post Script 27th November 2009****
Christ is back in Dundee's Christmas
Representatives of the Church of Scotland and the Catholic Church have been invited to attend the festivities in Dundee and to address the crowd.
Lord Provost of Dundee John Letford said "This has caused a great deal of embarrassment for the council and a lot of personal pain and embarrassment for me. It's very disappointing that the city's reputation has been tarnished. We should not forget that Christmas is a time to remember the message of Jesus and it would be wrong not to let people exercise that right."

www.christiantoday.com/article/christ.returns.to.dundees.christmas.celebrations/24743.htm

A prayer before lights are switched on in Worcester
A more positive story about the switching on of the Christmas lights was spotted in the Worcester News on November 12th 2009; when speaking of the entertainers and local dignitaries present at the switching on ceremony the article also said: "The Mayor's Chaplain, Rev David Ryan, also said a prayer before the lights were switched on."

www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/local/4737252.Christmas_is_coming____the_lights_are_on_/

Is Christmas becoming too politically correct?
in a survey of 1000 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 rename 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/The_public_vote_to_keep_Christ_in_Christmas.aspx?ArticleID=3443&PageID=14&RefPageID=5

No room at the card shop?
A survey by the Daily Mail of 5,500 cards in High Street shops, including WH Smith, Clinton Cards and Hallmark, found only 67 with pictures of the Bible story. Traditional nativity scenes appear on only one in 100. Hundreds avoided any images linked to Christmas at all, including fir trees, baubles, snowmen or Santa Claus and inside many wished either Seasons Greetings, or had no message inside at all.
Reported in the Daily Mail 9 December 2006
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-421417/Christmas-cards-losing-religious-message.html

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

The Modern Celebration of Christmas

The Stamp of approval
The precious beauty of stained glass has told the nativity story for more than a thousand years, and is the inspiration for this year's Christmas stamps. The seven stamps, issued on 3rd November, feature characters from the nativity depicted in stained glass windows selected from churches around the UK.

From the Royal Mail website www.royalmail.com/portal/stamps/jump1?catId=32300674&mediaId=108900766

The Royal mail are expecting to handle 700 million Christmas cards and 40 million parcels from internet shoppers this year.

Figures obtained from the Royal Mail website www.royalmail.com

Presents Galore!
Research from The Children's Mutual found that 41 per cent of toys and presents given to children at Christmas are broken by March, with children on average receiving 10 presents in addition to those provided by their parents.

Research by LloydsTSB Insurance found that the average child owns £1,720 of toys in their bedroom and 90 per cent of parents who were questioned in December 2007 said they were planning to spend up to £500 on their children at Christmas.

Reported in Daily Mail 4th Dec. 2007
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-499545/Average-child-1-720-worth-toys-bedroom.html

Spending predictions for Christmas 2009

• Christmas sales forecast to hit £44.7 billion, compared to £43.9 billion in 2008, a year-on-year increase of £832 million
• Consumer confidence has improved from unprecedented depths of -18% last summer to 5% now and retail confidence has risen from -46 in December 08 to -1 currently
• Industry 'cautiously optimistic' following 'Black Christmas' of 2008, when sales fell £-27 million, resulting in 20 major retailers going into administration, the loss of 40,000 jobs and shop voids rising to 10%
• Christmas retail sales expected to represent 18.5% of total retail sales for 2009
• Welcome boost could result in up to 4,500 new jobs by January
• Online spending to reach £8.9 billion this Christmas, representing 20p in every £1 spent - equivalent to 20% of ALL UK sales and a 24% increase on previous year

Source www.kelkoo.co.uk/co_17053-kelkoo-press-release-christmas-2009.html

What Children think of Christmas
A poll for the BBC children's TV programme Newsround found that of those surveyed:

• 44% of 7-11 year-olds regarded Christmas day as a celebration of the birth of Jesus - although in Northern Ireland the figure rose to 71%.
• Although 89% were excited, and 79% were happy about the holiday period, one in six said they felt sad, nervous or left out at Christmas.
• Perhaps not so surprisingly, one in four (24%) believed the season was about giving, rather than receiving, presents.
• Giving clearly matters, however, with almost two-thirds (63%) saving their pocket money to buy presents, adding up to an average piggy-bank of £34. 33% nationally and 45% in Scotland managed to save more than £50.

Newsround presenter Ellie Crisell said; 'Christmas is exciting for children but it can also be stressful. They worry about their families getting along, about buying the right present and, amid the festivities, feeling alone.'
Reported in the Daily Mail 19 December 2006

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
www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/93715.php

A sea of Christmas debt
Grant Thornton the accountancy firm said excessive Christmas spending in 2007 would lead to a record number of people (120,000) going bust in 2008. Excessive Christmas spending was expected to fuel at least 30 per cent of all individual insolvency cases.

Reported in the Daily Telegraph 10 Jan 2008 www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/borrowing/2782104/How-to-avoid-drowning-in-a-sea-of-debt.html

Christians Against Poverty (CAP) commissioned a survey of 2000 adults asking them about their plans for funding Christmas expenditure in September 2008.
The results show that 76% of those questioned were worried about Christmas due to the financial cost. 30% of respondents said they did not budget at all for Christmas.
www.capuk.org

The ghost of Christmas past continues to knock on some doors as nearly 1 in 4 (24%) Brits are still paying off credit costs from last Christmas. Over a third of people on a lower income (34%) are still paying off their bills from last Christmas.

Cash-strapped families who turn to credit to pay for Christmas could be setting themselves up for a New Year debt disaster, children's charity Action for Children is warning. Their survey found that a quarter of people planning to borrow over the festive period will use catalogue credit, a fifth are planning to use store cards and one in seven are planning to go to doorstep lenders - three of the four most expensive sources of credit.
From the Credit Action December 2008 Debt Fact and Figures newsletter www.creditaction.org.uk/assets/PDF/statistics/2008/december-2008.pdf

Britain scared of Christmas
Research from moneysupermarket.com reveals that almost half of consumers (45 per cent) are worried about funding Christmas 2009. Their fears may be justified as two thirds of the population (66 per cent) will not save enough cash in time to cover their Christmas costs, meaning credit cards, overdrafts, loans and December income will be used to take up the slack.

• 45 per cent of UK adults are worried about funding Christmas this year
• 66 per cent will not save enough cash before Christmas to pay for spending
• 17 per cent are planning to use a credit card to fund the festivities

www.moneysupermarket.com/c/press-releases/britain-scared-of-christmas/0006851/

The Religious Celebration

Church attendance over Christmas continues to grow
According to Church of England figures, attendances on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in 2006 have continued the upward trend of the previous 6 years. The total attendance on the 2 days was 2,994 million an increase of over 200,000 on the 2005 figures. Those taking communion at Christmas increased by 50,000 in 2006. (These figures are still the most recent ones available from the Church of England. Nov 2009)

Figures taken from the Church of England website 4th Nov 2008 www.cofe.anglican.org/info/statistics/churchstats2006/statisticspg9.htm

Cathedral attendance
Visits to cathedrals has increased by 26 per cent since 2000 and 726,500 attended Christmas services in cathedrals during December 2007.
Figures from Church of England Cathedrals: Headline Mission Statistics 2007

St Philip's Cathedral in Birmingham had to have "ticket only" services as their services were so popular and other cathedrals were organising additional services to cope with demand.
Reported in the Birmingham Post December 18th 2007

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

Knowledge of the Christmas story
A survey conducted by ComRes for Theological think tank Theos in November 2007 found that only 12 per cent of the 1000 people questioned about the Christmas story as told in the Bible could answer all 4 questions in the survey correctly. However most of those questioned (73 per cent) knew where Jesus was born but slightly more in depth questions caused problems for most participants. 36 per cent of the Christians in the survey answered all 4 questions correctly. The knowledge of the Christmas story varies with age. The youngest people questioned (aged 18-24) know least, with only 7% knowing the correct answers to all the questions asked. Middle aged people (aged 55-64) know most - 18% answering all questions correctly.

Paul Woolley Director of Theos said:

"These findings provide us with a good snapshot of our national relationship with Christianity...They show that the Christmas story, in its classic formulation is still very much in our cultural blood stream, as indeed is the Christian story as a whole...However, when you probe in any depth, you discover that our knowledge and understanding is rather more shaky...The fact that younger people are the least knowledgeable about the Christmas story may reflect a decline in the telling of Bible stories in schools and the popularity of Nativity plays."

For more details from the survey see www.theosthinktank.co.uk