From tinsel on the tree to cheesy Christmas jumpers, there are plenty of Christmas traditions that we simply love – and some we love to hate. Research, conducted by online retailer Haypp, looked into Brits’ biggest festive icks.
The research reveals that the number one ick is a controversial one – putting ketchup on a Christmas dinner! Nearly a third of us (31%) claim that this makes us feel icky and that we’d judge someone for it. Whilst this might cause some controversy in a few households across the UK, the second biggest ‘ick’ will definitely be up for debate – as just under a third of Brits cringe at adults in matching pyjamas. Perhaps everyone has finally had enough of seeing the popular trend all across social media!
No one wants to talk politics over the Christmas dinner table, so it’s no surprise that this came in third with 27% of Brits finding this unbearable over dinner. Bad habits at the dinner table are also at the top of the list for being the top ‘icks’ for Brits, as a quarter of Brits hate it when people undo their trousers at the Christmas meal and just over a fifth find it rude when someone leaves the table for a cigarette.
The top 10 biggest festive ‘icks’ for Brits are:
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Having tomato ketchup on your Christmas dinner – 31%
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Adults in matching Pyjamas 29.2%
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Talking politics during dinner 27.9%
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Undoing your trousers at the dinner table 24.4%
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Leaving the dinner table to smoke – 23.2%
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Everyone watching you open your presents 20.4%
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Being hungover on Christmas Day 19.5%
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Arguing over a game 18.1%
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Family photo Christmas cards 15.2%
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Wearing Christmas jumpers 13.2%
Looking at the research, Laura Windsor, Bridgerton’s Etiquette expert, has shared her thoughts on the top five icks and revealed why these are possibly the worst festive faux pas.
Having tomato ketchup on your Christmas dinner
“Ketchup should be saved for another day. There are 364 of those! And for those of you who like ketchup with your turkey or goose, you should really try and get out more. Leave the ketchup for burger and chips or a good old fry-up for another day. Not to mention, drowning your Christmas lunch in ketchup may imply that you think the cook needs to improve their culinary skills.”
Adults in matching pyjamas
“Matching-anything is a little tacky but it is Christmas and if it brings in a few laughs in the meantime, why not! Just so long as you are not wearing pyjamas ALL day and forget to dress up for the occasion!”
Undoing your trousers
“At the table we are more sensitive and observant than usual; eating isn’t particularly an attractive manoeuvre and nowhere are manners, or the lack of them, so visible than when you are dining. Unbuttoning your trousers is certainly not an elegant gesture.”
Talking politics across the dinner table
“It’s one of those timeless no-nos that does nothing but stir up trouble, especially at the table. Christmas is a time for merriment, spreading joy and hope to those around you. Venting your opinions on such a subject can easily offend your fellow diners and dampen celebrations. The most important etiquette rule especially around Christmas is treating others as you would like to be treated. The conversation should be upbeat making others around you feel comfortable and at ease.”
Leaving the dinner table for a cigarette
“If you are dying for a cigarette, try and exercise a bit of self-control and wait for a course to finish, preferably towards the end of the meal. If you do leave the table to smoke or vape, be aware that the smell will linger on your person – so take care to wash your hands, have a mint or use a mouth spray before returning to the table.”
Markus Lindblad from Haypp, said: “We conducted this survey to find out some of the worst taboos around Christmas time and it’s no shock that leaving the dinner table to smoke was one of the top answers! Hopefully our results and the advice from our Etiquette Expert will help everyone to have a great Christmas and avoid some of these embarrassing mistakes!”
