Nearly four in 10 say 'Friendsmas' is their favourite Christmas tradition

15 December 2023 , 11:32

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Half of Brits say pigs in blankets are the best festive food (Image: PinPep)

Tomorrow is set to be the busiest day for Christmas get-togethers with friends – as it emerged that six in 10 feel these celebrations are more fun than family gatherings.

Nearly two-thirds of adults (64%) will meet up for so-called “Friendsmas” events over the festive period – the equivalent of 43 million people.

And with this Saturday (December 16) being the most popular day to celebrate, 38% claim it is among their favourite Christmas traditions.

The poll of 2,000 adults, commissioned by Subway, found the rise of these celebrations could be due to the fact that 53% do not expect their employer to host a staff party this December.

And even among those who have been to a festive work event, 22% still reckon costs will be cut this year on such shindigs.

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And nearly four in 10 said 'Friendsmas' is one of their favourite Christmas traditions (PinPep)

The findings also revealed that, of those hosting a “Friendsmas” celebration, 22% find cooking for multiple people is one of the top causes of stress.

However, 56% said these types of gatherings wouldn’t be complete without pigs in blankets. In fact, half of those polled claimed the miniature sausages wrapped in bacon are among their favourite festive foods.

And 32% said at this time of year it is acceptable to indulge in these meaty treats at lunch, dinner, and even breakfast.

To mark the day, the sandwich shop will be giving away 250 pigs in blankets sharing buckets at five restaurants in London, Manchester, Brighton, Edinburgh, and Cardiff on Saturday.

Martin Winter