It's Christmas Eve and, hopefully, you've all a) bought all your presents and b) saved a packet in doing so by shopping savvy and using some of the fab voucher codes that have been available throughout the Christmas shopping season.
By Clodagh Foelster
at 5:30PM,
5 months ago
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Christmas and New Year
Do you feel nostalgic for the Christmases gone by? According to research by protection specialist LV=, nine in ten adults who celebrate the holiday yearn for the ghost of Christmas past.
According to the study, anticipation of the big day hit a peak at nine years old, a feeling which has since been replaced by money worries. Over two thirds (68%) of adults are worried about the cost of Christmas, an issue which we never had to worry about as kids.
The ghost of Christmas past
There is a direct correlation between age and how animated you are about the big day. Rather than being too excited to sleep, we fall into bed after exerting ourselves with last minute wrapping or late night drinks at the pub and get up progressively later.
By CashCatcherGuest Blogger
at 9:24AM,
5 months ago
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Christmas and New Year
Eating chocolate coins for breakfast, feeling tipsy by midday and wearing a crown at dinner: any of these would be considered odd on a normal day but are perfectly acceptable at Christmas.
Acting slightly out of the ordinary is allowed on Christmas Day. A markedly special day of the year, there is room for the unusual but are there some traditions which take the notion a bit too far?
By MissMoneyGuest Blogger
at 5:30PM,
5 months ago
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Christmas and New Year
Clearly, I am going to answer this with a big resounding 'no'. I cannot stress enough how much I love everything to do with Christmas, and the joy of giving is part and parcel of the holiday season.
I feel the same way about gift-giving as that little boy on last year's John Lewis advert: spending time picking out the perfect gift, experiencing the build-up in the weeks leading up to the big exchange, the recipient's reaction making it all worth it... who wouldn't want that?
Yes, it's a fleeting moment in the grand scheme of things but Christmas provides the chance to give something back to the people you love and, although spending time together is the most important thing for the majority of the population (68% in fact, according to a poll by National Employment
Savings Trust), I think presents really do add to the overall experience – no matter how small. It's always nice to have something to give and something to open.
However, money-saving expert Martin Lewis compiled an article ('It's time to ban Christmas presents') which has some interesting points and makes for a decent read. I've summarised it here; see what you think:
By CashCatcherGuest Blogger
at 9:14AM,
5 months ago
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Christmas and New Year
Unbridled joy, impossibly high spirits and a sense that all is well with the world: the Christmas bug strikes down many a reveller every year. But how do you know if you're infected? Here are five of the most common symptoms.
By CashCatcherGuest Blogger
at 9:15AM,
5 months ago
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Christmas and New Year
My Christmas list consists of three different types of sock (exciting I know), an incense holder (prompted by too many trips to Camden), a new purse and some perfume.
With perfume being the most expensive item on the list, I feel bad giving that as a response when friends and family ask me what I want for Christmas but, after seeing the predicted Christmas wish list 2012, I don't feel quite as guilty.
Aviva compiled a list of what is expected to make it into the Christmas wish list this year and topping that list was an Apple iPhone 5. Laptops, handheld consoles, Apple iPods and the iMac also made the cut; as did handheld tablets, smartphones, digital cameras and games and DVDs.
Even if parents did reveal in a recent survey that they would, on average, spend a maximum of £171 on an individual present for their kids, that figure will no way cover the cost of some of the items on that list.
By MissMoneyGuest Blogger
at 9:00AM,
5 months ago
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under
Christmas and New Year