The public plan to spend 27 per cent less on Christmas decorations than last year. The festive tree will be the first thing to suffer, as a third of people (32 per cent) say they plan to reduce the size of their Christmas fir. One in 12 (8 per cent) who traditionally put up decorations say that they won’t bother to put any up at all this year.
Research by Chevrolet, the carmaker, revealed that each family will spend an average of £56.88 on decorations compared to the £77.45 they spent last Christmas. The biggest victim of the credit crunch will be the family tree, which will be at least 6 inches shorter than last year, as people cut back on costs. In addition to this, a miserly half (50 per cent) of Brits say they are cutting back on the number of greeting cards that they send this year.
In an effort to bring at least some of the festive cheer back into family living rooms, Chevrolet has pledged to giveaway a boot-full of Christmas decorations – including a free Christmas tree – to any motorist buying one of its Chevrolet Lacetti models