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The ongoing cost of living crisis means that, for many households, Christmas will be very different this year. Already, shoppers have revealed that they are planning to cut out some of their favourite Christmas classics in an attempt to make ends meet. In fact, experts predict British shoppers are likely to spend £4 billion less on nonessential Christmas items this year. But which items are most likely to go?
Well, the team at askgamblers.com have used Google search data to compare the number of searches for the top Christmas items in the UK during the first week of October 2021, compared to the first week of October 2022.
These are the 15 items we could be saying goodbye to this year:
Item | 2021 Searches | 2022 searches | Percentage Decrease |
Mulled Wine | 28,000 | 11,000 | -60.10% |
Christmas Turkey | 6,400 | 4,100 | -36% |
| Bucks Fizz | 9,500 | 6,600 | -30.50% |
| Pigs in Blankets | 2,100 | 1,500 | -28.60% |
| Christmas Crackers | 22,000 | 16,000 | -27.20% |
| Brussel Sprouts | 56,000 | 41,000 | -26.80% |
| Baubles | 15,000 | 12,000 | -20% |
| Panettone | 8,200 | 6,700 | -18.30% |
| Christmas Tree | 160,000 | 131,000 | -18.10% |
| Christmas Cake | 28,000 | 23,000 | -17.60% |
| Tinsel | 42,000 | 35,000 | -16.70% |
| Christmas Lights | 47,000 | 40,000 | -14.90% |
| Cranberry Sauce | 22,000 | 19,000 | -13.60% |
| Advent Calander | 150,000 | 132,000 | -12% |
| Cheese Board | 40,000 | 36,000 | -10% |
Derry couple put up Christmas decorations in September
As the data shows, Mulled Wine is the nonessential item most likely to be left out of British homes this year. With 28,000 searches in early October 2021, to only 11,000 searches in 2022, the classic Christmas drink is down a staggering 60 per cent.
Christmas Turkey is also down by 36 per cent. This could be because households are planning cheaper alternatives to the Christmas dinner this year, such as chicken or fish.
Many of our favourite decorations could also be in danger as search results for Christmas Crackers are down 27 per cent, Baubles 20 per cent, and Christmas Trees 18 per cent.
However, it is not all doom and gloom – some of our favourite Christmas classics have seen a rise in search terms compared to 2021. For example, searches for Bailey’s Irish Cream are up 33 per cent compared to last year, and household classic Mince Pies are also up 14 per cent.
A spokesperson for AskGamblers said: “The cost-of-living crisis remains prominent as we slowly move into the Christmas period, and as a result we expect many households to be keeping a close eye on their finances this Christmas. As our research shows, many nonessential items could be left out.
“Retailers can also be expected to feel the burden of the financial crisis. Many Brits will be planning to budget their Christmas shopping, leaving high street and independent stores in danger of serious financial losses in their busiest time of the year.”
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