FESTIVE Brits will string up nearly a mile of Christmas decorations during their lifetime – including 1,500ft of tinsel, 841 baubles and more than 1,000 metres of fairy lights.

A poll of 2,000 adults has revealed the length of decorations is enough to stretch 14 times across the length of Wembley Stadium’s football pitch.

More than half (54 per cent) will invest in new trimmings for the home every winter, spending £51.30 each year to keep their displays looking fresh and current.

This brings the lifetime spend on Christmas decorations to a total of £4,150 each.

It also emerged they pull an average of six crackers and fill four stockings with gifts each year.

A spokesperson for Lottoland which commissioned the research in honour of its annual Christmas Lottery, said: "It’s amazing to see how many Christmas decorations we get through in our lifetime, and even more so that people are buying new trimmings every year.

“Lots of people see decorating the house as a big family activity that brings everyone together, which is probably why we all invest so much time and effort into it.

“There are so many other things that bring people together at this time, such as the good food, parties and we even see people buying Christmas lottery tickets in groups over the festive period.”

The study also found 60 per cent of those who celebrate Christmas put up decorations every year without fail.

And while 54 per cent revel in trying out new lights and tinsel combinations each year, 27 per cent have kept hold of their classics, and still display decorations from the 1970s or earlier.

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But despite wanting to make sure their home is at its festive best, 35 per cent are making efforts to reduce the impact of Christmas this year.

As a result, decorations are low on the priorities list for many, with eight per cent taking aim at their fairy lights budget.

Reducing the amount spent on gifts is the prime candidate for cost-reduction, with 12 per cent vowing to get savvier with their gifting.

While nearly one in 10 (nine per cent) will keep the yuletide well-wishing to social media, scrapping Christmas cards entirely.

And 10 per cent of those polled, via OnePoll.com, think they could make some changes to the Christmas food shop to save some pennies – as long as the roast potatoes stay.

Turning their minds to Christmas dinner, 28 per cent think the carbohydrate staples are the highlight of the meal, while 24 per cent prefer roast turkey.

Pigs in blankets are a treat for 21 per cent, while carrots (six per cent), mint sauce (six per cent) and the unspectacular addition of peas (four per cent) struggle to make an impact on festive dining.

A third is also making the effort to be more environmentally friendly and socially conscious with their Christmas habits this year, with an aim to eat less meat, buy less plastic and use eco-friendly wrapping paper.

Lottoland’s spokesperson added: “Between fairy lights and tinsel, wrapping paper and cards there is a lot of plastic and paper being produced at Christmas time and it’s really fantastic to see that a third of Brits are making efforts to be greener this year.

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"Even small changes can make a difference when everybody gets involved and we can promise it won’t diminish any of that Christmas magic."

To find out more about the Christmas Lottery, drawn on the 22nd December, visit www.lottoland.co.uk/christmas-lottery.

A LIFETIME OF CHRISTMAS IN NUMBERS

421 metres of tinsel strewn

841 baubles dangled

1,019 metres of lights hung

477 crackers pulled

307 stockings stuffed

639 festive ornaments bought

£4,150 spent on Christmas decorations

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