Christmas Statistics UK 2026: 49 Facts on Food, Music, TV and Travel
Harriet Ashdown
·
Published
Christmas in Britain is a feast, a playlist and a long drive home.
People argue over sprouts, sing along to the same songs and gather round the telly. Many still go to church.
This page collects reliable numbers on food, post, music, television, decorations and travel. It points to our deeper guides on spending, gifts and weather. Every figure links to its source. For the history behind the customs, read the V&A on the first Christmas card.
Christmas in Britain at a glance
The Christmas dinner
What the whole festive shop costs, gifts included, is covered in our Christmas spending statistics. Here the focus is on what ends up on the plate.
1. Britain eats 8 to 9 million turkeys
A government release from December 2023 put the number of turkeys eaten by UK households at Christmas at 8 to 9 million, 90% of them British.5
2. More than 25,000 tonnes of sprouts
Over 25,000 tonnes of Brussels sprouts were bought in the UK in the year covered by the release, with more than a third bought over the festive season.5
3. 98 million packs of mince pies
Britons spent £132 million on 98 million packs of mince pies, according to the same government release.5
4. £45 million on Christmas puddings
The release counted nearly 19 million Christmas puddings sold, worth £45 million.5
5. 57% still pick turkey as the main meat
In YouGov's big Christmas survey (19 to 24 November 2025, 4,243 adults in Britain), 57% named turkey as their preferred centrepiece meat. 41% have Christmas pudding for dessert.6
6. Only 37% of households serve turkey alone
An Opinium survey of 1,863 UK adults in November 2025 found that 37% of households serve turkey only, while 64% plan an alternative main dish alongside or instead of it.7 In London, turkey only drops to 13%.
7. Turkey sales fell 12% in 2025
Sales of primary turkey cuts were down 12.0% year on year in the four weeks to 28 December 2025, which AHDB called the clear casualty of the Christmas shop.8
8. Lamb and pork took the gap
In the two weeks to 28 December 2025, lamb leg roasting joints rose 24.7% and pork shoulder joints 43.7%. Beef roasting joints were up 8.6%.8
At the supermarket tills
9. £13.8 billion in four weeks
Take-home grocery sales hit a record £13.8 billion in the four weeks to 28 December 2025, up 3.8% on the year.1
10. The average shopper spent £476
Households spent an average of £476 at the supermarkets in the festive four weeks, £15 more than a year earlier, while grocery inflation eased to 4.3%.1
11. Monday 22 December was the busiest day
Monday 22 December was the biggest day for grocery sales, but shoppers made the most trips on Tuesday 23 December, spending less per visit.1
12. Premium own label passed £1 billion
Supermarkets' premium own label lines passed £1 billion in December for the first time, growing 9% and reaching 7.5% of all sales.1
13. Three in four shoppers bought alcohol
75% of shoppers bought alcoholic drinks. Low and no alcohol sales rose 14%, with 2.7 million households buying them.1
14. Chocolate tubs now cost over £5
Seasonal chocolate tubs sold 19% more, with a typical price above £5 for the first time, while pack sizes shrank by 5% to 551g.1
Cards, letters and parcels
What happens to some of those parcels after Christmas is the subject of our unwanted Christmas gifts statistics.
15. The first Christmas card dates from 1843
Henry Cole commissioned John Callcott Horsley to design the first Christmas card in 1843. One thousand copies were printed and sold for a shilling each.9
16. A first edition card sold for £22,000
The venture was a commercial failure at the time, but when one of Cole's first cards was auctioned in 2013 it sold for £22,000.9
17. Royal Mail hired 20,000 seasonal workers in 2025
Royal Mail recruited 20,000 temporary staff for Christmas 2025, from late October to early January: 12,000 in England, 2,000 in Scotland, 600 in Wales and 400 in Northern Ireland.10
18. 6,800 extra vans and 118,000 square metres
For the 2025 peak Royal Mail added 6,800 hire vans and 118,000 square metres of temporary space, about 16.5 football pitches. This came on top of 37 mail centres and two parcel hubs.10
19. 1.7 million parcels a day at the hubs
In its 2024 Christmas plan, Royal Mail expected its two parcel hubs in Daventry and Warrington to process 1.7 million parcels a day, supported by 16,000 temporary workers.11
Church at Christmas
20. 1.96 million at Christmas services
Just under two million people (1.96 million) attended Church of England services on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day 2025, up 5.5%.2
21. 4.8 million attendances in Advent
The Church of England counted 4.8 million attendances across Advent 2025, a rise of 2.0%.2
22. Regular worshippers rose for a fifth year
An estimated 1.023 million regular worshippers attended Church of England congregations in 2025, up 1.4% on 2024. Attendance remains below pre-pandemic levels.2
23. Cathedrals saw 6% more Christmas worshippers
Church of England cathedrals recorded a six per cent overall rise in Christmas attendance in 2025 compared with 2024.12
The Christmas number one and festive music
24. Kylie Minogue won Christmas 2025
Kylie Minogue's XMAS was the 2025 Christmas number one, her first solo Christmas number one, 37 years after her chart debut with I Should Be So Lucky. Her previous UK number one was Slow in 2003.13
25. First woman with number ones in four decades
The win made Kylie the first female artist with UK number one singles in four different decades: the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s and 2020s.13
26. Wham! lost a two-year reign
Last Christmas finished second in 2025, ending Wham!'s two-year run as Christmas number one. Mariah Carey's All I Want For Christmas Is You was third for the second year running.13
27. 39 years to reach the top
Last Christmas finally topped the Christmas chart in 2023, the longest journey to a Christmas number one on record. Band Aid had kept it off the top in 1984.14
28. 13.3 million streams in a week
Last Christmas was streamed 13.3 million times in Christmas week 2023, the most for any Christmas number one.14 Its lifetime total is 5.34 million chart units: 1.93 million sales and nearly 413 million streams.
29. Fairytale of New York is the most played, not the biggest hit
PPL named Fairytale of New York the most played Christmas track of the 21st century (to 2020). Only 7 of the 40 most played Christmas tracks ever reached Christmas number one.15
Christmas Day on television and film
30. 6.56 million watched the King
The King's Christmas message was the most watched programme on Christmas Day 2025 with 6.56 million viewers across BBC, ITV and Sky News, according to BARB overnight data.3
31. The best single channel audience was 4.31 million
The Scarecrows' Wedding had 4.31 million viewers on BBC One, ahead of the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special (4.2 million), The Wheel (3.7 million) and Call the Midwife (3.44 million).3
32. Christmas Day TV hit an all-time low
informitv noted that Christmas Day television in the UK reached an all-time low in audience numbers in 2025, in line with a steady decline as viewers move online.3
33. Gavin & Stacey drew 19.11 million in 2024
The Gavin & Stacey finale reached 19.11 million viewers over seven days, with 12.3 million watching on the day.16
34. EastEnders peaked at 30 million in 1986
EastEnders drew 30.15 million viewers, aggregated over a double edition on 25 and 28 December 1986.16
35. Elf is the favourite Christmas film
In a YouGov poll of December 2020, 15% of Britons with a favourite Christmas film chose Elf, 12% Home Alone, and 8% each Love Actually and Die Hard. It's a Wonderful Life took 16% among over 65s.17
Decorations, lights and jumpers
Real versus artificial trees get their own treatment in our Christmas tree statistics, and the daily countdown in our advent calendar statistics.
36. 14% do not decorate at all
In YouGov's 2025 survey, 14% of Britons put up no decorations. 10% decorate in November, 35% in the first week of December and 22% in the second.18
37. Young people start earlier
26% of 18 to 34 year olds think it is fine to decorate their home before December, compared with 4% of over 65s.18
38. Baubles and tree lights lead
Among people who decorate, 83 to 84% use tree lights and baubles, 62% ornaments and around half tinsel or wreaths. 20% display a nativity scene and 7% hang mistletoe.18
39. Most take everything down by Twelfth Night
56% take decorations down between New Year and Twelfth Night, 22% before New Year and 21% on 6 January or later.18
40. LED lights cost 0.74p a day
Which? found that one chain of 200 or 400 LED bulbs costs about 0.74p a day on six hours. From 1 December to 31 January that adds up to 41p to 47p (2022 prices).19
41. Twinkle mode cuts the bill by 64%
The twinkling and flashing setting cost around 16p over the festive season, 64% less than the steady setting at 46p.19
42. Christmas Jumper Day has raised over £40 million
Save the Children has raised more than £40 million since the first Christmas Jumper Day in 2012. The 2025 edition on 11 December was the fourteenth and encouraged pre-loved knitwear.20
Travel, trains and Boxing Day
Whether you will wake up to snow is the subject of our white Christmas statistics. For the emotional side of the journey, see Christmas stress and loneliness.
43. 37.5 million car journeys in getaway week
The RAC forecast 37.5 million car journeys in the week before Christmas Day 2025, the highest since its records began in 2013. That is about eight million more than the 29.3 million of 2024.4
44. Christmas Eve was forecast as the busiest day
Christmas Eve was expected to be the busiest single day for leisure trips with 4.2 million journeys, and Saturday 20 December, the busiest Saturday on record, 4.1 million.4
45. 4.7 million journeys on Christmas Day itself
The same forecast counted 4.7 million journeys on Christmas Day and 4.6 million on Boxing Day.4
46. Heathrow had its busiest November
Heathrow handled 6.6 million passengers in November 2025, its busiest November on record and 2.1% more than in 2024, and expected its busiest December and Christmas Day ever.21
47. Christmas week is when the railway gets fixed
Network Rail says the period between Christmas and New Year is the quietest on the railway and the best time for major projects. On Christmas Day 2025 there were no trains on lines such as Leeds to York and Cambridge to Stansted.22
48. Boxing Day footfall rose 4.4%
UK retail destinations saw 4.4% more shoppers on Boxing Day 2025 than a year earlier, the strongest rise in over ten years, according to MRI Software.23
49. Evenings and the coast did best
Between 5pm and 11pm footfall rose 9.6% on average, against 3.1% in the daytime. Retail parks gained 8.8% and coastal towns 16.1%.23
What the numbers mean for businesses
Three patterns matter for anyone who markets or manages people at Christmas. Habits are shifting (less turkey, fewer people in front of the same programme) but the season still pulls people together on a few shared dates. And most of the shopping, posting and travelling happens in a short, predictable window. For staff events and seasonal rituals at work, see our workplace Christmas statistics.
A digital advent calendar fits that window: 24 small doors with quizzes, coupons or giveaways, delivered as a link. See how it works for customers, as a marketing campaign or for employees.
My take
Harriet AshdownWhat I like about these numbers is how much of Christmas is still shared. We might eat lamb instead of turkey and watch on our phones, but we still pick the same songs and drive home on the same days.
The details change quietly. The ritual stays. Anyone planning something for Christmas should build on the ritual, not fight it. A small, warm gesture on a date people already share beats a clever one on a random Tuesday.
Frequently asked questions
Who got the Christmas number one in 2025?
Kylie Minogue, with XMAS. It was her first solo Christmas number one, and it ended Wham!'s two-year run with Last Christmas (Official Charts, 2025).
How many people watched the King's Christmas message in 2025?
6.56 million, the most watched programme on Christmas Day 2025, across BBC, ITV and Sky News (BARB overnight data via informitv).
How much did Britain spend on Christmas groceries in 2025?
A record £13.8 billion in the four weeks to 28 December 2025, an average of £476 per household (Worldpanel by Numerator).
How many people go to church at Christmas?
1.96 million attended Church of England services on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day 2025, up 5.5% on the year before.
Is turkey still the main Christmas meal in Britain?
Mostly. 57% name turkey as their preferred centrepiece meat (YouGov, 2025), but 64% plan an alternative main alongside or instead of it (Opinium, 2025), and primary turkey cut sales fell 12.0% (AHDB).
When is the busiest day on the roads at Christmas?
In 2025 the RAC forecast Christmas Eve as the busiest single day for leisure trips with 4.2 million journeys, and Saturday 20 December as the busiest Saturday on record with 4.1 million.
Where can I use these statistics?
You are welcome to quote them in articles, reports and presentations. Please link to this page as the source.
Use this data
Writing an article or running a website? Feel free to use these figures. All we ask is a link back to this page:
<a href="https://adventcalendarmaker.co.uk/blog/christmas-statistics/">Christmas statistics</a>
Sources
- 1Worldpanel by Numerator (formerly Kantar), Britain's £13.8bn Christmas grocery shop 2025 (kantar.com)
- 2Diocese of Chester, citing Church of England Statistics for Mission 2025 (chesterdiocese.org)
- 3informitv, Christmas Day TV ratings 2025 (BARB) (informitv.com)
- 4Taxi Point, citing RAC and INRIX Christmas getaway forecast 2025 (taxi-point.co.uk)
- 5GOV.UK, Tribute paid to farmers putting Christmas dinner on our tables (December 2023) (gov.uk)
- 6YouGov UK, The big survey on Christmas 2025 (yougov.com)
- 7Gousto, Festive Feasting 2025 (Opinium survey of 1,863 adults) (gousto.co.uk)
- 8AHDB, Christmas 2025: a boost for butter and is lamb the new turkey (ahdb.org.uk)
- 9Victoria and Albert Museum, The first Christmas card (vam.ac.uk)
- 10Retail Times, Royal Mail Christmas recruitment 2025 (retailtimes.co.uk)
- 11Post&Parcel, Royal Mail Christmas plans 2024 (postandparcel.info)
- 12Anglican Ink, Cathedral attendance 2025 (anglican.ink)
- 13Official Charts, Christmas Number 1 2025 (officialcharts.com)
- 14Official Charts, Last Christmas Christmas Number 1 2023 (officialcharts.com)
- 15PPL, Most played Christmas tracks of the 21st century (2020) (ppluk.com)
- 16informitv, Christmas television viewing 2024 (BARB) (informitv.com)
- 17YouGov UK, Britain's favourite Christmas film 2020 (yougov.com)
- 18YouGov UK, Big survey on Christmas decorating 2025 (yougov.com)
- 19Which?, Which setting on your Christmas lights is cheapest to run (which.co.uk)
- 20Save the Children UK, Christmas Jumper Day 2025 (savethechildren.org.uk)
- 21Heathrow, Busiest Christmas on record press release 2025 (heathrow.com)
- 22RAIL, Network Rail warns Christmas travellers 2025 (railnews.co.uk)
- 23The Industry Fashion, citing MRI Software Boxing Day footfall 2025 (theindustry.fashion)