Kiwis still love Christmas
28 November 2006 ?
By TOM FITZSIMONS
The jingles start playing earlier each year, it's a strain on family bank accounts and it means you have to see the in-laws - but Kiwis still love Christmas.
Fifty-five per cent of New Zealanders feel positive about the onset of the festive season, according to a new Reader's Digest survey. The survey asked 259 New Zealanders what they cherished about the holiday season - and what they hated.
Family and friends were the main highlight for 63 per cent of respondents, with the average person expecting to share their main meal with 12 other people.
Conversely, some time-honoured traditions have been ditched - 47 per cent say they've abandoned watching the Queen's message on television, four in 10 people do not go to church and one in five have ditched buying a real Christmas tree. Just under 95 per cent of us spend Christmas at home.