We’re all Scrooge-ing it: Why you shouldn’t expect generous Christmas presents from your London-based friends this year
If you were looking forward to receiving a bountiful array of presents from your London-based friends this Christmas, it may be time to start tempering your expectations.
Britain is a nation of generous gift givers, according to research from Very.co.uk, with 74 per cent of adults preferring to give a gift rather than receive one.
Almost three-quarters, 72 per cent, also report actively feeling happy when they give someone a present. (Rather alarmingly, one in five also feel "butterflies" when they hand over a present, Very found.)
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But London, it has emerged, is stingier than the national average, with only two-thirds (67 per cent) preferring to give than receive gifts – though The Capitalist would like to note that the leanest gift givers of all were in Northern Ireland and the West Midlands.
Perhaps in the capital we can put this down to the increased cost of living. How on earth are we supposed to treat our friends in the midst of sky-high rents and the most expensive cost of living in the country?
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What's more, how could we possibly find someone the "perfect" gift when we have to battle with the Oxford Street crowds and tourists cramming in to all the decent department stores? Black Friday might not even save us this year.
But maybe, just maybe, if our bosses could get wind of this research and write us all off as Scrooges, we can avoid the inevitable Secret Santa and just put £5 more each towards the Christmas party bar tab. If only.