Brits seek home comforts this Christmas

The traditional family Christmas is set for a comeback this year, with more than one in four (28 per cent) British adults intending to spend Christmas day at parents', in-laws' or relatives' homes.

The findings, from new research conducted for Prudential Lifetime Mortgages, reveal that just one per cent of British adults intend going to a hotel or restaurant for Christmas day and just two per cent are going on holiday.

And the family home is set to feature heavily in plans for the entire festive period with more than one in three British adults (37 per cent) intending to spend time over the festive period at their parents' or in-laws' homes.

Of these people more than half (51 per cent) said they are going to parents' / in-laws' homes as they see it as a hub for the family to get together, with 32 per cent saying they like getting their Christmas meal cooked for them, 28 per cent saying spending time at parents' / in laws' homes makes Christmas feel more like a holiday, and 22 per cent saying going to their parents' / in-laws' home reminds them of their childhood.

For over a quarter of the nation the family home will be the Christmas venue of choice as people look to tighten their belts this Christmas. The findings reveal that 40 per cent of British adults say they will spend less on Christmas this year.

Keith Haggart, Director of Lifetime Mortgages, Prudential states: "While it is inevitable that many people will be looking to cut back this Christmas, that doesn't mean that Britain will be spending the festive period mired in gloom. Millions of people will be spending more time together as a family and for many that means going to their parents or in-laws to enjoy Christmas in the family home.

"The findings underline the emotional importance of the family home to the entire extended family and at a time when many households will be looking at ways to boost their income, downsizing is not only a challenging proposition in a flat housing market, but could also potentially remove the enjoyment experienced by the rest of the family when visiting the family home. An option is for people to explore whether an equity release plan could help them gain an income from their property while still being able to continue living in it."