It might be the season of goodwill but 17 million British adults would like to go on holiday at Christmas and forget all about it.
Poor festive finances, being forced to fork out for people we don't really know and peer pressure to spend more than we can afford are all reasons why, according to the CreditExpert Credit At Christmas survey.
While 35% wanted to ignore Christmas altogether (the equivalent of 17 million people across the UK*), the strongest resentment was found in Yorkshire and Humberside, where 47% wanted to go away, and in the South West, where 43% felt the same.
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Spending is one of people's biggest Christmas bugbears. 76% of us say we'll spend the same amount as last year but almost a third (29%) say money is tighter this year so they will spend less and 23% - that's equivalent to more than 11 million people - said the cost of Christmas has pushed them into debt.
Festive debt hits hardest in the North West, at 37%, while people in the East keep their finances under control at this time of year, with just 12% reporting they have ever gone into the red during the winter break.
Not surprisingly, 54% of people who are uncomfortable with their current level of debt and 59% of those who think they have a poor credit rating report they have borrowed money to get through Christmas.
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Those aged 35-44 are most likely to get into debt at Christmas (37%), which might explain why they are the group most likely to recycle presents - 30% against a national average of 23%. People in the North West (39%) and the East Midlands (34%) are the most avid gift recyclers.
But most people are Christmas finance optimists. Just 8% think their borrowings will increase, even though nearly half (47%) complain that there is social pressure to buy expensive, impressive presents. This pressure to spend is felt strongly in the North East (70%) but less so in the South East and East (39%).
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