Hobby Craft
Written: Thursday, December 16, 2010The average mum will have spent more than 42 hours preparing for Christmas by the time the big day arrives, a study revealed yesterday (Wed).
The equivalent of almost two days will be taken up choosing, purchasing and wrapping presents, making nativity costumes for the kids and taking care of food shopping.
On top of that she will have spent time putting decorations up around the house and on the tree and cleaning up in preparation for visitors.
Lisa Looker of HobbyCraft, which carried out the research, said: ''Mums tend to get left with the majority of the Christmas jobs, but the little tasks can soon add up in the days and weeks leading up to it.
''Rather than getting to enjoy the festive build-up, it seems they are working right up until the last minute to make sure the family has a great day.
''And shopping for everyone's presents seems to take up the most of a mum's time, which can mean a stressful few days trailing the busy shops to get everything they need.
''So getting other people to help out can be a great idea.''
Researchers found the biggest chunk of time is taken up by present buying, with a staggering 20 hours and 13 minutes spent visiting 42 different shops.
After the mammoth shopping spree mums will then spend three hours and 50 minutes wrapping 39 different presents.
The study of 3,000 mums also revealed writing cards will see another hour and 54 minutes taken up, while making nativity costumes and writing letters to Santa with the children accounts for a further two hours and 14 minutes.
Making cards, gifts and decorations adds another two hours and 16 minutes to the total.
Additional trips to the shops to buy food for the festive period sees three hours and three minutes disappear, while decorating the house and tree will take up two hours, 27 minutes.
On Christmas Day she will spend two hours and 47 minutes making sure the house is spotless before any guests arrive.
Making any Christmas cakes and biscuits, as well as preparing and cooking the Christmas dinner then takes three hours and 32 minutes.
Researchers also found that despite the huge to-do list in the build up to Christmas, more than a third of mums love it and reckon it helps them get into the festive spirit.
But to make it a bit easier, 34 per cent have delegated certain jobs to their other half, while another 33 per cent get their children involved with writing their cards or wrapping presents.
More than 14 per cent even said their get their children to make their own cards and gifts for relatives to save them having to spend so long at the shops and 16 per cent give the youngsters the job of decorating the house and tree.
Time spent preparing for Christmas:
Shopping for presents: 20 hours and 13 mins
Wrapping presents: 3 hours and 50 mins
Writing cards: 1 hour and 54 mins
Shopping for food: 3 hours and 3 mins
Making Christmas cakes & preparing food: 3 hours and 32 mins
Making Nativity costumes etc: 2 hours and 14 mins
Cleaning the house: 2 hours and 47 mins
Decorating the house: 2 hours and 27 mins
Making cards, gifts, decorations: 2 hours and 16
