This year we wanted to find out how you love to decorate your home at Christmas. In our huge survey, more than 1,200 of you told us your preferred colour scheme, what your favourite decorations are, how many trees you like to buy and how much you like to spend every year on transforming your home for the festive season.

We also asked you how the events of this year have affected your desire to decorate. Read on to discover the full results of our survey, plus bonus insights into how the different regions of the UK compare and how your marital status could impact your impulse to hang up the fairy lights and tinsel.

If you wish to use the results of this survey, please make sure to mention us with a link back to our website: www.linenslimited.com.

Survey Results – About You

What is your gender?

Male	17.15%
Female	81.67%
Other	0.63%
Prefer not to say	0.55%

How old are you?

17 years old or younger	0.0%
18 – 24	2.83%
25 – 34	18.8%
35 – 44	25.26%
45 – 54	24.55%
55 – 64	16.99%
65 – 74	9.99%
75+	1.26%
Prefer not to say	0.31%

Where do you live?

East Midlands	6.3%
East of England	11.49%
London	7.24%
North East	3.3%
North West	13.22%
Northern Ireland	0.94%
Scotland	7.4%
South East	12.75%
South West	10.15%
Wales	3.6%
West Midlands	9.52%
Yorkshire and the Humber	7.95%
Other, please specify	0.94%

What is your marital status?

Single	15.42%
In a relationship	5.59%
In a relationship living together	18.41%
Married	51.69%
Domestic partnership	0.71%
Widowed	1.49%
Divorced	3.78%
Separated	1.02%
Other	0.24%
Prefer not to say	1.65%

Who do you live with?

Live alone	11.01%
Live with a partner	40.28%
Live with a partner and child(ren)	32.34%
Live with child(ren)	5.59%
Live with friend(s)	0.55%
Live with housemate(s)	1.02%
Live with parent(s)	4.25%
Live with parent(s) and sibling(s)	1.42%
Other	1.18%
Prefer not to say	2.36%

Christmas This Year

Do you decorate your home at Christmas?

Nearly everyone said they decorate at Christmas, with 28.7% stating they ‘go all out’.

Yes, I do some	48.44%
Yes, I go all out	28.69%
Yes, I do a little bit	17.21%
No	5.66%

How much do you enjoy decorating your home for Christmas?

76.79% either like or love decorating their home.

I like it	41.69%
I love it	35.1%
I neither like nor dislike it	17.36%
I dislike doing it	5.39%
I hate doing it	0.46%

Have the events of this year affected your desire to decorate?

25.63% are planning on making more of an effort this year due to the pandemic.

No, I’ll do the same as I do every year	61.0%
Yes, I’m going to make even more of an effort this year	25.63%
Yes, I’ll tone it down this year	12.44%
Other	0.93%

Christmas Trees

Will you put up a Christmas tree?

88.86% are going to put up a tree.

Yes	88.86%
No	5.39%
Don’t know	5.76%

How many trees will you put up in your home?

Most, 72.88% will put up one tree, 21.79% will put up two.

1	72.88%
2	21.79%
3	3.55%
4	1.18%
5	0.3%
6 or more	0.3%

What type of trees will you get? (Please select all that apply)

Plastic trees are most popular – 69.17%, followed by a real tree – 24.31%.

A plastic one	69.17%
A real one	24.31%
A wooden one	2.11%
A metal one	2.29%
Other	2.11%

When will you put your Christmas tree(s) up this year?

1st December the most popular day to put the tree up – 38.94%.

1st December	38.94%
Two weeks before Christmas	18.73%
Three weeks before Christmas	13.15%
In November	8.96%
One week before Christmas	7.97%

Where will you put your tree(s)? (select all that apply)

The vast majority, 93.63%, of trees will go up in the living room.

Living room	93.63%
Kitchen	4.48%
Hallway / Entrance	11.85%
Corridor	0.7%
Bedroom	6.27%
Office / study	1.49%
Open plan living room and kitchen	3.29%
Other (please specify)	8.67%

How much will you spend on your tree?

People prefer not to spend too much money on their tree, 38.3% said they would spend under £49.

£10 or less	24.5%
£11 – £49	38.25%
£50 – £99	25.80%
£100 – £149	8.57%
£150 – £199	1.59%

How will you decorate your tree? Please select all that apply

Fairy lights most popular Christmas tree decoration, 91.33%, closely followed by baubles – 90.64%.

Fairy lights	91.33%
Baubles	90.64%
Traditional decorations, e.g. Father Christmas, Reindeer, Angels, Snowman, Stars, Snowflakes etc	59.66%
Tinsel	51.29%
Homemade decorations	38.84%
Unique or quirky decorations	34.96%
Beads	26.29%
Popcorn chain	2.69%
My tree comes ready decorated	2.59%
Other (please specify)	1.49%

What will you put on the top of your tree?

There were two main competitors to be the tree topper: a Star (42.94%) or an Angel (38.34%).

Angel	38.34%
Bow	3.0%
Snowflake	5.11%
Star	42.94%
Nothing	4.3%
Other	6.31%

Christmas Decorations

What is the main colour scheme of your Christmas decorations?

A traditional colour scheme was the most popular choice, with 45.65% of participants stating that they use red, gold and green to decorate their home.

Traditional red, gold, green	45.65%
Modern silver, purple, white, grey	20.82%
OTT – a mix of all the colours	20.34%
Rustic woods, furs, candles, natural materials	7.93%
Other	4.3%
Moody dark, black, grey	0.96%

Which rooms will you decorate this year? Select all that apply

The living room is the most popular place to decorate 94.17%, followed by the hallway or entrance to the home (52.91%).

Living room	94.17%
Hallway / entrance	52.91%
Kitchen	22.54%
Bedroom	14.42%
Corridor	12.89%
Other	8.98%
Open-plan living room kitchen	5.83%
Study / office	5.73%
Bathroom	4.97%
Playroom	3.82%

How else will you decorate your home? Select all that apply

Wreaths, advent calendars and fairy lights were the most popular decorations.

Wreath on the door	58.36%
Advent calendar	58.07%
Fairy lights or string of lights	54.63%
Christmas candles	49.86%
Table settings tablecloth, napkins	46.23%
Christmas stockings	43.27%
Ornaments or statues	35.53%
Flowers and/or plants e.g. Poinsettia	31.14%
Christmas card bunting	28.56%
Garland(s)	27.79%
Christmas present sacks	26.17%
Nativity scene	18.91%
Christmas-themed bedding	18.43%
Christmas-themed cushions	17.0%
Mistletoe	14.04%
Fake snow	5.83%
Other (please specify)	2.96%

What is your favourite Christmas decoration?

When asked to pick one decoration as their favourite, fairy lights were the most popular.

Fairy lights or string of lights	24.83%
Wreath on the door	23.5%
Ornament(s) or statue(s)	8.88%
Christmas candles	6.4%
Christmas stockings	5.25%
Advent calendar	5.25%
Nativity scene	4.68%
Table settings tablecloth, napkins	4.49%
Flowers and/or plants e.g. Poinsettia	4.3%
Garland(s)	3.72%
Christmas-themed bedding	3.25%
Christmas card bunting	1.72%
Mistletoe	1.34%
Christmas present sacks	1.15%
Christmas-themed cushions	1.05%
Fake snow	0.19%

Do you buy new decorations every year?

Most people buy new decorations every year – 65.52%.

Yes one or two	41.36%
No	34.48%
Yes some of them	21.49%
Yes all of them	2.67%

How much will you spend on decorations this year?

This year, 63.04% will spend less than £25 on decorations

£9 or less	32.95%
£10 – £25	30.09%
£26 – £50	20.92%
£51 – £75	7.35%
£76 – £100	4.3%
£100 – £150	2.48%
£151 – £200	1.15%
£201 – £250	0.29%
£251 – £300	0.19%
£301 or more	0.29%

Marital Status 

Do you decorate your home at Christmas?

Those in a relationship are most likely to ‘go all out’ with their Christmas decorating (33.33%), and divorcees least likely to ‘go all out’ (18.75%)

	Yes – I go all out	Yes – I do some	Total
Single	21.05%	41.58%	62.63%
In a relationship	33.33%	47.83%	81.16%
In a relationship – living together	32.58%	48.42%	81.00%
Married	29.67%	52.31%	81.98%
Divorced	18.75%	41.67%	60.42%

Have the events of this year affected your desire to decorate?

Those in a relationship are looking to make the biggest effort this year.

	Yes – I’m going to make even more of an effort this year	No – I’ll do the same as I do every year
Single	22.73%	62.34%
In a relationship	37.10%	51.61%
In a relationship – living together	33.17%	55.94%
Married	23.50%	62.72%
Divorced	25.58%	60.47%

Who You Live With

Do you decorate your home at Christmas?

Those who live with children are the most likely to ‘go all out’ with their Christmas decorating.

	Yes I go all out	Yes I do some
Live alone	15.94%	36.23%
Live with a partner	26.02%	47.36%
Live with a partner and child(ren)	37.92%	54.29%
Live with child(ren)	35.29%	50.00%
Live with parent(s)	18.52%	51.85%

Have the events of this year affected your desire to decorate?

And those who live with kids are the most likely to make more of an effort this year compared to those who don’t have any children in the house.

	Yes – I’m going to make even more of an effort this year	No – I’ll do the same as I do every year	Yes – I’ll tone it down this year
Live alone	19.1%	63.8%	14.3%
Live with a partner	21.5%	60.7%	17.4%
Live with a partner and child(ren)	33.5%	60.3%	5.4%
Live with child(ren)	28.8%	53.0%	16.7%
Live with parent(s)	20.0%	62.2%	15.6%

Regional Comparison

The survey revealed a very specific North-South divide, placing Londoners as the Scrooges of England and the North East as the champions of Christmas decorating.

Of all the regions, London will do the least amount of decorating – 16.3% of Londoners say they don’t decorate their home for Christmas. In contrast, the 35.7% of the North East said they go ‘all out’ with their decorating. 

Do you decorate your home at Christmas?

	London	North East
Yes – I do some	41.3%	50%
Yes – I go all out	19.6%	35.7%
Yes – I do a little bit	22.8%	14.3%
No	16.3%	0%

	East Midlands	East of England	North West	South East	South West	West Midlands	Yorkshire & Humber
Yes – I do some	53.16%	44.52%	45.24%	46.30%	43.41%	57.02%	51.49%
Yes – I go all out	25.32%	30.14%	29.76%	32.10%	33.33%	21.49%	27.72%
Yes – I do a little bit	16.46%	21.23%	19.05%	17.28%	16.28%	15.70%	14.85%
No	5.06%	4.11%	5.95%	4.32%	6.98%	5.79%	5.94%

Will you put up a Christmas tree?

Londoners are the most likely to not put up a tree – 9.6% said they wouldn’t be doing so this year. In contrast, 92.7% of those in the North East said they are planning on putting up a tree.

	London	North East
Yes	83.56%	92.7%
No	9.59%	4.9%
Don’t know	6.85%	0%

	East Midlands	East of England	North West	South East	South West	West Midlands	Yorkshire & Humber
Yes	91.55%	88.64%	84.62%	88.44%	90.35%	88.68%	92.13%
No	2.82%	4.55%	4.20%	6.80%	2.63%	5.66%	5.62%
Don’t know		6.82%	11.19%	4.76%	7.02%	5.66%	2.25%

How much will you spend on decorations this year?

Londoners will also spend the least on decorations this year, with 38% saying they’ll spend £9 or less. The North East will spend the most on their decorations, with 10% planning to spend over £100 this Christmas.

	London	North East
£9 or less	38.%	30%
£10 – £25	19.7%	22.5%
£26 – £50	12.7%	15%
£51 – £100	19.7%	22.5%
More than £100	8.4%	10%

	East Midlands	East of England	North West	South East	South West	West Midlands	Yorkshire & Humber
£9 or less	32.86%	37.80%	35.25%	36.62%	35.45%	22.86%	34.88%
£10 – £25	34.29%	25.98%	28.06%	34.51%	29.09%	41.90%	29.07%
£26 – £50	20%	17.32%	18.71%	18.31%	21.82%	26.67%	23.26%
£51 – £100	8.57%	13.39%	11.51%	8.45%	9.09%	6.67%	9.3%
More than £100	4.29%	5.52%	6.48%	2.11%	86.36%	1.9%	3.49%

Have the events of this year affected your desire to decorate?

However, the coronavirus could be the result of this lack of London lustre for Christmas 2020. When asking if the events of this year have affected their desire to decorate, Londoners are also the most likely to state that they were going to ‘tone down’ their decorations this year. The South West are planning to make the most of this year, with 29.8% stating they will, ‘make even more of an effort this year’

	London	South West	North East
Yes – I’m going to make even more of an effort this year	21.9%	29.8%	24.4%
No – I’ll do the same as I do every year	61.6%	57.%	58.5%
Yes – I’ll tone it down this year	15.1%	11.4%	14.6%
Other	0%	1.8%	0%

	East Midlands	East of England	North West	South East	West Midlands	Yorkshire & Humber
Yes – I’m going to make even more of an effort this year	25.35%	28.03%	26.57%	20.41%	23.58%	24.72%
No – I’ll do the same as I do every year	64.79%	60.61%	62.24%	62.59%	62.26%	64.04%
Yes – I’ll tone it down this year	9.86%	11.36%	9.79%	14.97%	14.15%	11.24%
Other				2.04%

In the mood to decorate? Take a look at the Linens Limited Christmas Shop now for a spectacular range of festive cushion covers, bedding, table cloths, plus great gift ideas for the whole family.