62% of us will spend too much at Xmas

CHRISTMAS is not Christmas, it seems, without a survey predicting most of us expect to overspend on presents, food and drink this year.

Yesterday, Millward Brown IMS predicted 62% of Irish adults will spend to excess — while a third of these expect to shell out “far too much”.

“There appears to be an accepted inevitability of spending too much,” said Guy Perrem, of Millward Brown IMS.

“Parents with young children appear to be particularly under pressure to spend beyond their means and beyond a level they are comfortable with.”

In keeping with the fashion for recycling, however, half of those quizzed admitted to passing on unwanted gifts to others and pretending these were new.

“Recycling gifts seems to be popular with 51% admitting to passing unwanted gifts on,” said Mr Perrem.

“Almost six in 10 (58%) of people living in Munster admit to recycling gifts compared to just 47% in Dublin.”

More than 80% of us plan to put up a tree at home this Christmas but more than half (58%) of those will give pride of place to an artificial one.

And if the survey is anything to go by then half the homes in Dublin will be decorated with outside lights this year to guide Father Christmas on his way.

Beyond Dublin only 40% of homes will have such decorations.