Mums need 42 hours to prepare for Christmas

Busy mums will spend more than 42 hours preparing for Christmas this year, a study revealed today.

Between now and Christmas Day, making cards and nativity costumes, wrapping presents and preparing food see the average mum beavering away for forty-two hours and 16 minutes.

That's the equivalent of almost two solid days of festive chores before they can sit down and enjoy the big day.

And researchers found that the biggest chunk of time is taking up with present buying, with a staggering 20 hours and 13 minutes spent visiting 42 different shops.

The mammoth shopping spree will see mums then having to spend three hours and 50 minutes wrapping 39 different presents.

Lisa Looker, a mum of one herself and spokesperson for 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.

Asking your partner to take care of some of the chores and making the most of your kid's excitement by getting them to make their own gifts or decorations for the house can ease your load and also help to get everyone involved.'

The study of 3,000 mums also revealed that 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.

And making cards, gifts and decorations adds another two hours and 16 minutes to the total.

More 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 mums two hours and 27 minutes.

And the work doesn't stop as Christmas Day arrives with mums spending 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.

As well as helping them out, nine out of ten mums reckon their kids love helping out at Christmas time and say it helps to make the most of their excitement.

Lisa Looker for HobbyCraft added: 'Although everyone feels like it is a mad rush in the lead up to the big day, getting prepared by making cards and decorating the tree does however get us all in the festive spirit!"

HobbyCraft is the UK's only dedicated arts and crafts superstore chain with 51 stores nationwide. For store locations and to shop online visit www.hobbycraft.co.uk

Time spent preparing for Christmas:

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