Almost half of Belgians celebrate Christmas Eve at home and 34% with family. Today, a ‘life at home’ survey (ILIV) announced its results from a sample of 2,000. On Christmas Day, 42% of respondents go to see family and 39% celebrate at home. Nearly four out of 10 Belgians also choose their home to celebrate New Year, and 16% start the New Year festivities at home in the evening before going elsewhere.
But Christmas does not delight all the country’s citizens, since three out of 10 said they would happily give the celebrations a wide berth, while about 40% think of it is as an obligation.
Among those surveyed, however, 85% love the atmosphere of the holiday season. A quarter of Belgians even buy new decorations every year. The tree still has pride of place by the hearth, and the environment is also a big consideration – in fact, one in five considers sustainability when choosing decorations.
According to the survey, it is the under-30s (42 %) who are keenest as the holiday season approaches, followed by the 30-44 age group.
Belgians still spend a lot of money at this time of the year, and 52% admit to spending too much. Nearly eight out of 10 also complained of “the commercial side”.
So, it seems that more Belgians feel at home at Christmas, organizing parties or preparing large meals. And 48% of them said they were “proud of their home”, against only 7% of those who “are absolutely not proud of it”.
PHOTO visitbrussels.com
