Once it’s Christmas, 10 million turkeys will be consumed in British households (but if you’re wealthy, you might be biting into one of the 250,000 geese raised for the big day), and 10,000 tons of brussels sprouts (a fourth of the yearly supply) will be pushed around the plate. The best-selling toy of the year, the Furby, will be making obnoxious noises the moment you open it, and other family members will be trying to entice you into a game of Pointless (the top-selling board game of 2013). On the other hand, Christmas Day can seem extremely different for other people. Numerous people will be completing tax forms, responding to work emails, waiting by the side of the road because they’ve run out of gas, and perhaps even getting a divorce (not necessarily in that order).
Check out some of the weird, exciting things people do (during Christmas) below:
Take a meal while in flight.
On Christmas Day, about 95,000 people will fly to or from London Heathrow, and nearly as many will fly to or from other UK airports.
While spending Christmas Day in the air (or missing it entirely owing to time zone variations) can save you up to 20% on long-haul flights, booking a short-haul travel just after Christmas can save you up to 50%. Many routes are closed on Christmas Day, says ABTA spokesman Sean Tipton. To get the best deals, wait until December 27th or 28th.
Going Battery Shopping
This is the primary motivation for Christmas Day shopping trips. Half of these 800,000 people will be purchasing batteries for Christmas presents, while the other half will be stocking up on booze and party supplies.
The Christmas Trading Act restricts businesses to those no larger than 3,000 square feet, which is about the size of a Tesco Express. This means that only about 16,000 small, local shops will be operating.
Major supermarket chains like Sainsbury’s and Tesco have already announced that their stores will be closed on Christmas Day (though their websites will remain operational), and a whopping 66 percent of small business owners have also stated that they will be closed.
The Association of Convenience Stores claims that the few stores that are open will “rescue Christmas” for thousands of stressed consumers.
Lack Petrol
One-fifteenth of Americans choose to drive more than 20 miles on Christmas Day, making it one of the least busy travel days of the year. Spokesperson for LV= Road Rescue Vanessa Chance states that “customers are typically astonished to realize their local gasoline store is shuttered” when this occurs. Many of our clients have been calling to ask where they can get gas.
It is a condition of their license that all “official” service stations on Britain’s motorways (the ones that merit a blue sign on the road) remain open for the entire 24 hours of Christmas Day and provide basic services like fuel and toilets, so don’t worry if you find yourself in a bind and find yourself near a highway.