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06/12/2018
- Children’s favourite festive moments revealed – and it’s not always about receiving presents!
- Giving gifts, decorating the tree and spending time with family among top of the list at Christmas
For some children, the excitement of knowing that Father Christmas has been and left a pile of presents under the Christmas tree is the ultimate dream – but for others, it’s the act of giving gifts, not receiving gifts, that excites them at Christmas.
The Entertainer, the fastest-growing, family-owned high street toy retailer in the UK, has revealed that almost half (44%) of parents say that giving presents is one of the more special moments their children enjoy over the festive period1.
It’s not just children who love to give at Christmas though. Parents do too, despite many worrying about financial pressures (36%), that their children will be disappointed with their choices (20%) or not appreciate their gifts (16%). With this in mind, it’s not surprising that one fifth (19%) of parents will spend over a month searching for the perfect present while one in 10 (9%) will spend in excess of £300+.
However, parents needn’t worry as the research shows that over half of children (60%) are happy to receive just a few items on their Christmas wish list. In fact, when asked what they would change about the festive season almost a quarter (22%) of children would make the Christmas Day magic last even longer and one in ten (10%) would choose to spend time with loved ones that are no longer with them.
Other favourite festive moments loved by children across the UK includes putting up the Christmas tree (70%), spending time with friends and family (51%) and watching Christmas movies (51%). And of course, having time off school!
Gary Grant, Founder and Executive Chairman of The Entertainer, comments: “There is nothing more joyful for a parent than the look on their child’s face as they excitedly wake on Christmas morning and run to see what Santa has left for them. Sadly, not all families can enjoy these magical moments which is why this year, we’ve partnered with The Salvation Army on The Big Toy Appeal to ensure as many children as possible have a gift to open on Christmas Day.
“Our research highlights the joy that giving gifts can bring, and we are encouraging our customers to consider buying an extra toy to donate to a family in need. For every toy bought and donated by our customers, The Entertainer will also donate a toy, allowing us to work together to transform Christmas for families who are really struggling across the country this year.”
The Big Toy Appeal runs until Saturday 8th December with The Entertainer donating a toy for every toy bought and donated to The Salvation Army in any of its stores or via its website.
The 12 magical moments of Christmas
| 1. | Putting up the Christmas tree | 70% |
| 2. | Receiving presents | 67% |
| 3. | Playing with new toys and presents | 55% |
| 4. | Opening advent calendars | 52% |
| 5. | Spending time with friends and family | 51% |
| 6. | The magic of Father Christmas | 51% |
| 7. | Watching Christmas movies | 51% |
| 8. | Giving presents | 44% |
| 9. | Having time of school | 42% |
| 10. | Making Christmas decorations | 39% |
| 11. | Putting out treats for Father Christmas and his reindeer | 37% |
| 12. | Eating Christmas themed foods | 37% |
1Research conducted by 3GEM, surveying 1,500 British adults with children aged 3-13 years old
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For further press information and to book interview time with Gary Grant, please contact the press office on: entertainer@speedcomms.com
About the Entertainer
The Entertainer was founded in 1981 in Amersham, Buckinghamshire by husband and wife team, Gary and Catherine Grant, who instilled the driving force and mission; to be the best-loved toyshop – one child, one community at a time. Today, it continues to be a privately-owned company and is renowned for being the largest independent toy retailer in the UK with a total of 145 stores.
As well as a strong High Street presence, The Entertainer has a successful website platform (TheToyShop.com) which offers a 30-minute click and collect service and has 22 million visits annually and growing. The Entertainer is also recognised for its charitable giving. Each year it tithes 10% of its net annual profit to charity, in addition employees are encouraged to donate directly through Payroll Giving. The Entertainer is also an active member of the Pennies scheme, the digital upgrade of the traditional charity box, which enables customers to donate a few pence to charity at the point of sale when paying by card. On average, this generates £5,000 of customer donations to Children’s hospitals each week. The Entertainer currently employs over 1200 staff across the stores and a further 160 in the Head Office in Amersham, Buckinghamshire.
The Entertainer was ranked 69th in the prestigious Sunday Times “100 Best Companies to work for” in 2018.