Most of us put a lot of thought, time and energy into getting ready for the holidays, but no matter how much we plan, things always go wrong. And it turns out, most of them are food-related, according to new research.
A new survey conducted by OnePoll and commissioned by the bakery brand St Pierre reveals the most common Christmas disasters and finds that many of them happen in the kitchen. The top five mistakes made on December 25th include burnt turkey, burnt stuffing, undercooked roast potatoes, soggy vegetables and hard, under-cooked vegetables.
The poll also finds:
- Other food-related Christmas disasters are forgetting to have vegetarian and vegan options and not having enough plates for all the guests.
- Fortunately nearly half of respondents (44%) think mishaps are just a part of the holiday.
- But those responsible for the disasters end up feeling frustrated (41%) and embarrassed (41%).
- Fortunately, 43% of those surveyed say the Christmas catastrophes make for amusing stories to tell for years to come and 45% say hearing about other people’s mistakes makes them feel better about their own.
- Food is a central part of Christmas for 40% and 43% say many of their fondest festive memories focus on food.
- The average respondent has hosted Christmas nine times, experiencing three disasters each time. But more than half (55%) feel confident they’ve made fewer mistakes as time goes on.
- To avoid Christmas dinner mishaps, 62% prep some food the night before and 56% rely on a to-do list. And 60% say they even have back-up food that’s ready to eat, just in case something goes wrong.
- Things that affect the success of the holiday dinner include keeping track of the time (45%), chatting to others (44%) and having music on (40%).
- Non-food related Christmas disasters include running out of wrapping paper, not having enough chairs for all the guests, forgetting to put tags on gifts and presents ordered online not arriving in time.
Source: SWNS