Plymouth residents set to spend 3.5m hours preparing for the perfect Christmas

]Plymouth is preparing for a busy December as residents are set to spend a total of more than 3.5 million hours preparing for Christmas Day.

In a survey of more than 2,000 shoppers, almost 1 in 5 Plymouth residents said they will need more than the equivalent of a working week to prepare for Christmas Day, taking into account shopping, cooking, getting the house in order, and wrapping presents.

The research - commissioned by British Land, owner of Drake Circus - also revealed that Plymouth residents find choosing the right gift the most stressful part of the preparations. And it seems they’ll have lots of gifts to buy, with almost a fifth of people in Plymouth set to hand out more than 25 presents.

And while Christmas is traditionally a time to be spent with family, for most people in Plymouth it’s one of the most stressful things about planning for the festive period - ahead of decorating the house and choosing the Christmas tree.

Greg Lumley, Centre Director at Drake Circus said: “Christmas is one of the busiest but most enjoyable times for us here at Drake Circus, and it’s no surprise given how much effort shoppers are putting into their festive preparations. 

While some shoppers are very organised and started their Christmas shopping well in advance, we’re anticipating a surge in shoppers in the coming weeks as people look to tick the essentials off their list. To make things a little easier, many of our retailers are offering Click & Collect and gift wrapping.”

Drake Circus is also offering shoppers the chance to experience a free virtual treasure hunt with its new augmented reality game – ‘Freezy’s Christmas Adventure’.