Swagbucks Holiday Survey: Americans Hate Talking Politics, Crowded Stores and Fruitcake, but Love Fake Christmas Trees

LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Do you deck the halls with boughs of holly, rock around the Christmas tree, or roast chestnuts on an open fire? According to a new survey by Swagbucks, a rewards- and loyalty-program company operated by Prodege, LLC, the holiday tradition Americans like best is watching holiday movies, followed closely by decorating the house.

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The national survey of 1,000 U.S. adults was conducted online by Prodege in November 2018.
Most and Least Loved Holiday Traditions
The top three holiday traditions Americans most love are baking (40 percent), decorating the house (50 percent) and watching holiday movies (56 percent) — in particular, the 1983 Bob Clark classic A Christmas Story, which Americans picked as their all-time favorite holiday film.
Favorite holiday main courses include good old-fashioned ham (57 percent) and turkey (51 percent), while about 1 in 10 Americans will be eating roast beef or pasta.
When it comes to holiday desserts, Americans most love:

• • Gingerbread and other Christmas cookies — 48 percent

• • Pumpkin pie — 43 percent
  • Apple pie — 32 percent

And (no surprise!) most hate:

• Fruitcake — 54 percent

In-store holiday shopping is the tradition Americans least love, followed by Christmas caroling. A majority (55 percent) also hate talking politics over the holidays — the survey found that 17 percent will be dreading their more-conservative family members while 9 percent will be trying to avoid their more-liberal family members.
Perhaps this is why 30 percent of Americans report drinking more alcohol during the holidays.

Wreaths and Fake Trees — the Surprise Winners of Christmas Decor
The survey discovered two surprising twists when it comes to holiday decorating:

• • When given a choice between real or artificial trees, Americans reveal that artificial trees are the top choice (49 percent) vs a real one (33 percent), and
  • Other than trees, wreaths (52 percent) are Americans’ favorite holiday décor item, followed by snowmen (51 percent), snowflakes (50 percent), candy canes (43 percent), and Santa Claus (42 percent).

Loved Ones and Giving Gifts Is What It’s All About
Americans agree that they love the holidays, and their favorite part is seeing family (63 percent) and giving gifts (57 percent). More than a quarter (28 percent) admit that they like receiving gifts, too.
The survey also revealed that Americans feel that their children (47 percent) or their spouse (45 percent) will make the holidays rewarding for them.
“We’re glad to see that Americans are looking forward to spending time with their families and friends, and that their loved ones will make the holidays rewarding for them,” said Chuck Davis, CEO and Chairman of Prodege, LLC. “That’s what it’s all about during the holidays. Swagbucks is honored to be your shopping partner to get cash back and rewards on holiday purchases.”
Holiday shoppers can earn Swagbucks on all their purchases from a wide selection of popular retailers through the Swagbucks site or by downloading the SwagButton.