Bonding at Christmas (not Uncle Dave’s Sean Connery impression…)

Christmas is a moment that can often feel curated for us by the media and retailers – it can set a tone of unrealistic pressure and expectation. However, when we talk to consumers in our Closeness sessions, they tell us the real magic of Christmas lies in curating their own personal moments.

‘We have just had a baby and so we’re buying personalised baubles this year… We’re starting our own traditions as a new family.’

This can look quite individualistic but it’s really because consumers want Christmas to remind them that family, in whatever form it takes, is what counts.

‘I buy something new and sparkly to wear for Christmas day…. My mother always dressed up at Christmas and she would always buy us something special to wear on the day. We’ve carried this on.’

Our traditions often celebrate imperfections, making quirks and oddities seem magically perfect because they are owned by us.

‘We never eat the dessert… we’re just too full. Dessert and the cheese board are always for Boxing Day in our house. It gives us something to look forward to!”

M&S’ ‘Do Only What You Love’ hooks into this, as does John Lewis’ ‘Venus Flytrap’. It’s about not doing what others tell you to do…it’s about creating our own traditions…something magical which is owned just by us. 

Wishing everybody a happy, slightly odd-shaped Christmas!