Bah humbug Brits: Christmas revealed as a top winter gripe

With the UK preparing for what’s set to be the coldest winter in 50 years, festive cheer is already leaving Brits feeling blue, according to a new poll by Uswitch.com, the independent price comparison and switching service.

Lifting the lid on the nation’s top winter woes, the survey reveals that 44% of the UK public admit that Christmas, with its marketing campaigns, festive songs and present buying, winds them up more than slipping on ice (38%) or how cold it is at home (33%).

The UK’s top five complaints about winter are getting the flu or a cold (71%), high energy bills (49%), how dark it is in the mornings (49%), bad weather (45%) and Christmas (44%). Additional moans include getting up early to de-ice the car (25%) and bad TV (9%).

When it comes to winter fashion, Brits are twice more likely to grumble about people wearing summer clothes in winter (13%) than they are seeing pets in jumpers (5%).

The top 20 things that wind Brits up during winter:

1. Colds and flu

2. High energy bills

3. How dark it is in the mornings

4. The weather

5. Christmas – marketing, festive songs and saving for presents

6. Slipping on ice

7. How cold it is at home

8. Getting up early to de-ice the car

9. Feeling miserable

10. Clocks going back

11. Everyone’s grumpy

12. People being dramatic about bad weather conditions

13. Drivers slithering around in the snow, blocking routes

14. People wearing summer clothes and then complaining that they’re cold

15. More parents clogging up roads by driving children to school

16. Commuting or train delays

17. Rubbish on the TV

18. Trying to use your phone while wearing gloves

19. Having to carry an umbrella everywhere

20. Cost of going out

As the temperature drops, many consumers are preparing themselves and their homes for the big freeze. Despite the fact that consumers could cut their energy bills by an average of £295 a year by switching supplier, just six per cent do so to prepare for winter. Instead, Brits are more likely to turn on the heating (51%), swap to a warmer duvet (38%) and replace summer clothes for jumpers (26%).

The top 10 things Brits do to prepare for winter:

1. Turn on the heating

2. Put a warmer duvet on the bed

3. Get jumpers out the cupboard

4. Cut the garden back

5. Put summer clothes away

6. Get the boiler serviced

7. Stock up on tins of soup

8. Buy a new coat

9. Get the car serviced

10. Buy new gloves and a hat

Tom Lyon, energy expert at Uswitch.com, says: “As a nation we love to moan, especially about our long list of winter woes. Almost half of consumers get annoyed by cold weather and high energy bills, yet just one in 20 switch energy provider to prepare for winter. Changing supplier only takes a matter of minutes and can save an average of £295 a year – putting cash back into your pocket to help pay for Christmas gifts or the odd winter-warming hot toddy.”