House embarrassment sees Yorkshire hosts invest in home updates ahead of Christmas
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Over a quarter of Brits (28%) admitting that they are embarrassed about the state of their home when people visit, it’s no wonder that over a third (39%) plan on making home improvements before hosting guests this festive season.
In Yorkshire, almost two thirds said that they would spend more on home improvements in the lead-up to festive hosting than they would at other times of year. They would also make these home improvements sooner than planned if they are hosting (63%).
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Hide AdThe survey of 1,000 UK adults (aged 18+) was conducted by Censuswide on behalf of Jackson Woodturners stair part specialists, asking respondents about their opinions on hosting during the festive season and what might stop them from inviting guests over.


Is judgement getting in the way of festive cheer this season?
Well over a third (40%) of adults in Yorkshire find themselves judging things when visiting others homes, so it’s no wonder so many people feel embarrassed or try to put off hosting guests during this time of year. Guests admit to judging the following,
- One in five (20%) judge the cleanliness e.g. smells, dust, mess
- Over one in six (17%) judge the food that is served e.g. brands of food, not having certain items on a Christmas dinner
- Almost one in six (14%) judge their home decor e.g. outdated or not to their taste
- One in eight (12%) judge their Christmas decorations e.g. tacky, not enough decor, colour schemes
- One in nine (11) judge the drinks being served e.g. amount of alcohol, quality of drink
Age and income are the biggest factors affecting the likelihood that people will judge hosts’ homes. The older generations are less judgemental than younger generations and those with an annual household income of £35k or less, are the least likely to be judgemental about another’s home.
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Hide AdLucie Levesley, Director at Jackson Woodturners commented on the survey findings: “This judgement and pressure to be a perfect host could be why Brits are willing to invest so much time, money and effort into improving their home before the big day. Over a third (39%) of Brits will make home improvements before hosting over the festive period and the majority of Brits say they would use credit to fund such projects.
“Whilst creating a comfortable and welcoming environment is admirable, its sad to see that some people could be missing out on creating lasting memories with their loved ones or feel pressured to spend money in order to celebrate.”
Seasonal home improvements
The study also found that the younger the person, the more likely they are to make home updates ahead of festive hosting. The most popular improvement for Gen Z is decorating the kitchen, whilst for Millennials, Gen X and Boomers is decorating the dining room. For The Silent Generation, it is simply painting rooms and/or woodwork.
The most common home improvements being made for the festive season are, decorating the dining room (one in nine), decorating the kitchen (one in twelve) and new lighting (one in twelve).
The majority of home improvers (42%) would go into debt or use credit to improve their home ahead of hosting over the festive season, with only 29% saying that they wouldn’t do this.