This is how Switzerland thinks

Personal gifts that come from the heart, cosy get-togethers with the family and definitely no scented candle as a present: this is how the Swiss imagine the perfect Christmas, according to a survey by ifolor.

Everyone knows this moment of truth at Christmas: when you are handed a gift from a loved one and can either be genuinely delighted by it, or have to bring out your best acting skills so as not to disappoint anyone. There are countless ways to fail with a well-intentioned gift. A personalised photo product from ifolor helps minimise this risk. To show the Swiss what they should rather avoid giving this year, ifolor conducted the major Christmas gift survey. 1,002 Swiss people between the ages of 16 and 74 took part in the survey carried out by GfK for ifolor at the beginning of December 2019. Three quarters of the participants came from German-speaking Switzerland, one third from French-speaking Switzerland.

Almost all of Switzerland celebrates Christmas 95% of respondents say they celebrate Christmas. What people look forward to most is the contemplative time spent with family and friends: 56% can hardly wait for it. Gifts are the reason why only a vanishingly small share of around 3% feel the most anticipation for the holiday. Two thirds of all respondents think gifts at Christmas are nice, but not absolutely necessary. Nevertheless, one in five also says that Christmas without gifts would be unimaginable for them. And just over one in ten believes that gifts at Christmas should be abolished. Even so, 13.8% of respondents celebrate Christmas without any gifts at all. While in French-speaking Switzerland only 8.6% do so, in German-speaking Switzerland almost twice as many people (15.6%) celebrate Christmas entirely without presents.

Spouses and partners have the highest hit rate for the best Christmas gifts No one gives better Christmas gifts than a spouse or partner. Almost one third believe that they shine with the highest gift hit rate. Particularly striking: 41.7% of the men surveyed think the best Christmas gift comes from their partner, but only 21.1% of women believe that their partner usually gives the best gift. Grandparents come last when asked who gives the best present, with only 1.6% of votes. Interestingly, in French-speaking Switzerland children give the best Christmas gifts almost twice as often as in German-speaking Switzerland (20.9% compared with 11.5%).

Personal gifts that come from the heart are what people get right most often. More than half believe that this type of gift makes those around them happiest. Only just over 1% say that expensive gifts bring them the most joy at Christmas.

These are the worst Christmas gifts While spouses and partners are the clear winners when it comes to the best gifts, the question of who gives the worst Christmas gifts divides the more than one thousand survey participants. Parents are at the inglorious top with just over 6% of all votes, but even best friends, with just under 2%, who take the last and therefore actually best place, are not far behind. The overwhelming majority of just under 64% believe that they do not receive bad gifts.

And if someone does end up with a bad gift, the Swiss would not dare ask for the receipt to exchange it. 85% of respondents say they would silently accept the gift. To ensure this fate befalls no one: keep your hands off scented candles, socks and kitchen appliances. According to the survey, nobody wants to receive these gifts. Particularly interesting here: among the Spotify generation (between 16 and 29), CDs were the most frequently mentioned answer to the question about the least popular Christmas gift, at 18.4%. By contrast, among older people between 50 and 74, CDs are among the least unpopular gifts: only 4.3% describe the sound carrier as the gift that would bring them the least joy.

To avoid bad gifts, it is advisable to choose a personal gift that comes from the heart and brings beautiful shared memories back to life. ifolor’s last order date for receiving gifts in time before Christmas is 18 December 2019.

The detailed survey results for all respondent groups can be requested at pr@ifolor.ch.

The results of the major ifolor Christmas gift survey in brief:

• 95% of respondents celebrate Christmas
• 56% say they look forward most to cosy get-togethers
• Only 3% look forward most to the gifts
• Two thirds think gifts at Christmas are nice, but not necessary
• One in five finds Christmas without gifts unimaginable
• In French-speaking Switzerland, 8.6% of people celebrate Christmas without gifts; in German-speaking Switzerland the figure is 15.6%
• Almost one third say: spouses and partners give the best gifts
• 41.7% of men think their partner gives the best gifts – but only 21.1% of women think the best gift comes from their partner
• Personal gifts that come from the heart are the most popular
• Scented candles, socks and kitchen appliances are the least popular Christmas gifts

The 15 worst Christmas gifts received by the Swiss

In addition to countless great gift ideas, our thousand respondents can also tell a tale or two about the worst Christmas gifts. We collected the answers and created a ranking of the fifteen biggest Christmas gift fails:

1. I got a budgie. The previous one had died and I was actually glad about that, since I don’t like birds anyway.
2. A coffee machine that was broken. Like the giver.
3. A hanging file folder; my mother-in-law thought it was useful.
4. I got a small amulet with a zodiac sign on it from my partner at the time. However, it was the wrong zodiac sign...
   
5. A sex toy from my neighbour.
6. My cousin gave me his own portrait in a frame so I could hang it up at home. But I have no desire to have to see his face every day.
7. A pipe. I don’t smoke.
8. My mother-in-law gave me a tie – from her point of view, great, because it was very expensive. At that time, however, I would have preferred a clarifying conversation with her.
9. A gift card worth 100 francs. When I wanted to redeem it, I was politely informed that it had no credit on it.
10. Meat from my ex-father-in-law. I have been vegetarian for years.
11. A book about losing weight from a customer.
12. A freezer from my ex, self-explanatory.
13. A toilet brush.
    
14. My brother gave me a candle. When I lit it, the flame shot up and burned my hair.
15. A used eraser from my brother.