Ah, what beats the bliss of receiving? Well, that of giving. At least if you’re a Swede. Almost all Swedes want to be little Santas, according to a study from Svensk handel.
In this study, 1,021 Swedes ages 15 to 80 were surveyed, and only 10 percent said it was more fun to receive Christmas gifts than give them. 35 percent thought it was just as much fun to be the giver as the recipient, and 50 percent felt it was more fun to give. This can also be seen in Swedes’ wish lists for the holiday season: 26 percent, especially older Swedes, want nothing for Christmas; 24 percent, especially younger folks, are tired of all boring, ugly and simply wrong Christmas gifts, and all they really want is money.
Christmas shopping in itself is viewed as something less joyful by many. One out of three people said it was difficult to come up with ideas for Christmas gifts, 18 percent said they feel too stressed to shop, 12 percent feel forced to shop and every tenth Swede experiences anxiety over Christmas shopping. But 29 percent do feel joy and like shopping for Christmas gifts—every fourth Swede even says it puts them in the mood for Christmas. And according to a poll among retailers, it is moms that are their favorite shoppers.
The original release from Svensk Handel Svenskarna vill hellre ge än få på jul (Swedish only)

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