Nine in 10 Brits have experienced a Christmas mishap – like smashing a bauble, study finds

’Tis the season to be jolly – “oh no it’s not” – “oh yes it is”! Nine in 10 adults experience mishaps over the festive period – including tangled fairy lights, running out of gift wrap, and accidentally smashing beloved baubles.

Other festive faux-pas include leaving price tags on presents, bickering over boardgames – and one in 10 even admitted to having hidden a present so well, they found it years later.

A poll of 2,000 adults, who celebrate Christmas, found 64 percent want the holiday season to be perfect each year, with over a quarter saying it’s their favourite time of the year.

But the research, commissioned by HARIBO, also found 62 percent are comfortable when things do go wrong.

Four in 10 (42 percent) can see the funny side of minor disasters, and 17 percent say a mishap even makes it feel like a “real” Christmas.

Meanwhile, 41 percent believe these events become amusing stories and memories to share in the years to come. And three in 10 (29 percent) even see the funny side enough to let out a big belly laugh when something doesn’t go to plan.

The sweet creators ran the research to launch the limited-edition HARIBO Christmas Mishap Bingo Box – a family game which turns festive frustrations into family tales and Christmas-time fun.

Spokesman Phil Murphy said: “The festive season doesn’t have to be perfect… the mishaps of today, should be the enjoyable memories of the future, but only if we embrace the childlike fun and see the lighter side of life.

“We’ve created this game to encourage everyone to see mishaps with the wide-eyed wonder of a child, as they are often the first ones to see the funny side.

“Every time a mishap happens at home, simply shout BINGO, and open the matching window to find your sweet treat.”

The study found more than a third (37 percent) say blunders happen because there is too much to think about – and consequently, 31 percent find it a stressful time of the year.

When something goes wrong and people need to remember what Christmas time is all about, 37 percent spend time with friends and family, while 24 percent enjoy a sweet treat, according to the OnePoll research.

The sweet maker also created a quiz to see how people fare when mishaps happen – are you a “Mistletoe Marshmallow Meltdowner”, or a “Sensible Sweetie”?

Phil Murphy, from HARIBO, added: “The toppled trees, the turkey troubles – these are the mishaps we look back on and laugh about.”