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'Jingle Singles' Abound as 1 in 6 Spends Christmas Home Alone This YearLONDON, UNITED KINGDOM, Dec 23, 2010 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- Christmas is typically the time of year when relatives come out of the woodwork to wear paper hats and share bad jokes together. This year it will be 'Lonely this Christmas' according to research by Tesco International Calling Cards as one in six of us will celebrate Christmas as 'Jingle Singles' without family. Tesco Calling Card's research shows that the traditional family Christmas is now less common with 56% stating that they will be away from loved ones. And with current severe weather conditions, this number could rise. The top reasons for being apart this Christmas include: -- Going on holiday to get some sun -- Avoiding the stress of buying presents -- Steering clear of cooking Christmas dinner -- Dodging family politics -- Escaping the general cost of Christmas -- And a cheeky 5% will jet off to avoid a run-in with their mother-in-law With this news in mind, Tesco Calling Card aims to bring people together, keep costs as low as possible and put the festive cheer back into Christmas by offering free calls to countries abroad during, what should be, the jovial season. 53% of those surveyed said that getting a call from a loved one this Christmas will 'make their day'. Despite the trend to spend the day away from family, talking at Christmas is still a priority with 77% believing that it is important to stay in touch with family on a regular basis. However, a disappointing one in four of us said they won't call loved ones abroad this Christmas due to the cost or for the simple reason that they will forget. 40% have been caught out with an expensive phone bill when calling friends or family abroad and as a result, one in four would think twice about contacting loved ones again by phone due to the expense. Yesterday, a spokesman for Tesco International Calling Card, which polled 2,000 Brits said: "We are saddened to hear that there will be so many 'Jingle Singles' this Christmas as many people spend the day away from their families. The current severe weather certainly isn't helping the situation and this could lead to more people being kept apart from their families at this time of year. Christmas is a time for sharing with those nearest and dearest - this is why Tesco is offering free calls with our International Calling Card on the Christmas weekend. Whether people wish to ring loved ones who live or are stuck abroad, or speak to family members who are simply escaping the stresses of Christmas, we hope this brings them closer during the festive period." When asked what was the most common reason for calling loved ones over Christmas, 60% of participants said it was to say 'I love you,' 10% to ask 'how to cook a turkey' and 5% wanted to 'know the answers to Trivial Pursuit questions'. Top 5 reasons for Brits going on holiday this Christmas: -- Deserve a break -- Get some sun -- 2010 has been a tough year -- Escape the cost of Christmas -- Escape the family Notes to editors The consumer research was conducted by 72 Point who surveyed over 2,000 adults across Britain in December 2010. The Tesco International Calling Card Christmas offer Free call destinations include: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- All of the EU(i) Australia Bangladesh Brazil ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Iran Iraq Jamaica Japan ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nigeria Pakistan Philippines Russia ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thailand Trinidad & Tobago USA ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Canada China Hong Kong India ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kenya Malaysia New Zealand ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Serbia South Africa Sri Lanka ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- All of Europe is defined as: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Austria Belgium Bulgaria Cyprus ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Czech Rep Denmark Estonia Finland ------------------------------------------------------------------------ France Germany Greece Hungary ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ireland Italy Latvia Lithuania ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Luxembourg Malta Netherlands Poland ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Portugal Romania Slovakia Slovenia ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Spain Sweden UK ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -- Maximum duration 10 minutes -- Free calls to landlines only -- Free period is on Saturday December 25th to Sunday December 26th from 00:00:01 to 23:59:59 -- Any call that commences before the free period will be charged in its entirety at the standard rates -- Any call that continues beyond the free period will be free until the end of the free period, then charged at the standard rates thereafter -- Any calls that exceed 10 minutes will be charged at the standard rate thereafter and will incur the standard connection fee. -- Calls via 0800 access incur a 1p p/min surcharge. Calls from BT Payphones incur a 20p p/min surcharge. -- Calls can only be made on Tesco International Calling Cards which have a credit greater than GBP 0.01 More information on Tesco International Calling Card can be found at www.tescocallingcard.com Contacts: Tesco Telecoms 0207 680 5520 [email protected] http://phone-shop.tesco.com/contact-us.aspx SOURCE: Tesco Mobile mailto:[email protected] http://phone-shop.tesco.com/contact-us.aspx |