Christmas Illustration

Young 'forget Jesus at Christmas'

Fewer than half of children aged seven to 11 think Christmas is about the birth of Jesus, a survey suggests.

Some 44% thought it was about Jesus, while 29% said it was about thinking of other people, and 24% said it was about giving rather than receiving gifts.

The survey of 1,063 children for BBC's Newsround program found 89% felt excited about Christmas and 79% happy.

But one in six of the youngsters surveyed said they felt sad, nervous or left out during the festive season.

The survey found almost two-thirds of children saved their pocket money to buy presents for other people, and they tended to spend more on their mothers than their fathers.

The average amount saved by the children for presents was £34, and a third saved more than £50.

But Christmas was not enjoyable for all young people, it found, with some saying they felt "cold", "tired" or "worried" at this time of year.

Newsround presenter Ellie Crisell said: "Christmas is one of the most exciting times of year for children.

"But it can also be stressful. They worry about their families getting along, about buying the right present and, amid the festivities, feeling alone.

"It's never been harder or more important to protect the true magic of Christmas."

The survey was carried out by researchers ChildWise.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6193235.stm

Accessed December 23, 2006