This month, we have been sharing our Farleys Festive Facts over on social media. For those who have missed out we have collated them into a handy blog.
1st December – Personal Injury
More than 80,000 people will visit A&E over Christmas with an increase in the number of people falling off ladders while stringing lights and cutting themselves on broken glass ornaments. 1,000 injuries a year are caused by Christmas trees alone!
2nd December – Fraud and White Collar Crime
Thinking of sending expensive corporate gifts to your clients and potential clients this Christmas? Remember they must fall within the guidelines of the Bribery Act 2010 or you could find yourself being investigated by the Serious Fraud Office!
3rd December – General Law
According to some it is considered an act of treason to place a stamp upside down on an envelope. However, this has been confirmed to be a myth so don’t worry if you’re stamping your Christmas cards in a hurry!
4th December – Property
Contrary to popular belief, December can be a great time to sell your home as the market is less saturated and buyers tend to be more serious at this time of year, perhaps due to time of work or beginning a new job in January –thus relocating for the New Year.
5th December – Debt Advice
British families will spend an average of £821.25 on gifts, food, drink and decorations at Christmas – this is 54% more than the European average.
6th December – Employment Law
There is no automatic right for workers to have public holidays off, including Christmas day, unless it is stated in an employee’s contract.
7th December – Motoring/Driving Offences
The highways code stipulates that if you are driving in diverse weather conditions you must, by law, be able to see out of every glass panel in your vehicle. This means, at the very least, you must clear any snow from all of your windows before driving.
8th December – Cyber Crime
More than a quarter (26%) of online scams happen over the Christmas period and Christmas 2017 is set to be the most fraudulent on record. The average victim will lose around £893 so be sure to remain vigilant when shopping online.
9th December – Employment
One in ten workers admits to embarrassing themselves in front of their employers at a festive gathering. Remember, your behaviour at a work event can lead to disciplinary action the next morning!
10th December – Family
According to a survey conducted in 2016, 57% of adults in the UK would gladly sacrifice seeing relatives on Christmas Day if it meant they could spend more time on Facebook.
11th December – Divorce & Separation
According to data gathered from Facebook, two weeks before Christmas is the most popular time for couple to break up. Christmas day is the least popular.
12th December – Personal Insolvency
Buying all of the gifts from the 12 Days of Christmas would cost a whopping £50,000 for a total of 364 presents. The most expensive of which would be 7 swans a swimming costing £16,600 for six days worth – you would definitely be filing for bankruptcy after all that!
13th December – Consumer Law
Between 1647 and 1660, Oliver Cromwell reportedly banned mince pies, Christmas pudding and Christmas celebrations as part of efforts to tackle gluttony in England.
14th December – Commercial
Last year online consumers spent more than £25 billion in the lead up to Christmas with sales peaking on 14th December for deliveries in time for the 25th. If your business isn’t utilising e-commerce channels you could be missing out.
15th December – Sports Law
In 1541, Henry VIII introduced a law which banned all sports on Christmas Day except archery as part of the Unlawful Games Act.
16th December – Employment
In some European countries such as Greece, Italy, Spain and Germany, workers get a Christmas bonus of one month’s salary by law.
17th December – Family
27% of separated couples will alternate which parent has the child/children for Christmas day each year while 23% will choose to put aside their differences and spend Christmas together.
18th December – 1 week to Christmas!
19th December – Commercial Property
If your business is due to be closed over the festive period, make sure you keep the empty premises heated to at least 4⁰C to avoid pipes freezing and cracking as you may be liable for repairs even if you have the place on a commercial lease.
20th December – Commercial
Tom Smith, a London sweet shop owner, invented the Christmas cracker in 1847 after getting the idea from a bon-bon wrapper in paper with a twist at both ends. By 1900 he was selling 13 million a year – now that’s a successful business!
21st December – Christmas Opening Times
Not so much a “fun fact” but useful to know nonetheless. Farleys’ offices close for Christmas on Friday 22nd December at 2pm and will reopen as usual on Tuesday 2nd January 2018.
22nd December – Criminal Law
It is illegal to kill game on Sundays and Christmas Day. Common game birds are grouse, partridges, pheasants and quails.
23rd December – Transport Law
According to the RAC, tomorrow (Christmas Eve) is the busiest day of the year on the roads with 3.8 million drivers expected to be heading home for the festive period as well as couriers delivering last minute Christmas orders across the UK.
24th December – Motoring/Driving Offences
Santa’s sleigh would have to travel at a speed of 2,340,000 MPH to reach every home in the world on Christmas Eve – That would definitely get him a ticket!
Keep your eye on this blog over the next few days as we add the remainder of our #FarleysFestiveFacts or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin.