Ooh You Shouldn't Have?

It's all very well telling people 'don't get me anything' this Christmas — but how will you feel when they really don't?

Christmas has a knack of provoking weird behaviour in otherwise sensible people. Deep down we want fantastic presents, so why do we tell everyone they absolutely must not get us anything? If they do, we can scarcely live with the guilt, and if they don't — we're gutted. How are people supposed to know, what we truly want?

No wonder they call it the silly season.

A new survey conducted by TK Maxx's reveals that two thirds of us admit to lying about what we really want for Christmas, because we don't want people to spend too much money on us. In the current climate, half of us are telling our nearest and dearest to save their pennies and not to buy us a gift this Christmas. Best friends are the ones we're most likely to ask not to buy us anything, whereas family members stand a greater chance of getting lumbered. Especially grandparents, for some strange reason.

Body language expert Judi James, explains that our Christmas confusion has its roots in the very foundations of human behaviour. "It's clear from this survey that what should be a small and pleasurable display of generosity and appreciation is in fact a psychological 'survival' ritual," she said.

In the event that people actually take us at our word and we end up gazing at an expanse of carpet beneath the tree where our pressie ought to be, the majority of us regret our decision. With lower lip just slightly a-quiver, 17% of us say it would've been nice to get something which doesn't have to be extravagant. One in ten people are rather more blunt. "Everyone expects presents," they pout, "so of course it's disappointing."

"The size of the gift prompts surprisingly high levels of guilt from both the giver and the receiver," James says. "Guilt if the gift is too expensive, guilt if we dislike it and guilt if we feel we haven't spent enough. Add this to the face-to-face aspect of the gift-giving, and it's clear we're being coerced into annual displays of lying body language, in a bid to suppress disappointments and pretend we're more delighted than we are."

If we do actually receive a gift but it turns out to be naff, we're no more upfront about our disappointment than we would be if we'd received nothing. In fact, according to the research by TK Maxx, more than 20% of us act like we've just been given an Oscar.

Is there anyway to sidestep all this seasonal subterfuge? Yes, by finding out more about body language from top expert Judi James. Her top tips for reading the signs, helping you through the complex web of human emotion, will enable you to get it right this Christmas. To find out more click on the link below.

For more information visit www.tkmaxx.com.