Ealing is preparing for a busy December as residents are set to spend a total of more than 3.4 million hours preparing for Christmas Day. 

In a survey of more than 2,000 shoppers, 1 in 20 (5%) Ealing residents said they will need more than the equivalent of a working week to prepare for Christmas Day, taking into account shopping, cooking, getting the house in order, and wrapping presents. 

The research - commissioned by British Land, owner of Ealing Broadway also revealed that Ealing residents find choosing the right gift the most stressful part of the preparations. And it seems they’ll have lots of gifts to buy, with more than one in ten of people in Ealing set to hand out more than 15 presents.

And while Christmas is traditionally a time to be spent with family, for most people in Ealing it’s one of the most stressful thing about planning for the festive period – along with decorating the house (42%) and cooking the Christmas dinner (5%). 

Andrew Rollings, Centre Manager at Ealing Broadway said: “Christmas is one of the busiest but most enjoyable times for us here at Ealing Broadway and it’s no surprise given how much effort shoppers are putting into their festive preparations.

“While some of us are super organised and started Christmas shopping well in advance, we’re anticipating a surge in shoppers in the coming weeks as people look to tick the essentials off their list. To make things a little easier, many of our retailers are offering Click & Collect services and gift wrapping.”

Ealing Broadway is also taking its first step into the world of virtual reality this Christmas with the launch of a free virtual treasure hunt game – ‘Freezy’s Christmas Adventure’.

By downloading a simple app to a smartphone or tablet, families will be transported to a magical winter wonderland and asked to help friendly snowman, Freezy, and his friends overcome obstacles and find presents hidden around Ealing Broadway.

This year Ealing Broadway has enhanced the shopping experience at the Centre further by hosting a local, artisanal Christmas market in Town Square. They’ve also installed an interactive ice cave adorned with 64 dancing and singing Christmas trees. Both have attracted plenty of Christmas themed selfie opportunities for local shoppers.

Local choirs and musicians will perform melodies in the run up to Christmas at the Centre and Ealing Broadway’s Santa Claus will also be making frequent appearances, where young children will be able to meet and greet their festive hero.