The average British Christmas sees the typical homeowner spend £694 in total, according to the study of 2,000 people.

From forking out £168 on food alone to a further £90 on hosting and ensuring the home is ready for guests, the cost of Christmas now sees the average person spending almost £700.

The research, which was commissioned by Together Mutual Insurance, also found the average person generously splashes out £436 on gifts in a typical year – nearly £28,000 over the course of an adult lifetime.

And the bill for festive cheer tots up with homeowners also spending nearly £11,000 on Christmas food over their adult lifetime.

Generous Brits are prepared to splash up to £142 on their most expensive gift, but only expect to receive just £98 worth of gifts in return.

And, with the rising cost of Christmas, the pressure for the festive season to go smoothly rises, but things don’t always go to plan – how much money is being spent, emerged as the most likely factor to cause a Christmas argument.

A Together Mutual spokesman said yesterday: “As a nation we’re a generous lot, so we weren’t surprised by the survey results showing that Christmas keeps getting more and more expensive for many households across the UK.

“As the festive spirit builds and the excitement takes hold, it appears everyone is spending a great deal on gifts and entertaining. The huge cost really adds to the pressure of Christmas, as everyone wants it to be perfect – but there are so many little things that don’t always go according to plan.

“Getting prepared can really help to ease the burden, and gives you more time to spend with your loved ones at this special time of year.”

Other factors that can see a Christmas spoiled included rows over who does the washing up, which family to visit and what to watch on television.

While burnt turkey, drink spillages and the cost of entertaining relatives can put a sour note on proceedings.

The average homeowner will have six guests over for Christmas contributing to the hefty cost of the season – one in four hosts say they worry about guests causing damage to their home.

But sometimes festive problems can be more severe and one in twenty Brits has had a Christmas ruined – illness, flooding in the home and a broken oven were most commonly cited.

Worryingly, nearly a quarter (24%) has experienced winter damage to their home.

And one in eight has experienced an act of crime over the winter months, according to the study.

Perhaps that’s because of the added value stored in Britain’s homes over the festive period – which Brits often forget to get covered – one in six Brits said they know their current contents insurance doesn’t cover their Christmas present spending.

While just four per cent of those with contents insurance have actually amended their policy or given thought to their cover over the festive period.

The Together Mutual spokesman added:

“Christmas should be the perfect excuse to sit back and enjoy time with your family and friends and some well-deserved time off work. It can however be a stressful time of year with added pressures on families to spend increasing amounts of money on gifts and entertaining guests in their home. We were really interested to see the results of the survey that showed people spend nearly £700 on Christmas each year. With the added value of their home contents and increased risks of damage due to winter weather conditions and the number of guests in the home it’s wise to contact your insurance company and check your policy at this time of year. At Together Mutual Insurance we always recommend our existing customers get in touch and speak to us about the options they have over the festive season and any new customers can get a quick and simple quote through our website.”

CHRISTMAS SPENDS PER YEAR (£)

FOOD – 168

PRESENTS – 436

HOME DECORATION/IMPROVEMENTS – 90

TOTAL: 694

CHRISTMAS SPEND – ADULT LIFETIME (64 YEARS AVERAGE) (£)

FOOD – 10,752

PRESENTS – 27,904

HOME DECORATIONS/IMPROVEMENTS – 5,760

TOTAL: 44, 416

TOP 40 MOST COMMON CHRISTMAS GRUMBLES

1. How much money things cost
2. Where to spend Christmas Day
3. Which family to visit
4. How much to spend on other people
5. The temperature of the house
6. Who does the washing up
7. No one helping Mum
8. Old arguments being brought up
9. My partner drinking too much
10. Can’t agree what movie/TV to watch
11. How much to spend on each other
12. My partner not helping out enough when we have to host people
13. Mum stressing over the Christmas dinner
14. You or your partner having to work too much over the holiday
15. Having to sit in traffic while on the way to visit people
16. What presents to buy for the kids
17. Not tidying up after opening presents
18. People arriving late on Christmas Day
19. Whether to go out for Christmas dinner or stay at home
20. Whether to get a real or fake tree
21. My partner or I picking at food before it’s ready
22. What time to open presents
23. Who has to drive to a party/Christmas drinks
24. Who cooks the Christmas dinner
25. Who carves the turkey
26. Ownership of the remote control
27. Who decorates the tree
28. You or your partner staying out too late with friends and colleagues
29. Family members/ partner cheating at a board game
30. Whether or not to put Christmas spending on the credit card
31. The cost of entertaining relatives
32. Eating chocolate and spoiling dinner
33. The children using their mobile phones / laptops whilst at the dinner table
34. My parents saying something inappropriate at the table
35. The food getting burnt
36. Not having enough space to put up relatives
37. My partner saying something inappropriate at the table
38. Dad not wanting to watch soap opera Christmas specials
39. Someone spilling wine/drink at the table
40. The kids moaning about their presents