Top ways to impress guests this Christmas – including plenty of food, and posh loo roll

The best ways to impress your guests this Christmas have been revealed as splashing out on fine wines, a fancy door wreath – and posh loo roll. The study of 2,000 people, set to enjoy Yuletide, found others intend to buy pricey Christmas crackers for the table, make sure they have eco-friendly soaps and washing-up liquid on display, and buy in far more food than usual.

Setting out cutlery which only makes its way to the table once a year, lining tables with cloths and place settings, and purchasing fluffy towels for the bathroom, are other moves to give a good impression.

And 41 percent admitted they’ll be going all out this year to create a Christmas which is special for everyone.

Gareth Lucy, for hygiene and health company, Essity, which makes Cushelle and Velvet toilet tissue, said: “Typically, we see lots of people splash out on more premium loo roll during the Christmas period, in a bid to impress their guests.

“For those that are hosting family, the number one objective is to make sure everybody feels well and truly looked after – so, splashing out on the top brands can be one way to serve up the best possible quality in every room of the house.”

The study also found 14 percent of people will buy more branded products ahead of hosting Christmas, and 26 percent will visit higher-end shops when preparing for the big day.

The living room is the area people worry most about (26 percent), followed by the bathroom (12 percent). And the average host will worry about what their home looks like at least four days ahead of the occasion itself, cleaning for more than two hours to get things in tip top shape.

The research also revealed how visitors should behave in someone else’s house – including leaving at a sociable hour, taking shoes off at the door, and offering to do the washing up.

Those who are hosting this Christmas have also shared how they expect guests to use the bathroom with good manners – including replacing a finished toilet roll (15 percent), and leaving the toilet seat down after flushing (24 percent).

Other useful hacks include quickly using kitchen roll to wipe up spills and food crumbs, helping clear up plates, and making an effort to engage in good conversation.

It is important for a resounding 86 percent of people that their guests behave nicely when visiting the house – although 15 percent have hosted someone with particularly bad manners.

Some of the top gripes include guests outstaying their welcome (37 percent), being ungrateful (35 percent), and leaving the toilet in a state (31 percent).

And others would be upset with guests who let their children run riot (30 percent), drank too much (27 percent) – or helped themselves to belongings, such as toilet roll (11 percent).

The typical respondent, in the OnePoll study, said that hosting for five guests is considered manageable.

Ruth Gresty, spokeswoman for Essity’s Cushelle brand, said: “It’s hard not to become a Christmas Scrooge when badly behaved guests come to stay – and seeing a messy bathroom is a sure way to lose your festive spirit, especially if you’ve gone all out to impress.

“Our message to anybody that is visiting friends and family over Christmas is to be courteous, kind – and never leave any unwanted Christmas gifts in the bathroom.”