REA’S TOP FOR HITMAS

IT’S THE time of year when Chris Rea’s favourite festive tune is front and centre of everyone’s mind.

And although some of us are partial to a bit of Slade or Wizzard, when it comes to that Christmas car journey, nothing will do except the soundtrack of Driving Home for Christmas.

The survey, carried out by Audi Ireland to celebrate the launch of the all new Audi Q3 SUV, found that 46% of drivers will be making a trip to see their relatives over the holidays.

Half of us will be driving as far as 100km while 20% of us will be doing a 200km journey — the equivalent of driving around the Ring of Kerry.

And to pass the time, singing along with the radio is a family favourite thing to do.

The survey also found that families in Ireland still enjoy going on a family drive each week with almost one third (32%) claiming that simply hitting the road and seeing where it takes them is the most desired route to take.

And according to the survey, the family drive is still a popular pastime, with over a third of families keeping up the Sunday tradition of going for a spin.

If we were to choose a celebrity driving companion for the journey, President Michael D Higgins would be the favourite among 18-24 year olds, topping the poll with 46%.

In the 45-54 year old age group, Agnes Brown would be the preferred passenger and there’s no doubt she would keep spirits up no matter how long the drive.

Meanwhile a separate survey by charity station Christmas FM has revealed we all spend more than we should while Christmas shopping.

More than half of us (55%) don’t stick to our original budget and 20% of us love buying gifts so much that they don’t even bother setting a budget at all because Christmas is a time for giving to others.