York has come third in a poll to find out which places are most willing to embrace the festive spirit.

The research, which looks at the state of Christmas shopping around the UK, found people in York love Christmas, only just behind those in Liverpool and Birmingham.

According to the survey by PriceRunner, the shopping comparison site, Santa’s sack will be bulging as he arrives in York where, on average, residents buy over 21 presents for friends and family.

Liverpool topped the festive cheer poll, with 48 per cent of those asked admitting that they loved shopping during the Christmas period and over 15 per cent planning to spend more on presents this year.

People in Birmingham also enjoyed Christmas cheer with over 25 per cent buying up to 20 presents. Some of the most generous Scots live in Glasgow, where 42 per cent think shopping is the best way to embrace the festive spirit.

Regardless of packed pavements, 33 per cent of people from York still waited for the weekend to do their shopping even though the shops were at their busiest.

About 15 per cent said they found the crowds at Christmas too much and used a day’s holiday to do their shopping during the week when everyone else is at work. To avoid the stress of Christmas, more than seven per cent of residents in York are sensible and have all their shopping done by the summer.

At the other end of the scale, one in three people in Edinburgh said they hated every minute of Christmas shopping.