Majority of Germans would ditch Christmas lights for climate

Berlin (dpa) – Fewer twinkling lights in the window and no blinking Santa on the front lawn? A majority of Germans say they would consider scaling down their Christmas lights to protect the climate, a survey released Sunday said.

A total of 57 per cent of those surveyed said they would reduce Christmas lighting or even do without it in the future, according to the survey conducted by YouGov on behalf of dpa.

Eleven per cent of respondents said they would make do without any lights this year due to climate concerns, while 10 per cent said they would to so in the future.

Scaling down their Christmas lights was an option for 12 per cent this year, 23 per cent are considering it for Christmases future.

However, 35 per cent said turning off the lights was not an option for them. Opinion is split on whether there should be fewer lights on buildings and in the streets in general, with 44 per cent both for and against the idea.

Having lights up during the festive season is liked by a large majority of 79 per cent in Germany. Almost seven out of 10 people surveyed plan to decorate their homes with electric Christmas lights this year. But it’s important to stay tasteful, as 41 per cent think those lights are too tacky.