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Top 10 essential Christmas items people forget to buy

The Christmas groceries that are frequently missed off of shopping lists

Batteries, Sellotape and crackers have topped the list of the most commonly forgotten Christmas items new research has found.

The items that are most frequently left behind on the shop shelves also include Christmas dinner essentials gravy, cranberry sauce and napkins.

Running out of gift tags is common, while pigs in blankets, chocolate coins and Grandma’s sherry are regularly missed off the shopping list. Surprisingly, some people admitted to they had even forgotten to buy a turkey.

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Checking your shopping list is definitely worth doing as one in six people has even had to make a drastic change to their Christmas day meal after forgetting a crucial ingredient.

The average person forgets at least five items they intend to buy for Christmas Day each and every year, according to the survey by Budgens.

A spokesperson said: “With so much to plan and the pressure we all put ourselves under to enjoy that perfect Christmas, it's only natural that we'll forget a thing or two.

“So many hosts take pride in putting on a great Christmas dinner or ensuring everyone is having a good time that sometimes realising you've forgotten something can dampen the celebration.

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“Of course the emphasis should always be about who you're spending Christmas with, rather than stressing about forgotten items.

“Even with all the planning and preparation we put in to the big day, we can't always remember everything so a last minute dash to the shops is sometimes necessary.”

A fifth of people admit to suffering a disrupted night's sleep worrying about what they've forgotten as the holidays creep closer.

Sometimes even being organised doesn't always payoff, nearly half of the people asked have bought a present way in advance only to lose it or forget where they put it originally.

Of these, more than half didn't ever find the present again and were either compelled to buy another one or just not mention they'd had one and lost it.

The Budgens spokesman added: “Hopefully the results will act as a reminder for many to ensure nothing crucial is forgotten.”

Top 10 forgotten Christmas items:

1.    Batteries
2.    Sellotape
3.    Crackers
4.    Gift tags
5.    Cranberry sauce
6.    Wrapping paper
7.    Pigs in blankets
8.    Napkins
9.    Beer
10.    Gravy