Psychology: these are the 7 Christmas personality types, according to a psychologist

family at christmas dinner

Credit: Getty

Mental Health


Psychology: these are the 7 Christmas personality types, according to a psychologist

By Leah Sinclair

3 years ago

1 min read

Christmas dinner is the perfect time to catch up with friends and family – until you have to deal with a few personality types that you’d rather not encounter. Luckily, for you, we’ve found out just how to identify those people and with any luck, how to avoid some of them too…

Christmas is officially just over one week away – and that means it’s time to really get into the Christmas spirit.

Soon we’ll be opening Christmas presents, watching festive movies and drinking copious amounts of alcohol while enjoying it with family and friends, while also indulging in a delicious Christmas dinner.

But the one part of the infamous Christmas dinner we don’t really acknowledge is the different personalities we’re forced to deal with as we scoff down turkey and brussels sprouts and drown in brandy in a bid to tune some of our family members out.

There’s always the one uncle who drinks a little too much and divulges more information than needed, the relative who is the know-it-all and never lets anyone get a word in and the picky eater who eats the same thing every year. But which of these personality types will you find around your dinner table this Christmas, and most importantly, which one are you?

A research study conducted by Green Chef looked at the habits and emotions of 2,000 adults on Christmas Day, in a bid to lift the lid on the most common tendencies among us during the festive season.

The research found that a sixth (15%) of us admit to having a tendency to worry about pleasing everyone around Christmas, while 6% of Brits admitted to being the Grinch, someone who lacks the Christmas spirit on one of the most cheerful days of the year.

In a bid to further break down these complex Christmas personality types, psychologist and body language expert Judi James has shared the seven most common ones found among the British public during the festive season.


The generous one

The generous personality type is described as the person who tends to treat everyone around Christmas, and particularly on the big day itself, spoiling everyone with gifts, food, drinks and attention.

The chatter

This person just can’t stop talking – but they’re the person who you want to hear from because they are great in conversation and are known for keeping the laughter flowing and good vibes going.

The diplomat

Christmas can come with its fair share of arguments. Spirits are high (but so are the drinks), and those tasked with cooking are constantly on alert and dealing with relatives you don’t see outside of the festive period can be an intense experience – and that’s what the diplomat is for.

They are the ones diffusing rows and friction and are desperate to keep the peace at all times.

The stressy one

While some of us like to have a relaxing Christmas, others are determined to make it perfect. This means that they often stress themselves into oblivion by setting the highest goals in terms of present buying, food providing and party organising.

The Grinch

There’s always one relative that acts like they don’t want to be there, and they’re often referred to as the Grinch. All they do is tut, grump and moan their way through the day and are the ones you definitely don’t want to be seated next to at dinner.

The picky one

Like The Grinch, the picky one can be just as hard to please and often make the food selection even more complex due to their dietary requirements.

The excited one

The preparation before Christmas is just as important as the big day for the excited personality type, who loves it all and just can’t calm down throughout the entire day and night.

Image: Getty

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