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CHRISTMAS

Headphones named hot Christmas gift of 2012

The hottest Christmas gift set to keep Swedes humming during the 2012 holiday season is a set of headphones, according to a Swedish retail research group's annual "Christmas Gift of the Year" predictions.

Headphones named hot Christmas gift of 2012

“Headphones not only fulfill a function, but they are increasingly a part of – and a symbol of – a lifestyle,” Lena Larsson, head of HUI Research (formerly the Swedish Retail Institute) said in a statement.

“Never before have headphones been used to such an extent or been as popular as they are now.”

Candidates for Sweden’s “Christmas Gift of the Year” (Årets julklapp) must be trendy, a hot seller, and represent the times in which we live.

RELATED PHOTO GALLERY: Christmas gifts of the year – past and present

According to the institute, headphone use has grown along with the explosion of mobile devices which can connect to the internet.

Increasingly, people are donning headphones to listen to music, watch television, or check the news while commuting, exercising, or sitting in cafés.

“Listening is the new reading,” Jonas Arnberg, head forecaster with HUI Research, told the TT news agency.

“Headphones are a symbol for the current trend in mobility.”

According to Larsson, headphone use has evolved with technology and an increasing trend of being “plugged in”.

“The fact that we are always in such a hurry means we try to use our time in motion in the best way,” she told Sveriges Television (SVT).

“Thus headphones are a condition for being able to take advantage of all of that.”

2012 marks the twenty-fifth consecutive year that the institute has published its prediction for the gift most likely to fill the space under the tree at Christmas.

The tradition began back in 1988 when the baking machine was nominated. In 2011, HUI Research predicted that a home-delivered bag of groceries would be the most popular Christmas present in Sweden.

TT/The Local/dl

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CHRISTMAS

Thousands more families in Denmark seek Christmas charity

A significant increase in families have sought Christmas help from the Danish Red Cross compared to last winter.

Thousands more families in Denmark seek Christmas charity

Higher process for food, electricity, gas and fuel are being felt by vulnerable families in Denmark, driving more to apply for Christmas packages offered by the Red Cross, broadcaster DR writes.

The NGO said in a statement that more people than ever before have applied for its Christmas help or julehjælp assistance for vulnerable families.

While 15,000 people applied for the charity last year, the number has already reached 20,000 in 2022.

“We are in an extraordinary situation this year where a lot more people have to account for every single krone to make their finances work,” Danish Red Cross general secretary Anders Ladekarl said in the press statement.

“For many more, their finances no longer work, and this is unfortunately reflected by these numbers,” he said.

The Red Cross Christmas assistance consists of a voucher worth 900 kroner redeemable at Coop stores or, in some stores, a hamper consisting of products.

READ ALSO: These are Denmark’s deadlines for sending international mail in time for Christmas

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