If it's strapped to the top of the car, poking precariously out of the boot or hand delivered... however you get your Christmas tree home, it should be a priori

That's according to a study by the Christian run Toy Shop "The Entertainer" which found that the top festive joy for children over Christmas, is putting up the Christmas tree.

Having time off school and giving presents made the top ten festive joys - but the list was lacking in an activity that reflected the real meaning of Christmas.

Father Christmas made it to the sixth spot on the list of children's festive joys for Christmas, and making Christmas decorations was in tenth place on the list.

Absent from the list were activities such as carol singing, taking part in a nativity or making a Christingle.

James Cooper who runs the website "Why Christmas.com" told Premier he wasn't surprised by the list.

"A lot of people are just not aware that there is a Christian or a real good story behind Christmas," he said. "They just see it as a winter festival where we put up decorations and eat too much"

"The real meaning of Christmas for me is Jesus!"

Cooper runs a website which explains some of the history behind the Christmas story and some Christmas traditions. He says if you feel guilty about children not experiencing the real meaning of Christmas then there were plenty of options for parents.

"There's lots of church services, carol services, Christingles... do a search online, lots of them will be doing great things"

"Children like to put up trees. You can put up a 'Jesse tree', where you have decorations on it that tell the story of the Bible.

"There are Chrismons which are Christmas decorations in the shapes of symbols that Christians have been using for thousands of years."

You can even try a "nativi-tree" something Cooper has dubbed this year - making Christmas decorations that tell the Christmas story to hang on the tree.