* 39% of cheating women are using Christmas shopping as an excuse to meet their lovers for a festive fling this month.

* Time-consuming and notoriously hated by men, Christmas shopping is the ideal cover-up for unfaithful wives who are meeting up with their lovers this holiday season.

* Visiting loved ones before Christmas (23%), working overtime (16%) and meeting up with friends (9%) are other festive fibs being told to unsuspecting husbands.

* Survey conducted by the UK’s leading extramarital dating site IllicitEncounters.com

‘Tis the season to be jolly, right? Well, it turns out that in the midst of all the holiday hoopla, some wives are spinning a web of deception around a rather unexpected festive activity – Christmas shopping.

According to a survey involving 1,000 married women conducted by extramarital dating site IllicitEncounters.com, instead of shopping for gifts, wives are unwrapping secret liaisons, leaving unsuspecting partners in the dark about the festive fling happening behind the scenes.

39% of the married women surveyed said they use Christmas shopping as an excuse to get out of the house for a secret rendezvous with their lover.

Visiting friends and relatives to drop off Christmas cards and gifts is the second most popular festive fib being told by unfaithful wives (23%), whilst old classics like having to work overtime (16%) and meeting up with friends (9%) are less favoured at this time of year.

One member of IllicitEncounters.com who took part in the survey and is currently using the ‘Christmas shopping’ excuse to mask her infidelity, Christina from Stockport, said “My husband absolutely hates Christmas shopping, so I’ve found it’s the perfect excuse to use around this time of the year. He would do anything to avoid having to wander around the shops looking for gifts for the kids, so ironically he puts all his faith in me when it comes to gifting.

What he doesn’t know is that I’ve actually already done all of my Christmas shopping… I’m just using the time to meet up with my lover who I’ve been seeing for the past 4 months. 

Every time I come back from a ‘shopping trip’, I’ve basically just got empty boxes in shopping bags to make it look like I’ve bought something – he never asks to take a look, and if he ever did I’d just say he can’t peek because it’s a present for him.”

Jessica Leoni, IllicitEncounters.com’s relationship expert explains why so many women are using the usually innocent act of gift-giving as a cover for their infidelity, “If you think about it, Christmas shopping really is the ultimate alibi for women if they’re playing away.

Wandering around the shops takes time, and finding the perfect gift needs careful consideration that can’t be rushed, right? With all those presents that need buying, women will no doubt need to make multiple trips to out-of-town shopping centres, travelling far and wide to find that special something.

Quite simply, there’s potential for spouses to exploit the season’s busy nature and the assumed innocence of holiday preparations. Just make sure you don’t come back empty handed…”

Results

Top lies women are telling their partners to cover up infidelity:
Christmas shopping 39%
Visiting friends and relatives out of town before Christmas 23%
Working overtime 16%
Going out with friends 9%
Going to the gym 6%
Other 7%

* Friday 1st December is ‘Unfaithful Friday’, the most popular day in the winter for having an affair

* Today is the day married people are most likely to be cheated on during the winter months, dubbed by adulterers as ‘Cheat-mas’

* Extramarital dating site IllicitEncounters.com reported a 32% increase in activity among members in the leadup to ‘Unfaithful Friday’

* 68% of cheats have made plans to see their mistresses today, with 21% saying they’ll be spending the entire weekend away with their lovers

Ah, Christmas – the most wonderful time of the year… unless, of course, you’re cheating on your partner, in which case you’ll be celebrating ‘Cheat-mas’ instead – the most wonderful time of the year… for adulterers.

This year ‘Unfaithful Friday’ falls on the 1st December, known in the world of infidelity as the last chance for cheats to see their lovers before the chaos of Christmas begins.

Extramarital dating site IllicitEncounters.com reported a 32% increase in activity among members in the leadup to ‘Cheat-mas’, as they scramble to arrange meets with fellow adulterers for a final fling before returning to their monotonous marriages over the festive period.

In a survey conducted by the UK’s leading married dating site involving 1,000 male members, 68% declared they’ve made plans to meet up with their mistresses on ‘Unfaithful Friday’. 

But it’s not just a one-day celebration for some. In fact, 1 in 5 married men have said they’ve lied to their wives about what they’re up to over the next couple of days, finding an excuse to be away for the entire weekend so they can really make the most of ‘Cheat-mas’.

So, with Christmas just around the corner, what does a cheat gift his wife in the season of giving? Well, 29% of men plan on buying snazzy gadgets for their other half. Though they want to reconsider that, as a recent poll from IllicitEncounters.com found 65% of women said they busted their partner’s affair thanks to technology.

Jon, a member of the married dating site who’ll be celebrating ‘Unfaithful Friday’ this year said, “This is by far my favourite day of the year! In the lead up to Christmas I get dragged around the shops with my wife hunting for gifts for the kids, there are Christmas parties left, right and centre, there’s the school nativity… the list goes on. 

I’ll barely get a second to myself, which makes celebration ten times more exciting. It’s pure bliss – a moment for me to completely let loose with my mistress before all the stress begins.

This year I’ve actually managed to book a weekend away – I told my wife I have to meet a big client in London because it’s the only time they’re free… and she doesn’t suspect a thing.”

Sex and relationships expert at IllicitEncounters.com commented, “It’s supposedly the most wonderful time of the year, but Christmas is undoubtedly also one of the busiest and most stressful periods for couples. From attending endless festive get-togethers to the pressures of gift-buying, Christmas can be incredibly overwhelming for some.

And, with family obligations taking centre stage, it’s no surprise that people make the most of Unfaithful Friday and celebrate ‘Cheat-mas’ before the festive frenzy at home.

It’s the last hurrah before all of the chaos begins. So, if your husband’s told you he’s busy tonight or he’s off on a work trip this weekend, you might want to do some detective work to find out what he’s really up to.”
 

Results

Top gifts cheaters are buying for their wives for Christmas:
Tech – 29% 
Beauty products/make up – 21%
Jewellery – 20%
Perfume – 14%
Clothes – 9%
Homeware – 5%
Other 2%