End of year celebrations are an opportunity to refocus on the family, spend time with those who are dear to us and forget the little worries of everyday life. An inauspicious time for clandestine love affairs, it would seem. And yet, according to the latest Gleeden study, the European leader in extramarital encounters with more than 3.8 million members, the unfaithful are far from putting their extramarital relationship on the back burner during the holidays.

The phone, the cheat’s best ally at Christmas

Nearly 10,000 Gleeden members were interviewed in order to better understand the relationship between the unfaithful and their lover during the Christmas and New Year holidays. And the numbers speak for themselves: 78% members interviewed admit to keeping in touch with their lover over the Christmas period. For this, the phone seems to be the cheat’s best ally. Almost three-quarters of them use it to keep their extramarital relationship alive during the holidays: 47% prefer direct calls and texts while 26% of them use the more discreet Gleeden app, to avoid being unmasked and spoiling the party. Finally, almost a quarter of the unfaithful interviewed (21%) dare to use the pretext of buying a last-minute gift to go and meet their lover.

Lovers – just as spoiled as spouses at Christmas

And if these end-of-year holidays are an opportunity to spend time with family, for the unfaithful they also provide the opportunity to show their love to their unofficial partner. In fact, 82% of Gleeden members interviewed give their lover a Christmas present. And the unfaithful seem to be particularly generous: nearly half of the men surveyed have a budget of more than £170 to spend on a gift for their mistress (46%) with a majority of 41% of women surveyed returning this generosity.

Gifts yes, but not just any old trinket. Gleeden interviewed its members to compile a list of the top three gifts most often given by the unfaithful at Christmas. And these gentlemen seem to want to enhance their sweetheart’s sensuality and femininity, with jewellery being the most popular gift that unfaithful men give to their lover. In its latest study, Gleeden drew up a list of the top 5 most popular pieces of jewellery that the unfaithful give to their lover; and the least we can say is that they know how to be generous. Lingerie takes second place in Gleeden’s list of most popular gifts given to lovers. Finally, sex toys take third place in this top 3. There is no doubt that these gentlemen know how to focus on fun, even at Christmas.

Women, on the other hand, attach particular importance to the precious time they spend with their lover. The Christmas gift most often given by these ladies is a night in a beautiful hotel. The second most popular gift is a spa day for two. Finally, fragrance comes last in this list of the top 3 gifts most often given by unfaithful women to their lover.