Sunderland goes mad over Christmas elves - city comes second in craze's popularity list

Does the Christmas Elf come into your house?

And that's because in Sunderland, the naughty elves are overtaking other Christmas traditions like the Queen's speech in terms of popularity.

According to research by Motif, Sunderland is second on a list of 15 cities crazy about the Christmas characters, which are set up in a different scenario each night ready to surprise children in the morning.

Other North East locations included in the top 15 are Stockton, in fourth, and Newcastle in 14th place.

Motif's study, combined with Google Trends, also revealed that the elves are now more popular than Santa in terms of search as well-known festive traditions take a slide in favour of something new.

Just over one in four of us have introduced the Christmas elf craze into our homes, overtaking playing family board games and tuning in to the 3pm broadcast on Christmas Day.

Christmas Eve boxes are also a popular addition to family festivities, with one in 10 parents creating one for their children.

Official family portraits are also becoming a regular choice.

And while some embrace new trends and incorporate them into their own family plans, there are a number of things that make us feel nostalgic during the festivities.

According to Motif, these include giving and receiving gifts, spending time with the family, putting up the decorations and settling down to tune in to a Christmas special.