A new survey has found that two thirds of Irish people have family and friends who will not be at home for Christmas. Ninety-three percent said they would rather be surrounded by their loved ones than receive presents at Christmas.

The survey carried out by Tesco Mobile showed that 62 percent of Irish people have friends and family that will not be at home this Christmas. Only 16 percent had family and friends that would be making the trip.

It also showed that on Christmas morning 31 percent of people would be texting their Moms and the others would text their sister, best friend, or children.

However this drop off in emigrants travelling home for Christmas has led to a major boost in flower sales. It seems that flowers are the most popular gift for those living abroad with ex-pats reporting they’ll be sending a bouquet home.

Flowers.ie has reported a 33 percent increase in sales from customers in Canada, Australia and the United States compared to 2011.