Mother-in-law most-dreaded Christmas guest

LONDON, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- Britons say parents and in-laws top the list of the most-dreaded Christmas meal guests -- with the female host's mother-in-law in first place.

For the first time ever, comedians have displaced royalty, celebrity chefs and musicians as the ideal guests at Christmas lunch, London's Travelodge ideal Christmas guest poll showed.

"[This] has been a tough year and we are all in need of a belly full of laughter," said Stephanie Davies, a behavioral strategist and author of "Laughology: The Science of Laughter to Improve Your Life."

The poll said Britons expect the men in the family to provide entertainment around the dinner table. Brothers, fathers and grandfathers win in that category.

One quarter of Christmas hosts said they will plan a list of topics for the dinner table, the most popular of which are catching up on family gossip, remembering the year's key events, reminiscing about the past, and the cost of Christmas.

The poll did not specify its sample size, when the poll was conducted or the margin of error.