With this Christmas Day predicted to be the busiest ever for online shopping, church leaders have criticised the new level of commercialisation entering the Christian celebration.
Former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey
warned: "Christmas Day is a time to be together with the family, to focus on the children and to have a great time together. This day is precious. We are in danger of the gadgets taking over our lives and we are not in control of them."
Nearly 1.5m people are expected to log on during Christmas Day looking for online bargains, according to the
Telegraph.
New owners of tablet devices given as Christmas presents are expected to fuel the surge, with the peak anticipated between 1pm and 2pm, a time when families could be expected to be sitting down to Christmas lunch.