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Do the holidays get better as you get older?

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Best friends with sparklers on Christmas market

Feeling “like a kid around the holidays” isn’t all it’s cracked up to be – just ask the two out of three millennials who actually prefer being grown-ups during the holidays instead.

A recent survey of 2,003 Americans between the ages 25-40 found that 67% enjoy the holiday memories they make as adults more than the ones they have from their childhood.

Even with more responsibility as an adult, three in four said they’re more motivated to do cooking and cleaning around the holidays, and seven in 10 even claimed to enjoy these activities.

Conducted by OnePoll on behalf of State Farm, 57% of those studied look forward to hosting their loved ones during the holiday, much more than they would have otherwise expected.

For many, there are some holiday activities they find surprisingly better as adults than when they were children, like wrapping holiday gifts (71%) or decorating their home (31%).

Results showed that cleaning up after holiday meals (30%) and watching movies or listening to holiday music (28%) are also activities that people are enjoying more in adulthood.

According to the survey respondents, other surprisingly great parts of adulthood are learning new things (50%), staying in on a Friday night (40%) and paying bills (32%).

Six in 10 even agreed that purchasing big ticket items like a car is a fun experience.

Still, being an adult comes with some difficult responsibilities, as 77% agree that being an adult is harder than they thought it would be.

“The most surprising part of adulthood is how much the level of responsibility increases, and so quickly,” one respondent said. “I really took for granted so many things that my mom did for me without even thinking about it.”

Other concerns about adulthood varied from worrying about all of their bills to paying taxes or not being able to see loved ones often enough — which may contribute to why 59% enjoy connecting with their siblings and parents in adulthood more than they thought they would.

In fact, more than three in four respondents said they wouldn’t mind doing mundane tasks with a family member just to spend quality time together (78%).

“There are many aspects of adulthood that seem daunting until we finally accomplish them, like moving into your first apartment or buying a house,” said Victor Terry, State Farm vice president of public affairs. “These big adult activities, and even some of the less obvious ones like getting insurance, can be surprisingly satisfying – particularly when you have surprisingly great rates that fit your budget and an agent in your corner who understands your needs.”

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