Why people are sharing the rubbish beds they have to sleep in when they go home for Christmas

In 2011, when he visited home for the holidays, journalist Rhodri Marsden tweeted out a picture of the single duvet he would be sleeping on.

The duvet was, in his words, "a slightly unpleasant floral number, trimmed with brown and with several ageing soft toys from my and my sister's childhood perched on top". It seemed to strike a chord with many on social media.

As he explained in the Independent the other day:

As many people prepare to visit friends and family, what awaits is unlikely to be the 'perfect' day peddled on TV - a traditional Christmas isn't supposed to feature beds squeezed up against washing machines...

Since that day, each Christmas Eve, hundreds of Marsden's followers tweet pictures of the spare bedrooms, sofa beds and in some cases what we're pretty sure are wardrobes that comprise their Christmas sleeping arrangements.

Here is 2015's inglorious selection:

On the floor of the living room

A giant, inflatable T-Rex

This very floral number

Ancient bedding

Lots of ancient bedding

Lots and lots

Sleeping bags

This bunk bed

This one was an upgrade!

Mildly terrifying

This was probably the best/worst of the lot

Meanwhile, the man who started it all...

Was sleeping in this!

You can see the full selection on Storify here

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