What is the most popular time of the year to propose?

Christmas proposal — Over 40% of men plan to propose over the Christmas period Chillisauce

For those of you who are still looking for a gift for your significant other this Christmas why not just dive right in there and propose instead? Diamonds have become a boy's best friend this year in terms of present giving with over 40% of men wanting to pop the question over the Christmas period.

According to a survey of 10,000 people by chillisauce.co.uk, 33% of men are planning to propose on Christmas Eve as well as another 16% opting for a New Year's Eve surprise making for a glittering season of giving. On the other hand women are remaining far more traditional, with the majority opting for a Valentines Day engagement or on the date that they met.

Those of you who sigh at your Facebook over Christmas due to the onslaught of engagement pictures and ring photographs are not going mad either, as Facebook also released data from the US that showed that Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Eve were the most popular days for people to change their relationship status to engaged.

Logistically speaking it is certainly a great time to do it – with family and friends already gathered to celebrate you can simply add yet another reason to pop some champagne before breakfast.

Sandy Moretta, Director at UK Alliance of Wedding Planners and owner of ternevents wedding planning told chillisauce.co.uk that "Two of the reasons the Christmas season is so magical is due to romance and family, two element which proposals combine so perfectly. So planning a proposal in the winter months makes a lot of sense."

Whilst ideas of romance, family and festive spirit were up there as incentives to get down on one knee, some men also admitted that alcohol may play a role, as well as the fact that the ring would count as a Christmas present so would save money in the long-run.

What was most surprising was that when women were asked how they would like to be proposed to, many chose Instagram and Facebook as the place to be asked. Long gone are the days of engagements being a private affair, nowadays it needs to be broadcast for all to see and, obviously, 'like'. The important to thing to check before doing anything like this though is that they are definitely going to say yes. As Sandy Moretta notes "I think it is unsurprising that techie proposals are on the up as social media, tablets, phones and other gadgets are such a big part of life and communication today."

If you are one of the many gearing up for an extra-special Christmas Eve we have rounded up some of the most beautiful and unexpected engagement rings available at the moment, so even if you're sharing the same idea as everyone else your ring will be totally individual.

You can certainly play with the seasonal festive colours adding touches of ruby or Peridot among the traditional diamond for a more individual and unexpected look. Also there are a number of styles that take the stalwart diamond and set it is a totally new way, twisted ring designs as well as intricate cast settings will ensure that the lucky recipient will have a totally individual style.