I sleep in a boat in my parents’ backyard at Christmas – it’s not very comfortable, but it’s worth it to be with family

Christmas may be one of the few times of year when you see your extended family, but for Brits who don’t live in a country house, this often means a very cramped home in the run-up to the festive period.

Ryan, 27, a data analyst from Putney, south London, has revealed the lengths he goes to at Christmas to spend time with his close-knit family, where his entire clan of 10 socializes in his parents’ semi-triple room.

“Spacious isn’t the word to describe my family home, but during the holidays relatives from all over the UK come to my parents’ house,” he said.

The data analyst routinely gives up the option of a comfortable bed for other guests and has even slept in the bathtub before.

But last year, Ryan, also an award-winning sailor, took it upon himself as the youngest boy to sleep in his parents’ sailboat in the backyard on both Christmas and New Year’s Day.

Ryan poses asleep in his parents’ boat in the backyard, getting ready for December 25 and January 1

The 27-year-old said: ‘Getting the extended family together has always been our tradition on Christmas Day – and everyone usually spends the night too.

‘We all sit around for Christmas dinner, play games, watch what Christmas special is on TV and generally enjoy catching up with each other.

‘But that comes at a price, as our family now consists of so many siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents and partners, meaning sleeping arrangements are quite limited.’

He admitted: ‘It’s not the most glamorous or comfortable sleeping location, but it’s worth it to spend precious time with my loved ones.’

This is evident from recent research by the sleep technology company Simba revealed that garages, attics and tents are just some of the hilarious holiday sleeping quarters in Britain.

In fact, according to more than 2,000 Brits, bathtubs, Ryan’s previous choice of bed, were on the list of bizarre bedtime spots for Brits to sleep in during the season of goodwill.

The list compiled by the mattress giant includes other funky places to make hay, including storage areas full of boxes and tents in the yard, but some opted to upgrade to campers.

This comes shortly after a young sailor sparked debate after sharing a photo of the ‘shocking’ way he manages to sleep while traveling alone on his yacht.

The exterior of the white sailboat, in the garden of the 3-bedroom semi-detached Putney house

A deeper look inside the boat that Ryan, conveniently an award-winning sailor himself, will call home for a few days over the holidays

Dan, from New York, has been embarking on solo adventures since 2014 and has traveled to the US, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, among others.

He refuses to use autopilot on his yacht and only sleeps 15 minutes at a time when sailing alone.

The man sets up his sails and rudder and then lies there for 15 minutes before his alarm goes off.

Once awake, Dan inspects his surroundings for other boats and debris in the water, checks that his sailing progress is on track, and eats a snack before lying down for a few more minutes.

The self-titled “adventure man” is currently cruising the Bahamas in the Caribbean.