Want an SMS for xmas?

Some Australians would rather get a text message during the festive season than a Christmas card, according to a survey.

The survey, commissioned by Motorola Australia's Personal Communications Sector (PCS) and carried out by Galaxy Research, found that 70 precent of 16-34 year olds surveyed planned to send text messages this Christmas.

"The survey also found that half of all young Australians would rather receive a fun text message than a Christmas card, with fun messages particularly popular among 16-24 year olds," according to a statement from Motorola.

Nearly half of those surveyed preferred to send text messages rather than talking on the phone. Sixty one percent of 16-24 year old respondents preferred text over talking on the phone, and 67 percent of those living outside capital cities preferring this method of communication.

One in three respondents also intended to take their mobile phone to Christmas parties so that they could take photos, the survey found.