Christmas Spending Statistics: Deck the Halls with Boughs of Money

Christmas is one of the biggest and most significant holidays in the U.S. This is the time of the year when people get together, enjoy some good old family time and, of course, spend copious amounts of money.

To gain a better understanding of how much Americans spend and why, we’ve compiled a list of some of the most important Christmas spending figures.

Key Christmas Spending Statistics for 2026 - Editor's Choice

• 46% of Americans spent more than $200 on Christmas decorations in 2025.
• More than 93% of US consumers prefer to buy their holiday gifts online as of 2026.
• Americans spent an average of $142 on their spouses for Christmas in 2025.
• The total retail spending on holidays in the U.S. reached a record $1.12 trillion in 2025.
• U.S. consumers spent an average of $985 on Christmas gifts and seasonal items in 2025.

There were around 25-30 million real Christmas trees sold in the US in 2025.

(Statista, National Christmas Tree Organization)

Although fake Christmas trees are becoming more and more popular, for many Americans, nothing beats the real thing. Not only do they look better, but they’re also fully biodegradable and support American business. During the 2025 holiday season, 28% of Americans stated that they planned to put up a real tree for Christmas.

46% of Americans in 2025 spent more than $200 on Christmas decorations.

(Statista)

This was by far the largest percentage of those surveyed, while only 3% stated that they intended to spend no money on decorations in 2025.

48% of people lied about liking a gift in 2025.

(CensusWide)

Choosing the right present for someone is no easy task, especially when we’re talking about buying gifts for loved ones. Fortunately, nearly half of Americans understood the struggle from the other end and didn’t mind lying to protect their loved ones’ feelings.

Women were more compassionate and, therefore, more likely (53.1%) to have lied than men (38.2%) during the 2025 season. With a high chance that they’re lying to protect your feelings, you’ll never really know if you’ve got the right gift for your better half.

49.2% of women wanted to get jewelry for Christmas in 2025.

(CensusWide)

For nearly half of the U.S. women surveyed, diamonds were still a girl’s best friend. A slightly lower percentage (47%) would have been thrilled to get a weekend break or a holiday. Third on the wishlist were gift vouchers, with 44.5% of women saying they’d be happy to receive some credit at their favorite shop.

All those romantic souls who wanted to strike an emotional note with a handcrafted gift might have been in luck: 37.2% of women would have loved a handmade present.

34.1% of men wanted gift vouchers for Christmas in 2025.

(CensusWide)

For men, Christmas shopping seemed to be a lot simpler. Nearly a third of men wanted gift vouchers, but only around 21.8% of them actually got them.

Another 33% wanted clothing for Christmas, but nearly half (47.2%) received it, suggesting that around 14.2% weren’t too thrilled with their hand-knitted socks from grandma.

Of course, even socks were better than nothing. Nearly a quarter (22.1%) of men probably felt unloved after getting no presents whatsoever.

More than 87% of people in the U.S. started their holiday shopping by Thanksgiving weekend in 2025.

(Omnisend)

The number of holiday shoppers spending online is increasing every year, which isn’t all that surprising. There are numerous benefits to online shopping; it’s fast, easy, and allows you to avoid massive crowds. 

62% of US consumers shopped in big box stores for Christmas in 2025.

(Numerator)

Conversely, 55% of the surveyed consumers shopped online, and 54% shopped in grocery stores.

Facebook served as a source of inspiration for 42% of social-media influenced gift decisions in 2025.

(Statista)

The next biggest platform was TikTok at 39%, which saw a massive surge, followed by Instagram at 35% and YouTube at 32%.

92% of US households celebrated Christmas in 2025.

(Numerator)

This was up 1% compared to the year before, making Christmas easily the most celebrated holiday in America.

High-income households are more likely to shop online for Christmas gifts.

(Deloitte)

A high-income household is defined as one that earns more than $100,000 per year, while low-income households earn less than $50,000. Research from 2025 shows that 64% of high-income households did their holiday shopping online, compared to around 49% of low-income families.

If we also consider the percentage of middle-income earners who did their Christmas shopping online (57%), we can see a clear pattern emerging.

In 2025, US consumers spent an average of $985 on Christmas gifts and seasonal items.

(NRF)

$692.40 of that spending went toward gifts for family, friends, and coworkers, with the rest on other seasonal items.

Global holiday retail sales reached a record-high $1.32 trillion in 2025.

(Salesforce)

The U.S. holiday retail sales accounted for $315 billion, which represented a 5.2% increase year-over-year.

61.2% of people in the U.S. used smartphones to complete their holiday gift purchases in 2025.

(Adobe Analytics)

For the first time, mobile devices have become the primary way Americans buy their gifts, surpassing desktop computers during the holiday rush.

Americans spent an average of $142 on their spouses for Christmas in 2025.

(CensusWide)

However, this amount was not equal for men and women. In fact, men spent around $25 more on their partners than women did. When it comes to high-end generosity, 14.1% of Americans spent more than $300 on their spouses during Christmas 2025.

On a slightly more depressing note, around a quarter of Americans spent nothing on their adult children, while 34.2% didn’t buy anything for their friends.

39% of Americans took on holiday debt during the 2025 Christmas season.

(LendingTree)

Out of those, only 46% planned to take on debt, and the overall average debt rose to $1,348.

In 2025, some 54% of Americans planned to spend about the same amount for Christmas goods as they did the year before.

(Statista)

The same data shows that 22% spent more than last year, and 24% spent less.

6% of Americans bought their gifts in the week before Christmas in 2025.

(Statista)

Additionally, 3% of respondents purchased gifts on Christmas Eve. Luckily, some 48% of Americans did their gift purchases before December.

34% of Americans spent their money during the holiday season on completely unplanned purchases in 2025.

(Bankrate)

Gen Zers were most likely to make an unplanned purchase, with 74% of the respondents in 2025 claiming so. 

35% of Christmas shoppers bought gifts for themselves in 2025.

(Deloitte)

This was slightly higher than the 32% recorded in 2024.

For 64% of holiday shoppers, being able to return purchases easily was important in 2025.

(Deloitte)

There’s nothing worse than watching that special someone put on a fake smile after receiving an unwanted Christmas gift. That’s why more than half of Americans valued a straightforward return policy when purchasing gifts.

In addition to that, 74% of shoppers felt it was important the shop offered high-quality products in the first place, while 70% wanted a large variety of products to choose from.

82% of holiday shoppers considered a brand's environmental commitment important in 2025.

(EnsembleIQ)

This was up from 79% in 2024. Additionally, some 78% of consumers were willing to pay a premium for eco-friendly products during the holiday season.

15.1% of Americans said they sold their possessions to fund Christmas spending in 2025.

(CensusWide)

Although this might seem like extreme behavior, it’s actually a much better option than some other alternatives.

Some 52% of Americans participated in Secret Santa group giving in 2025.

(Omnisend)

Out of those, some 34% went over the budget for the gifts, with most surveyed wanting their gifts to stand out.

The use of Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) services surged by 18% for Christmas in 2025.

(Adobe Analytics)

The total spending via BNPL apps reached $10.4 billion during the holiday season.

22% of consumers used Generative AI tools to find gifts in 2025.

(Salesforce)

This represents a significant shift in how tech-savvy consumers navigate the overwhelming number of options available during the December rush.

38% of Gen Z and Millennial consumers prioritized "experience gifts" in 2025.

(Deloitte)

This shift toward "memories over materials" is fundamentally changing the inventory requirements for major retailers.