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 Shopping Statistics for 2025 - Editor's Choice

• 42% of Americans spent more than $150 on Christmas decorations in 2024.
• More than 82% of US consumers prefer to buy their holiday gifts online.
• Americans spend an average of $123 on their spouses for Christmas.
• The total retail spending on holidays in the US amounted to $282 billion in 2024.
• US consumers spent an average of $902 on Christmas gifts and seasonal items in 2024.

There are around 25-30 million real Christmas trees sold in the US each year.

(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 2024 holiday season, 26% of Americans stated that they planned to put up a real tree for Christmas.

42% of Americans in 2024 spent more than $150 on Christmas decorations.

(Statista)

This was by far the largest percentage of those surveyed, while only 4% stated that they intented to spend no money on decorations.

46% of people have lied about liking a gift.

(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 understand the struggle from the other end and don’t mind lying to protect their loved ones’ feelings.

Women are more compassionate and, therefore, more likely (51.4%) to have lied than men (35.5%). 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.

47.4% of women want to get jewelry for Christmas.

(CensusWide)

For nearly half of the U.S. women surveyed, diamonds are still a girl’s best friend. A slightly lower percentage (46%) would be thrilled to get a weekend break or a holiday. Third on the wishlist are gift vouchers, with 42.2% of women saying they’d be happy to receive some credit at their favorite shop.

All those romantic souls who want to strike an emotional note with a handcrafted gift might be in luck: 35.8% of women would love a handmade present.

32.3% of men want gift vouchers for Christmas.

(CensusWide)

For men, Christmas shopping seems to be a lot simpler. Nearly a third of men want gift vouchers, but only around 20.3% of them actually get them.

Another 32% want clothing for Christmas, but nearly half (45.6%) receive it, suggesting that around 13.5% aren’t too thrilled with their hand-knitted socks from grandma.

Of course, even socks are better than nothing. Nearly a quarter (23.5%) of men probably feel unloved after getting no presents whatsoever for Christmas.

More than 82% of people in the U.S. bought their holiday gifts online in 2024.

(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. 

59% of US consumers shopped in big box stores for Christmas in 2024.

(Numerator)

Conversely, 52% of the surveyed consumers shopped online, and the same percentage shopped in grocery stores.

Facebook served as a source of inspiration for 45% of social-media influenced gift decisions in 2024.

(Statista)

The next biggest platform was YouTube with 41%, , followed by Instagram at 33% and TikTok at 31%.

92% of US households celebrated Christmas in 2024.

(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 shows that 59% of high-income households do their holiday shopping online, compared to around 46% of low-income families.

If we also consider the percentage of middle-income earners who do their Christmas shopping online (53%), we can see a clear pattern emerging.

In 2024, US consumers spent an average of $902 on Christmas gifts and seasonal items.

(NRF)

72% of that number, or $641 was spent on gifts for family, friends and coworkers, while $261 went to other seasonal items. 

Global holiday retail sales reached a record-high $1.2 trillion in 2024.

(Salesforce)

The U.S. holiday retail sales amounted for $282 billion, which represents a 4% increase year-over-year.

Americans spend an average of $123 on their spouses for Christmas.

(CensusWide)

However, this amount is not equal for men and women. In fact, men spend around $20 more on their partners than women do. When it comes to high-end generosity, 12.5% of Americans spend more than $300 on their spouses during Christmas.

On a slightly more depressing note, around a quarter of Americans spend nothing on their adult children, while 35.3% don’t buy anything for their friends.

36% of Americans took on holiday debt during the 2024 Christmas season.

(LendingTree)

Out of those, only 44% planned to take on debt, and the overall average debt was $1,181.

In 2024, some 52% of Americans planned to spend about the same amount for Christmas goods as they did the year before.

(Statista)

The same data shows that 20% spent more than last year, and 25% spent less.

5% of Americans bought their gifts in the week before Christmas in 2024.

(Statista)

Additionally, 2% of respondents purchased gifts on Christmas Eve. Lucikly, some 46% of Americans did their gift purchases before December.

31% of Americans spend their money during the holiday season on completely unplanned purchases.

(Bankrate)

Gen Zers were most likely to make an unplanned purchase, with 70% of the respondents in 2024 claiming so. 

32% of Christmas shoppers bought gifts for themselves in 2024.

(Deloitte)

This was significantly lower than 48% during the 2023 holiday season.

For 60% of holiday shoppers, being able to return purchases easily is important.

(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 value a straightforward return policy when purchasing gifts.

In addition to that, 71% of shoppers feel it’s important the shop offers high-quality products in the first place, while 68% want a large variety of products to choose from.

79% of holiday shoppers considered a brand's environmental commitment important in 2024.

(EnsembleIQ)

This was up from 61% in 2023. Additionally, some 76% of consumers were willing to pay premium for eco-friendly products during the holiday season.

14.2% of Americans say they sell their possessions to fund Christmas spending.

(CensusWide)

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

Some 50% of Americans participated in Secret Santa group giving in 2024.

(Omnisend)

Out of those, some 31% went over the budget for the gifts, with most surveyed wanting their gifts to stand out.