20 Incredible Holiday Spending Statistics for 2023

We all have our favorite personal holiday spending statistics.

For instance, we all know someone who flies off the handle during the holiday season, buying tons of different stuff and spending loads of money on everything from gifts to decorations.

Then, we also all have a friend who’s boycotting the spending spree.

To each his own, as they say, but it’s still fun to see just how much people spend on average during the holidays.

Read on to discover more!

Top 10 Holiday Spending Statistics for 2022

• Americans planned to spend on average $998 for Christmas in 2020.
• Online customers spend $14 billion on Black Friday and Thanksgiving.
• Americans spent about $32 on Christmas cards and postage in 2020.
• People spent around $21.6 billion on Easter-related things in 2021.
• The average spending budget this Easter was $179.70.
• In 2019, Americans planned to spend $18.11 billion for Easter.
• Holiday shopping stats show a Lion Mascot costume can cost $3,099.
• Americans spend $4.6 billion on candy before Halloween.
• The most expensive Christmas fruit cake was valued at $1.72 million.
• The world’s most expensive Easter bunny cost $49,000.

Christmas Shopping Statistics

We’ll kick things off with the undisputed king of holiday spending, Christmas.

Let’s see how much people in the US spend on average, compare this with holiday shopping trends from other countries, and shed some more light on the shopping craze starting on Black Friday.

1. Americans planned to spend on average $998 for Christmas in 2020.

(NRF)

Out of that, the biggest retail market in the world — the US planned to spend $650 on gifts, $230 on food and decorations, and an additional $117 on other holiday purchases.

2. Romanians spend 32% of their monthly income on Christmas celebrations.

(World Atlas)

According to Christmas season shopping statistics, Romanians spend the most on Christmas. With 25%, the Chech Republic takes second place, while the UK and US share third place with 15% each.

Fourth place goes to Spain and Italy, with citizens spending 12% of their income on Christmas gifts and other related expenditures, as the Christmas shopping facts show.

3. In 2019, ecommerce spending during the holiday season was 13.1% higher than the year before.

(Adobe)

The same research also revealed some interesting online Christmas shopping statistics.

It showed that consumers spent a staggering $142.5 billion shopping online during November and December 2019, with smartphones driving 84% of the sales.

4. US holiday spending statistics for 2020 show online customers spend about $14 billion on Black Friday and Thanksgiving.

(Forbes)

Marking the beginning of the Christmas shopping craze, Thanksgiving and Black Friday always manage to pump out impressive numbers.

More precisely, online holiday shopping statistics from 2020 state that consumers spent $9 billion online ($7.4 billion the previous year) on Black Friday alone.

Furthermore, they spent $5.1 billion on Thanksgiving Day, which indicates a growth of 21.5% over last year’s numbers.

5. The number of toy and sporting goods shoppers on December 23 and 24, 2019, was 194% and 193% higher than the monthly average, respectively.

(PR Newswire)

Apart from influencing the toy market and trends, last-minute Christmas shopping statistics also state that the average last-minute shopper spent $266 at outlet stores the same year.

Forists also saw the biggest average consumer spending in the two-day period, which grossed at $219, while the average December spend usually hovers around $97, as the last-minute holiday shopping statistics show.

6. Americans spent around $32 on Christmas cards and postage in 2020.

(Statista)

That makes last year the most expensive Christmas from a card-sending standpoint. By comparison, the same budget in 2019 stood at $31 and $28 in 2018.

From 2004 to 2020, the lowest average card budget was in 2004, with only $25.

Easter Spending Statistics

In religious terms, Easter is the most important holiday in Christianity. For most families, it’s as important as Christmas, only with a smaller budget.

So, let’s see how the numbers compare, shall we?

7. People spent around $21.6 billion on Easter-related things in 2021.

(Insider)

Out of that, $3.6 billion was spent on clothes.

Moreover, holiday shopping statistics for Easter suggest that, on average, Americans buy around 180 million eggs for the holiday each year.

8. The average spending budget this Easter was $179.70.

(NRF)

This is the highest budget recorded by the NRF so far. Also, the organization’s annual survey showed that 79% of the US population planned to celebrate the most important Christian holiday.

9. With $2.63 billion, 2018 had the highest planned Easter candy expenditure in the US.

(Statista)

Easter candy sales statistics throughout the years show that 2017, 2018, and 2019 had the highest candy budgets in the 2007–2019 period ($2.58, $2.63, and $2.49 billion, respectively).

On the other hand, the lowest candy budget was in 2009 with $1.81 billion.

10. In 2019, US consumers planned to spend $18.11 billion to celebrate Easter.

(Statista, Easter Egg Hunts and Easter Events)

Consumer holiday spending trends show that, in comparison, this year had a planned budget of $21.6 billion, over $3 billion more. In 2015, the total planned spending expenditure was around $16.4 billion.

11. 21% of the population didn’t plan on celebrating Easter in 2021.

(KBTX)

However, holiday spending statistics showed that out of this 21%, some 52% still planned on going Easter shopping with an average spending expenditure of $21.

Halloween Spending Statistics

Ghouls and goblins also come with a price tag, just like trick or treating. Let us take a closer look at this holiday to see how much money families spend on Halloween, or more specifically, on costumes and candy.

12. 68% of the US population participated in Halloween in 2019.

(Reader’s Digest)

Out of that number, 69% also planned to buy candy, which comes close to half (47%) of the entire US population, according to the holiday spending statistics.

13. A Lion Mascot costume can cost you up to $3,099.

(Town & Country)

You can also get the Decadent Pirate Diva for $250 or the horrifying Peter Rottentail for $438.73.

Looking at it a bit closer, you can see that Halloween shopping facts and figures can also showcase some pretty impressive figures. Also, did you know that a Supreme Edition Iron Man costume for kids costs $899.99?

14. Skittles are the most popular candy for trick or treating, with 3.3 million pounds bought in 2019.

(Reader’s Digest)

Halloween candy sales statistics from the same year also revealed that Skittles are the most popular candy in California.

On the other hand, Reese’s peanut butter cups are the second most popular candy option, with 3 million pounds bought.

15. Halloween holiday shopping numbers from 2020 suggested that overall spending would drop by 8.3% to $8.05 billion.

(The Balance)

However, spending per person was expected to increase, as just a year prior, the average spending per person was $86.27, while 2020 estimates projected it at around $92.12.

16. Holiday spending trends for the US show that people spend $4.6 billion on candy during the eight-week lead-up to Halloween.

(Reader’s Digest)

The data from the NCA also suggests that in 2020, chocolate sales also rose by 4.5 percent following the nationwide lockdown in March.

Holiday Shopping Facts

There will always be some kind of holiday exuberance waiting for us at every special event. Here are some of the most interesting facts and stats about holidays and money spending.

17. 20% of Americans buy holiday presents for their pets, too.

(OppU)

And don’t think these Christmas spending on pets statistics are some millennial thing.

Despite the millennials’ love for splurging on their pets, stats show that 27% of Gen Xers planned on buying their pet a gift, compared to only 22% of millennials.

18. The most expensive Christmas fruit cake was valued at $1.72 million.

(Finances Online)

This extravagant fruit cake was created for a display in a Japanese department store. It took a month to make, but no one dared biting into it as it was decorated with 223 diamonds weighing 170 carats.

19. Fun facts about holiday shopping show that 29 million pet owners splurge on holiday pet costumes.

(MarketWatch)

Most pet owners spend between $25 and $100 on festive costumes for their companions. It may not sound a lot, but holiday retail sales numbers show it accumulates to almost half a billion dollars.

20. The world’s most expensive Easter bunny cost $49,000.

(Huffington Post)

Featuring two solitaire diamonds, the Easter treat also had 548,000 calories, weighed about 11lbs, and stood a foot tall.

FAQ

What holiday has the most money spent?

It might not come as a surprise if we say that Christmas is the most expensive holiday, with an estimated $630 billion spent country-wide.

Roughly, people spend around $805 on themselves, their family, and friends.

Furthermore, around $104 will be spent on food per person, $30 on greeting cards, and about $54 on decorations.

After Christmas, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are the most expensive holidays, followed by Valentine’s Day and Easter.

How much money is spent during the holidays?

On average, consumers plan on spending $998 on items such as gifts, food, decorations, and other holiday-related purchases for their friends, family, and themselves.

Moreover, the NRF consumer survey for Easter 2020 found out that consumers planned to spend an average of $179.70 for the holiday.

The collective spending for Easter alone managed to reach a staggering $21.6 billion.

How much does the average person spend during the holidays?

Holiday spending can vary significantly from event to event. You can see just above, that for instance, during Christmas, the average expenditure per person almost reached $1,000, while for Easter, it was only $179.70.

Also, a total of $27.4 billion was estimated to be spent on Valentine’s Day in 2020 in the US. The average spending budget per person was $196.31, with men spending three times more than women ($291.15 per person).

How much should you budget for Christmas?

It’s up to you. Even if you want to follow statistical trends, you can get caught up and confused when deciding how much to set aside for gifts.

For instance, two different surveys, conducted by Gallup and NRF, came out with two different estimates ($942 and $650 per person).

What we’re trying to say is, you are the one who can determine best how much money you should be spending.

These Christmas spending statistics can even create a degree of peer pressure (just like discussing spending plans with others), but ultimately, your finances should dictate the pace.

What is the most expensive Christmas gift in the world?

According to some sources and Christmas spending facts, the most expensive Christmas gift of all time wasn’t even an actual gift.

As the story goes, Russia’s Catherine the Great got word about a 189.62-carat diamond from India.

She enlisted the help of Count Orlov, her lover, to get it for her. The diamond arrived and became a part of the Imperial Scepter.

While it seemed like Orlov gave the diamond to Catherine as a present for Christmas, in reality, holiday spending stats reveal he didn’t have the money for it.

But this gave Catherine an excellent opportunity to spin the gift story to make a diversion and use the state’s money to get the jewelry.

Conclusion

These holiday spending statistics show quite impressive collective and individual figures.

Some might even say that the amount of money we usually spend on gifts is overkill and can become the central theme of every holiday, running their meaning and spirit.

Whatever the case is, holiday gifts will remain a thing whether we like them or not. If you’re a little tighter with money, you can always dial it back. After all, it isn’t all about the gifts.

Sources

• Adobe
• Annamarie John
• Easter Egg Hunts and Easter Events
• Finances Online
• Finances Online
• Forbes
• Gallup
• Gifts Unwrapped
• Huffington Post
• Insider
• KBTX
• MarketWatch
• NRF
• NRF
• NRF
• OppU
• PBS
• PR Newswire
• Reader’s Digest
• Statista
• Statista
• Statista
• The Balance
• Town & Country
• World Atlas

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