Holiday shopping 2025: What Americans buy, spend, and value at Christmas

Key Findings

• 53% of Americans bought gifts last Christmas, led by Baby Boomers at 60%.
• 79% of Americans actively look for holiday discounts when buying gifts.
• 59% shopped in-store for holiday gifts, peaking at 63% among Gen X.
• Gift cards are given by 39% but only 10% actually want to receive them.
• Baby Boomers are the biggest spenders, with 12% spending $1,000 or more on holiday gifts.

With the Christmas 2025 shopping season approaching, brands and marketers need to understand not just what Americans buy, but when, why, and how those decisions differ across generations. YouGov Profiles data reveals that while holiday gift buying trends remain strong, consumers vary widely in how they engage with traditions, shop for others, and respond to marketing efforts. Successfully converting holiday shoppers this year will perhaps require tailoring strategies to generational motivations and Christmas marketing campaigns.

Christmas activities: social gatherings and traditions across generations

Gift-giving remains central to Christmas, with just over half of Americans (53%) reporting they bought gifts for others last year. Baby Boomers (60%) and Gen X (56%) were the most active gift buyers, while Gen Z were the least likely, at 44%. Socializing with family and friends is also a key aspect of the season. One-third of Americans (34%) attended a Christmas party at a friend’s or family member’s home, with Gen Z the most likely to participate (37%). Around three in ten Americans (30%) also shared a holiday meal with friends, a behavior consistent across generations and reinforcing that food-related occasions remain universal ground for seasonal messaging.

Shopping for themselves or their household outside of gift-giving was another common seasonal activity, with 24% overall taking advantage of sales, led by Millennials (27%) and Gen X (26%). This group of “self-gifters” represents an important segment for brands promoting deals and limited time offers outside of traditional gifting categories. Travel played a smaller role overall, with just over one in five Americans (21%) traveling to see family and friends during Christmas. However, Millennials and Gen Z were more likely to do so (23% each) than older generations, suggesting hospitality, transport, and experience-led brands should skew younger in their festive targeting.

Traditional elements still feature in holiday celebrations. A fifth of Americans (20%) attended an in-person religious service, with Baby Boomers and Gen Z reporting the highest attendance at 23% each. Greeting cards remain more popular among older generations, as nearly three in ten Boomers (29%) sent them, compared to just 13% of Gen Z. Charitable activities also saw generational variation, with 16% of Boomers participating in donations or volunteering, compared to 7% of Gen Z.

Leisure activities such as going to the cinema (11%) or visiting Christmas markets (8%) were more common among younger adults. Gen Z were also the most likely to go ice skating (6%), while virtually no Baby Boomers did so. Office holiday parties were most prevalent among Millennials (14%) and Gen X (12%).

When Americans shop for Christmas

The most popular time for Christmas gift shopping last year was late November through early December. Nearly one in three Americans (29%) shopped during this period, led by Baby Boomers (33%) and Gen X (30%). Shopping throughout the year was less common (20%), especially among Baby Boomers (29%) and Gen X (26%), while just 10% of Gen Z spread their shopping over the year.

Younger consumers were more responsive to seasonal discounts. Black Friday and Cyber Monday were particularly popular with Gen Z (18%) and Millennials (17%), both of whom were more likely than older adults to shop during major sales events. Few Americans shopped on Christmas Eve or after the holiday (4%), though Gen Z were more likely to delay shopping — 11% said they shopped the week before Christmas.

What Americans give vs. What gifts they want to receive

Among those who participated in gift-giving last year, clothes or shoes were the most commonly purchased gifts, bought by 53% overall. Toys and games followed at 41%, with Millennials leading at 48% compared to just 35% of Gen Z. Vouchers and gift cards were also common gifts, purchased by 39% of Americans, though Baby Boomers stood out as the most likely to buy them at 52%. Food and snacks were given by a third of people (33%), while 28% said they purchased books. Other categories played a smaller role, such as health and beauty products (27%), jewelry (21%), consumer electronics (18%), and video games (17%). 

Generational differences were clear: Gen Z leaned toward jewelry (24%) and video games (20%); Millennials stood out in buying health and beauty products (30%), and Gen X led in consumer electronics gifts (21%).

When it comes to receiving gifts, preferences shift. Clothes or shoes topped the list again, with 37% of Americans wanting them, led by 43% of Gen Z. Books are the second most desired gift (22%), followed by food and snacks (21%). Video games are much more polarized. Only 14% overall say they want them, but this share increased to 26% among Gen Z, compared to just 3% of Boomers. 

Gift cards reveal one of the biggest mismatches between giving and receiving: while 39% give them, only 10% want them. Health and beauty products are wanted by 15% of Americans, most popular among Gen Z at 19%. Baby Boomers are distinct in their preferences — 34% selected “other” as their top choice, compared to only 12% of Gen Z, suggesting perhaps older adults lean more toward personalized or less conventional gifts.

Where and How Americans Buy Gifts

Despite the rise of e-commerce, in-store shopping remained the dominant method for holiday purchases last year, with 59% of Americans buying gifts in physical stores. This trend was consistent across age groups but peaked among Baby Boomers (61%) and Gen X (63%).

Online shopping also played a major role, particularly through mobile phones (49%). Millennials were most likely to shop via mobile (60%), followed by Gen Z (50%). Baby Boomers were less likely to use phones (32%) but were the most likely than the other generations to shop online via computer (43%). Tablets were more common among older generations, especially Boomers (14%).

Advertising’s role in holiday shopping and shifts in spending

Advertising influences a minority of consumers, but generational differences stood out. About 30% of Americans say advertisements inspire them when buying gifts, with higher rates among Gen Z (34%) and Millennials (35%). By contrast, Baby Boomers are less inspired by advertisements (22%).

This resistance to advertising among older consumers suggests that marketing efforts may be more effective when targeting younger shoppers.

Spending behavior is evenly split. About 30% of Americans say they spent more on gifts compared to the previous year, while 32% disagree. Younger generations are more likely to report increased spending — 36% of Gen Z and 33% of Millennials say they spent more.

The search for discounts and holiday spending patterns

Price sensitivity remains high during the holiday season. Nearly four in five Americans (79%) say they actively look for discounts when buying gifts. This behavior is strong across generations.

Spending levels showed significant variation by generation. Gen Z has the highest concentration of low spenders, with 37% having spent under $100. Nearly a fifth of Millennials (19%) also say they spent less than $100 last year, with 17% spending in the mid-range between $100 to $199 and another 17% saying they spent $200 to $299. 

Baby Boomers stood out for high-end spending. One in eight reported spending $1,000 or more (12%), and a further 21% spent between $500 and $999.

Holiday Travel Behavior

Travel during the Christmas period was limited overall, with three-quarters of Americans (75%) not traveling anywhere over the holidays. Younger generations were more mobile than older ones, with about a quarter of Gen Z (25%) and Millennials (24%) traveling domestically, compared to fewer than one in five Baby Boomers (17%). International travel was uncommon across the board, with just 4% of Americans traveling abroad. For travel, hospitality, or experience brands, this signals that domestic short trips and local getaways are more commercially viable targets than aspirational long-haul positioning, particularly when messaging is aimed at younger age groups.

Methodology: YouGov Profiles is based on continuously collected data through rolling surveys, rather than a single limited questionnaire. Figures are drawn from responses collected between September 2024 and September 2025, using a 52-week dataset updated weekly. Data is nationally representative of adults (18+) in the US and weighted by age, gender, education, region, and race.

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