Christmas Shopping Guide 2026
US shoppers spent a record $257.8 billion online during the most recently completed holiday shopping season, per Adobe Analytics, and for the first time ever, most of that spending happened on a phone rather than a computer. This guide covers what actually drives that number, real shipping deadline patterns, when specific gift categories genuinely go on sale, and how to shop the season without falling for an inflated “discount.”
Current Christmas offers and winter sale deals are always live on CouponZania.
- The most recently completed US holiday season hit $257.8 billion online, a record, up 6.8% year over year, per Adobe Analytics.
- Mobile crossed the halfway mark for the first time, 56.4% of online holiday transactions happened on a smartphone, up from 54.5% the year before.
- Shipping deadlines follow a predictable pattern but change slightly every year, ground shipping cutoffs typically land mid December, expedited options push closer to December 22 or 23.
- Toys and electronics go on sale at genuinely different times. Electronics peak around Black Friday and Cyber Monday, toys are often deepest discounted in the 10 days right before Christmas, with a real stock risk tradeoff between the 2 approaches.
- How much people say they’ll spend varies wildly by survey, from roughly $628 to over $1,100 per person, depending on exactly what’s counted as a “holiday” expense.
Adobe Analytics, most recently completed US holiday shopping season (Nov 1 through Dec 31).
Shipping Deadlines: What to Actually Expect
Major carriers typically don’t publish official holiday shipping deadlines until the fall of that same year, so a specific date for this year may not be confirmed yet depending on when you’re reading this. Based on the pattern from recent seasons though, ground shipping cutoffs usually land in the December 17 to 18 range, with 2 day service cutting off around December 22, and overnight or express options holding out until December 23 for Christmas Eve delivery, though the exact cutoff can shift by a day or 2 depending on the specific carrier and service level you’re using.
All 3 major carriers close entirely on Christmas Day itself. If a package absolutely has to arrive before the 25th, express or overnight shipping close to the deadline is the only reliable option once ground shipping’s window has already closed.
How Holiday Spending Has Grown in Recent Years
US online holiday spending has climbed every year in recent memory, from $204 billion in 2021 to $257.8 billion at the most recently completed season, a real, steady climb rather than a single record year that stands out from the rest. That’s genuinely notable given how much the wider retail environment has shifted over the same stretch, inflation, interest rates, and consumer sentiment all moved considerably during those years.
US online holiday season spending by year, Adobe Analytics. Checked August 2026.
The steepest single year jump in that stretch was 2024, up 8.6% from 2023, though the most recent season’s 6.8% growth still comfortably beat Adobe’s own forecast heading into it. Growth has stayed positive every year without exception since at least 2021.
How Much People Actually Spend, According to 4 Different Surveys
Ask “how much does the average person spend on Christmas” and you’ll get a genuinely different answer depending on which survey you check and what it actually counts. The gap isn’t because one source is wrong, they’re measuring different things entirely, gifts only versus gifts plus food, decorations, and other seasonal spending combined, and different survey panels also tend to skew toward different income brackets and regions.
| Source | Reported Average | What’s Included |
|---|---|---|
| Consumer survey (winter holidays) | $627.93 | Gifts only |
| American Research Group | $764 | Gifts only |
| Empower survey | $766.50 | Gifts only |
| National Retail Federation | $890.49 | Gifts, food, decorations, and other seasonal items combined |
| Gallup | $1,007 | Gifts |
| Harris Poll / NerdWallet | $1,107 | Gifts |
Per person planned holiday spending, most recent season, by survey source. Methodology differs between “gifts only” and “total holiday spending” figures.
Treat any single number you see cited as one survey’s estimate, not a universal fact, and check what it actually includes before comparing your own spending against it.
What People Actually Give as Gifts
Per the National Retail Federation’s own survey, clothing tops the gift list at 56% of shoppers planning to give it, followed by gift cards at 44%, toys at 37%, and books, video games, or other media at 31%. Food and candy round out the top 5 at 29%.
Share of shoppers planning to give each gift category, National Retail Federation survey. Other surveys report somewhat different figures depending on methodology.
Personal care and beauty items reached a record 28% of shoppers planning to buy them as gifts, up from roughly a quarter in recent years, a real, measurable shift rather than a marginal change. Tech gadgets, personalized items, and home and kitchen goods round out the categories seeing the most growth in interest this year.
When Different Gift Categories Actually Go on Sale
Electronics see their deepest discounts around Black Friday and Cyber Monday specifically, TVs, laptops, and game consoles among them. See our Black Friday guide and Cyber Monday guide for the real numbers behind that window.
Toys run on a genuinely different clock. The deepest toy discounts typically land in the 10 days right before Christmas, as retailers push inventory they’re worried won’t sell in time, and specifically “hot” toys often get marked down starting a week or 2 out, once it becomes clearer which items are actually moving off shelves and which aren’t.
Gift Cards: The Real Last Minute Option
Gift cards were the single most requested holiday gift category recently, wanted by 53% of shoppers, and 64% of US shoppers bought at least one as a holiday gift. That popularity makes them a genuinely reliable fallback once shipping deadlines have passed.
Nearly 75% of digital gift card purchases happened on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day itself, well past any physical shipping cutoff, confirming they’re the real answer once every other deadline has already closed. Even so, 54% of shoppers still say they prefer a physical gift card over a digital one when there’s time to plan ahead.
Mobile Crossed 50%, and AI Shopping Traffic Exploded
56.4% of online holiday transactions happened on a smartphone during the most recent season, up from 54.5% the year before, the first time mobile has carried the outright majority of holiday online spending. That mirrors a similar shift documented during Amazon Prime Day the same year, part of a broader move toward mobile first shopping during major sale periods generally, not something unique to any single event or retailer.
Traffic to retail sites from generative AI tools grew 693.4% year over year during the same season, a genuinely explosive jump rather than a gradual trend. Shoppers increasingly used AI tools as a research step before buying, comparing options or asking for recommendations, rather than browsing a retailer’s own site from the start, a real shift in how the earliest part of the shopping journey now happens.
The season also saw 25 separate days cross $4 billion in spend, up from 18 days the year before, meaning big spending days are becoming more common and more spread out across the season rather than concentrated purely around Black Friday and Cyber Monday. That spread matters practically too, real deals genuinely show up throughout December now, not just during the opening weekend of the holiday shopping calendar.
How to Actually Shop the Season Well
- Buy electronics during Black Friday or Cyber Monday specifically, that’s genuinely when they’re discounted deepest, not evenly throughout December.
- For popular toys, weigh stock risk against a slightly better December discount, a sold out item at any price beats a deeper discount on something no longer available.
- Confirm the actual shipping cutoff before ordering anything time sensitive, check the carrier’s own current page rather than assuming last year’s date still applies.
- Watch Green Monday, the 2nd Monday of December, historically one of the last reliable windows for standard shipping with guaranteed Christmas delivery.
- Layer a stackable coupon code on top of sale pricing where one exists, check current offers before checkout rather than assuming the sale price is final.
For New Year sale dates once Christmas wraps up, see current New Year sale offers on CouponZania.
The Returns Surge Nobody Plans Around
Between 20% and 25% of everything bought during the holiday season ultimately comes back, roughly 1 in every 4 purchases, and return requests spike 25% to 45% in the days immediately after Christmas specifically. 40% of consumers say they plan to return at least one gift this year, a real reminder that a purchase during the season is rarely the final step in the transaction.
The financial scale is real too, total refund dollars issued between December 26 and January 15 rose 336% year over year in the most recent comparison. If you’re the one giving a gift, keeping the receipt or order confirmation handy is worth doing by default now, not as an afterthought, since a large share of retailers now require it for anything beyond a basic exchange.
After Christmas Clearance: Sometimes the Best Deals of the Whole Year
Holiday inventory doesn’t just get marked down once, it steps down in stages over about a week and a half. December 26 typically brings the first markdowns, often around 50% off, with deeper cuts following as the calendar moves toward the new year, retailers essentially racing to clear seasonal stock before it has to be counted as unsold inventory for the year.
| Timing | Typical Discount | What’s Available |
|---|---|---|
| December 26 | ~50% off | Best selection, items still in full stock |
| December 28 to 31 | 70% to 75% off | Selection thinning, still broad availability |
| Early January | Up to 90% off | Deepest discounts, narrower remaining selection |
Typical after Christmas clearance progression, based on recent seasons at major retailers. Actual dates vary by store.
Genuinely worth knowing, the average discount during after Christmas clearance has run deeper in recent years than either Black Friday or Prime Day. If timing flexibility matters more to you than getting a specific item by December 25, waiting until after the holiday can be the better financial call entirely.
In the UK, Canada, Australia, and several other Commonwealth countries, December 26 carries its own separate name and identity, Boxing Day, historically tied to giving to servants and tradespeople and now functionally the same post Christmas clearance event described above under a different name. If you’re shopping from outside the US, that’s the term to search for rather than “after Christmas sale.”
Frequently Asked Questions
How much did people spend online during the most recent holiday season?
US shoppers spent a record $257.8 billion online during the most recently completed holiday season, per Adobe Analytics, up 6.8% year over year and beating Adobe’s own forecast of 5.3% growth.
When is the shipping deadline for Christmas delivery?
It varies by year and carrier, and official dates typically aren’t published until the fall. Based on recent seasons, expect ground shipping cutoffs around December 17 to 18, 2 day service around December 22, and overnight options holding out until December 23, but confirm the actual current year date on each carrier’s own page.
How much does the average person actually spend on Christmas gifts?
It depends entirely on which survey you check. Gift only estimates range from roughly $628 to $1,107 per person depending on the source, while surveys that include food, decorations, and other seasonal spending report figures closer to $890.
When do toy prices actually drop the most?
Typically in the 10 days right before Christmas, as retailers push inventory they’re worried won’t sell in time. That creates a real tradeoff though, waiting risks a popular item selling out before the discount lands.
Is mobile or desktop bigger for holiday shopping now?
Mobile, for the first time. 56.4% of online holiday transactions happened on a smartphone during the most recently completed season, up from 54.5% the year before, crossing the halfway mark for the first time in the season’s history.
Are people actually using AI tools to shop for Christmas gifts?
Increasingly, yes. Traffic to retail sites from generative AI tools grew 693.4% year over year during the most recent holiday season, suggesting more shoppers are using AI as a research step, comparing options or asking for recommendations, before landing on a retailer’s site.
How many Christmas gifts actually get returned?
Between 20% and 25% of everything purchased during the holiday season, roughly 1 in every 4 items, and return requests spike 25% to 45% in the days immediately after Christmas specifically. 40% of consumers say they plan to return at least one gift.
Are after Christmas clearance sales actually better than Black Friday?
Often, yes, on discount depth specifically. The average discount during after Christmas clearance has run deeper in recent years than either Black Friday or Prime Day, progressing from around 50% off on December 26 to as much as 90% off by early January as remaining inventory clears out.
Are gift cards a good last minute Christmas gift option?
Yes, and a genuinely common one, not just a fallback. Gift cards were the most requested holiday gift category recently, wanted by 53% of shoppers, and nearly 75% of digital gift card purchases happen on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day itself, well past any shipping deadline.
Is Boxing Day the same as an after Christmas sale?
Functionally, yes. Boxing Day, December 26, is the UK, Canadian, and Australian name for essentially the same post Christmas clearance event described as an “after Christmas sale” in the US, with the same general discount progression applying.
What are the most popular Christmas gift categories?
Per the National Retail Federation’s survey, clothing leads at 56% of shoppers planning to give it, followed by gift cards at 44%, toys at 37%, books and media at 31%, and food and candy at 29%. Personal care and beauty items reached a record 28% recently, up from around a quarter in prior years.
Are holiday deals only good on Black Friday and Cyber Monday?
No, real deals now spread across the full season. The most recently completed holiday period saw 25 separate days cross $4 billion in spend, up from 18 days the year before, meaning meaningful discounts show up throughout December rather than only during the opening weekend.
