Whether celebrated on December 25 or 24, or whether it’s St Nicholas or Father Christmas who bring the presents, Christmas is celebrated across most of Europe. Whilst originally a Christian holiday, it is celebrated by non-Christians as well, for whom it is more of a cultural event, with each country following their own traditions. European countries enjoy many things in common, however, such as visiting
, exchanging gifts, and sharing a meal. A further similarity is the boost to the retail sector in the so called ‘golden quarter’ over the Christmas period.
Christmas spending in Europe
In Europe, Christmas retail spending was the highest in the United Kingdom over the past years and is expected to reach almost 85 billion British pounds,
surpassing other major European economies like Germany and France. This represented a slight increase on the previous year, despite many worries among consumers about their ability to afford Christmas as a result of the increasing costs of living experienced in 2023. According to a 2023 survey, at least two thirds of consumers in Italy, Germany, France, Spain, and the UK were
planning to make cuts to their holiday season spending on non-food items.
November sales
As well as preparations for Christmas, there is also increased retail activity in November thanks to several sales events, most notably Black Friday, but also the increasingly popular Cyber Monday sale, as well as Singles' Day, which is just beginning to gain some traction in Europe. Over one quarter of consumers in the UK said that they would
definitely shop during November sales events in 2023, with a further 37 percent saying they probably would. These percentages were even higher in Germany and Poland. Consumers in Europe were willing to spend a fair amount during the sales, in France, Italy, and Spain the
average Black Friday budget ranged from 238 to 309 euros.
Gift shopping
These November sales events offer consumers a good opportunity to start buying their Christmas gifts. In Italy, November was the most common
time to start holiday shopping, according to a survey in September 2023. Indeed most consumers in European countries planned to start shopping before December. Some gifts do not have to be purchased however, as in both Poland and the UK, money or vouchers were the
most anticipated gifts for Christmas. Christmas presents can be one of the most expensive outgoings at Christmas, in Spain presents were forecast to
cost almost 350 U.S. dollars, which was more than the Christmas dinner or decorations.
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