TK Maxx commissioned an exclusive survey to unwrap the gifting habits of the UK and to determine the UK’s gifting habits for all occasions, from engagements to birthdays and Christmas.
The survey first reveals the occasions that are most likely to inspire us to invest in presents for our loved ones, and the top gift purchased. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Christmas boats the most expensive annual gift spend, coming in at just under £100:
| Occasion | Average gift spend (annual) | Top gift purchased | |
| Christmas | £95.40 | 55% | Food |
| Birthday | £57.60 | 41% | Food |
| Anniversary | £64.10 | 43% | Flowers |
| Other Religious holidays | £87.80 | 44% | Food |
| Mother’s Day | £39.50 | 63% | Flowers |
| Father’s Day | £45.10 | 40% | Food |
| Engagement | £75.10 | 51% | Gift cards or cash |
| Wedding | £79.40 | 59% | Gift cards or cash |
| New baby | £43.20 | 62% | Clothing & accessories |
| Housewarming/New home | £60.40 | 43% | Home furnishings & accessories |
Did we splurge this Christmas?
The cost-of-living crisis has dominated headlines in 2022, with the financial strain of many households becoming increasingly challenging. With this in mind, it is fair to assume that our ability to gift as generously as we may have done in previous years may be impacted.
On average, over half (56%) of survey respondents admit they expect to spend less on Christmas presents this year, which is predominately due to the increased cost of living. Overall, 62% of women said they intended on spending less this festive season, whereas only 49% of men said the same.
Despite Christmas being one of the most loved and anticipated holidays, it may be surprising to learn 37% have been preparing since the summer, as they refrained from splurging throughout the year to save for the festive season. Unfortunately, this excitement isn’t felt by everyone, as 36% of survey respondents revealed they were “dreading” Christmas due to the high expenses involved. Even so, 58% of us agree that despite the increased costs involved, “family/kids” comes first and should not miss out this Christmas.
So, how can families still embrace the traditions of Christmas without overspending? One modern gifting trend, which has arguably held a bad reputation for many years, is the “regift.”
Regifting
We’ve all shared this experience: you excitedly open a present, only to discover you either already own it or, quite frankly, hate it. Although the idea of regifting such an item may seem like an ungrateful thing to do, this is not the reality and recipients shouldn’t feel guilty or awkward about doing this. In fact, there are many positive reasons for regifting, including:
41% of those surveys say they have regifted a present and a further 19% have considered regifting but never done it themselves. If your New Year’s Resolution is to reduce waste and be more sustainable, then regifting the bath set your aunt insists on buying you every Christmas instead of letting it sit in the bathroom or be needlessly thrown away, is the perfect way to do this. As the saying goes, one man’s trash isanother’s treasure.
