How much do you spend on Christmas?

[Manchester]

So far this year we've spent £750 on Christmas related costs (mostly presents but also food, decorations etc).  We could definitely have spent less, but as we're both in very comfortable positions financially I'm becoming less frugal with my spending.  We buy all our presents from local, small businesses.  It also doesn't help that between us we have 6 siblings, 5 parents, 5 grandparents and 3 nieces/nephews. 

I'd like to know what you all spend to compare if we're mental or about average.

[Affable Bear]

Me and OH split the present buying duties so she buys for her side and I buy for mine, we don’t have any kids yet so I guess this will all change.

I have spent approx £340 on presents which covers my parents, brother and OH plus my mom’s birthday. We are also hosting Xmas this year and have both put aside £60 each for this which may be way too much as family are bringing bits and bobs!

OH has a much larger family and usually buys for 9 plus me, she doesn’t set any hard limits but probably spends about £20 each and maybe £50-100 on me (not sure)

Me - £340 (incl birthday)
OH - £250-£300 (would need to ask)
Xmas food - £120 (budget which may not get used) haven’t bought anything yet!!! 

I would say we are similar to you (maybe higher per person!), there is definitely fat we could trim out of the budget but we love Christmas and as my family live across the UK it’s worth the extra spend to really enjoy the time together.

[nereo]

To be honest, Christmas has always seemed like a net financial win to us

What I mean is:
we don't do extravagant gift buying, and half of the gifts we give our things we make or bake
we get paid time off work
it's a time when we get "free stuff" at work - free food, free booze, sometimes gifts (if we've done particularly well)
our families are very generous and gift us stuff - particularly stuff for DD - even despite our pleas.
so many free and fun events - parades, lights, skating, etc.

[bownyboy]

Tbh we don’t really do presents anymore now that we’re older.

We both have everything we need and if either of us wants something throughout the year we either just buy it (if it’s under £100) or discuss it.

We tend to focus on spending time together or with friends and family, doing experiences , going out for nice meal, panto, gigs etc.

[PoutineLover]

We're probably going to spend about $200 on presents, which includes some individual and some secret Santa. In other years pre secret Santa it would probably be closer to $500. We'll also spend about $200 hosting a Christmas dinner for family, getting a really nice cut of meat and sides and alcohol, but people will also bring lots of stuff and there will be lots leftover. Other holiday spending might include get togethers with friends, but nothing crazy, especially not this year. I'm really looking forward to the time off and the chance to spend some quality time with my pets and fiancé.

[poppydog]

We spend about £1,000 on family presents, and perhaps another £250 on extra food and drink.  Christmas is the biggest event of the year in our family so we push the boat out!

[PhilB]

Tbh we don’t really do presents anymore now that we’re older.

We both have everything we need and if either of us wants something throughout the year we either just buy it (if it’s under £100) or discuss it.

We tend to focus on spending time together or with friends and family, doing experiences , going out for nice meal, panto, gigs etc.

We are hitting this point now.  We still want to give each other presents, but find it harder and harder to come up with anything (other than chocolate!) and really don't want to receive something that we don't need just because it's Xmas.

[Slow road to freedom]

Tbh we don’t really do presents anymore now that we’re older.

We both have everything we need and if either of us wants something throughout the year we either just buy it (if it’s under £100) or discuss it.

We tend to focus on spending time together or with friends and family, doing experiences , going out for nice meal, panto, gigs etc.

We are hitting this point now.  We still want to give each other presents, but find it harder and harder to come up with anything (other than chocolate!) and really don't want to receive something that we don't need just because it's Xmas.

^ this, normally. However 2021 has been a weird year for us, reaching FI and me handing my notice in. Oh, and two older teenagers wanting new phones etc. So we've pushed the boat out and spent c £2k on Christmas this year with the understanding this is a bit of a one-off all round - normally it would be around £300 all in (for gifts), and we have a large family. At least our kids know that gadgets last for years and years.

[Slow road to freedom]

And the spending continues…. It’s turned out to be one of those months already. Chairs in stock now purchased, tyre puncture and deceased tumble dryer on the same day, son’s musical instrument service rather more expensive than expected….

I was planning a ‘lean’ spend period too….

[Nickyd£g]

I save £25 a month to my Christmas Fund so £300. That's for gifts, wrapping, cards, any additional decorations. I also up my food budget and splurge budget to cover the cost of Christmas dinner/nights out plus the extra week before I am paid again.