Christmas Through the Eyes of Gen Z: Joy, Stress, and Spending Habits

The most joyful holiday is around the corner. Everyone is in a rush to buy gifts, organize family spending, and finish job tasks. Indeed, Christmas brings people happiness, joy, and a festive mood. However, it can also cause stress because of extra spending or social media pressure for a “perfect” holiday.

PapersOwl became interested in how Gen Z prepares for Christmas, so we conducted a survey asking different questions concerning Christmas preparation time. This review also includes social media impact, Black Friday sales, and more!

Key takeaways:

Here are some main findings that form Gen Z Christmascore:

• 59% of Gen Z strongly agree that Christmas is the most important holiday.
• 33% of Gen Z have gone into debt because of Christmas spending.
• Gift exchange is the most cherished Christmas tradition for young Americans.
• Social media influences the perception of Christmas for 46% of Gen Z.
• There is a clear sign that Gen Z has grown up, with 23% spending the most on presents for their children.

Well, statistics are quite two-sided. While some go into debt to buy everyone a gift, others cherish gift exchange. Let’s look at several statements more closely to find some golden mean.

The Meaning of Christmas: Stress or Gifts Unless

Many Gen Z members still cherish Christmas, but its significance varies. While 59% consider it the most important holiday of the year, 22% are less enthusiastic, ranking other occasions higher.

Yet, traditions like gift exchanges remain beloved, with 75% favoring this festive activity above others.

With 55% of respondents agreeing to some extent that they feel pressured to buy gifts for everyone in their family, it is no surprise that every third has gone into debt at least once for Christmas spending.

Hopefully, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and other November and early December discounts can still make the holiday affordable.

To further support this point, data shows that sales and discounts influence holiday shopping decisions for 62% of Gen Z.

Family Ties and Obligations

Spending Christmas with family is both a joy and a source of pressure for Gen Z:

• 73% feel obligated to celebrate with family.
• 51% can’t say that the holiday season is not stressful, with many attributing this stress to the pressure of creating the “perfect” Christmas or fulfilling family expectations.

Interestingly, this burden of “perfect Christmas” derives directly from social media and the expectations it poses. Almost half of Gen Z believe social media influences their perception of Christmas.

Moreover, one-third of Gen Z often compare their Christmas celebration to that of celebrities.

It’s a lesser share, but why bother if everyone should live their life? No wonder 8 of 10 Gen Z don’t broadcast their Christmas celebration online. Social media can be a great virus in heads, telling you you’re not enough or your Christmas is not that spectacular.

At PapersOwl, we believe that every celebration is amazing and unique due to the people gathered together and the atmosphere they create with the tiniest accents✨💫

Holiday Spending Habits: A Double-Edged Sword

For 8 out of 10 Gen Z, gifts dominate Christmas expenses.

Interestingly, children are the ones Gen Z spends the most money on for Christmas presents. Thus, financial pressures can weigh heavily:

• 46% feel pressured to spend more than they can afford.

We discovered that 72% keep their total gift spending under $500, but Black Friday and Cyber Monday remain peak shopping periods, with 63% participating in these sales.

In the meantime, 71% agree Christmas has become too commercialized, and almost half feel that social media influences their perception of the holiday, creating unrealistic expectations or encouraging excessive shopping.

Despite these challenges, Gen Z still cherishes traditional elements like baking (59%), decorating (60%), and watching Christmas movies (62%).

Managing Holiday Stress

Holidays aren’t all joy and festivities. For Gen Z, stress management varies widely:

• 16% practice mindfulness or meditation.
• 15% resort to drinking as a coping mechanism.
• 12% admit to procrastination or escapism.
• 8% confess they simply can’t cope with holiday stress.

Along with these numbers, we found that 54% of Gen Z don’t take any days off for Christmas. However, quality rest is one of the best stress relievers. That’s why we strongly recommend you take at least 2-3 day-offs to spend time with family, friends, or yourself. And try doing it with no self-blaming 🙂

Socializing and Celebrating

Despite the prevalence of online communication, Gen Z sees Christmas as a great way to finally meet your closest ones and disconnect for a few days.

Thus, offline traditions are still popular:

• 53% prefer combining online and offline greetings.
• 33% like to host parties.

As you can see, Gen Z still favors in-person Christmas greetings. So be sure to give some real-life credits to Christmas. Everyone would love that!

A Final Look at the Bigger Picture

According to our observation, Gen Z finds creative ways to balance their holiday experience despite financial and social pressures. From setting budgets (53%) to celebrating through meaningful traditions, this generation strives to make Christmas both memorable and manageable. And we totally support you in this striving! 

Wishing you a social media-free and real-life full Christmas from the PapersOwl Team! XOXO

Methodology: Researchers from PapersOwl surveyed 2,000 members of Generation Z to compile this study. Randomly selected participants were asked to discuss their experiences, with no emphasis on a specific gender, ethnicity, or social background.