How much do people in France spend on Christmas on average?
The Christmas meal and gifts are the largest expenses, with almost 50% worried about cost
Almost half of people in France are worried about Christmas this year, with the cost the biggest worry
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Nearly half of people in France are worried about the expense of Christmas, as the season approaches, a new poll has found, with the cost of Christmas dinner set to rise, and spending on presents set to drop.
75% of people who are worried say that the cost of the festive season is their biggest concern, especially the cost of food, found the 8th edition of the Cofidis Christmas barometer.
Overall, people in France are set to spend an average of €497 this festive season (2024), €52 less than in 2023, and the lowest budget since 2017 (when the first barometer was taken).
Older people will spend more, with 25-34 year-olds set to spend an average of €323, while people aged 65 and over will spend almost twice as much (€718) in 2024.
Another recent survey, this time by Ipsos, revealed that 28% of respondents feel extra stress in the weeks leading up to Christmas (rising to 31% among 16-24 year-olds). Most are worried about deadlines for buying presents, and controlling the budget.
The Christmas meal
The Ipsos poll (reported by Marie France) found that 20% of people start planning the menu for Christmas Day as early as mid-November. A third (33%) of French people said they are paying close attention to the overall cost of the meal, which is their second-biggest expense after presents, it said.
The cost of a Christmas meal is expected to rise by €12 this year compared to last, and people are expecting to spend less on average on presents this year too (€9 less).
Gift spending
On average, each French person will give seven presents, and spend a total of €323 on them, the Cofidis barometer found.
In contrast, a study by Havas market (reported by Europe 1) suggests that the sharp fall in inflation this year compared to last is encouraging some people in France to increase their spending on Christmas presents this year.
It found that on average, people are planning to spend €261 on Christmas presents, €16 more than in 2023.
The study also found that one in three people in France still prefer to do their Christmas shopping in physical shops rather than online, and less than 20% like to do all their shopping on online sales stores.
The barometer found that some are adopting different strategies to help maximise their Christmas present and food budgets. These include:
Buying during promotional periods, such as planning purchases for Black Friday (37%)
Buying gifts just for children (22%)
Buying only one gift for couples (16%).
Other costs
While the cost of Christmas food may still be a concern, the Cofidis barometer found that just 28% are worried about the cost of fuel over the festive season this year (compared to 59% in 2023), and 20% are worried about the impact of transport disruption on their festive celebrations.
