If your holiday budget feels a little tighter this year, you're in very good company. Canadians plan to spend an average of $911 this season, down from $975 last year, according to the Retail Council of Canada's annual survey with Leger. Deloitte Canada's outlook is even starker, putting per-person holiday spending at its lowest level since that survey began. South of the border, Americans expect to spend a bit more, but Deloitte's U.S. survey found that 79% of shoppers are bracing for higher prices, so much of that increase is simply things costing more.
Here's the interesting part. People aren't giving up on gifting. They're getting choosier about it. Gifts for others now make up 86% of Canadian holiday budgets, up from 79% last year, which means we're quietly trimming the treats for ourselves and protecting the presents for the people we love. Shoppers are starting earlier, comparing more, and leaning toward gifts that will still be in use come February.
That shift explains almost every trend below. The gifts winning this season are the ones that feel chosen rather than grabbed: an upgrade to something used every day, a small object that brings real comfort, an experience that becomes a memory, or the exact thing someone has been hinting about since summer. We've broken this year's biggest trends down by who you're shopping for, with one standout gift for each, so you can stop scrolling and start checking names off your list.