• Brits have an average of £55 in unused presents sitting around the house from last year
• Travel, concerts and theatre events tops Brits list of Christmas experiential gifts this year
• Italy named the #1 bucket list destination for 2025
• easyJet holidays 2025 package holidays make it easier than ever to gift your loved ones with memories that will last a lifetime

Research shows the way that Brits gift at Christmas is changing, with almost all (86%) not being able to remember all the gifts they received for Christmas last year.

While as a nation we are expected to spend an average of £321 on gifts each this Christmas, Brits admit to receiving an average of two gifts a year that are unwanted.

Two in five (42%) have admitted to donating gifts to charity they’ve received in the past, with a further third (37%) re-gifting them, or selling them on a resale site such as eBay or Vinted (16%), leading to an average of £55 of gifts being discarded per adult each year.

Instead, 49% would choose a travel or holiday voucher over traditional presents like clothing, gadgets or jewellery, followed closely by concerts (41%), theatre tickets (41%) and a day spa (33%), according to a new survey of 2,000 UK adults by easyJet holidays

Further, one in 10 (13%) would forgo receiving any gifts in favour of family and friends helping top up their travel fund instead.

Half of Brits (50%) cite the reason as wanting to create meaningful memories with loved ones, while 49% have a desire to try something new, and 45% believe an experience gift is more unique.

Looking to the new year, 30% will be setting a goal to travel more in 2025. Of those travelling in the new year, Italy (27%) was named the #1 bucket list destination, followed by Spain (23%) and Greece (22%).

The top 10 experience Christmas presents Brits would like to receive:

1. Travel/holiday vouchers (49%)
2. Concert tickets (43%)
3. Theatre tickets (41%)
4. Day spa (33%)
5. Private dining experiences (19%)
6. Tickets to a sports game (16%)
7. Wine tasting tour (12%)
8. Cooking classes (12%)
9. Outdoor adventure (e.g. rock climbing/canyoning) (9%)
10. Museum membership (9%)

The study also revealed an average spend of £77 per gift this Christmas, with Baby Boomers being the most generous generation, spending an average of £337, and Gen Z spending the least on average (£230).

When it comes to gifting others, many Brits have no idea what to buy for their family and friends, with clothing (48%), food items (46%) and books (44%) the most popular ideas for 2024. And 28% reluctantly putting cash in an envelope.

And the most unwanted gifts this Christmas? Bath sets (41%), bath products (38%), practical gifts such as socks and underwear (30%), and candles (28%)

Paul Bixby, Chief Commercial Officer at easyJet Holidays, said: “As Christmas approaches, it’s interesting to see a shift away from traditional presents previous generations would have received, to gifts that create lasting memories for those who receive them, including holiday vouchers and experiences.

“For those looking to give the gift of travel this festive season, we’re meeting this demand, offering  a range of brilliant holidays at unbeatable prices, with over 7000 hotels in more than 100 beach and city destinations, to ensure your Christmas gift is remembered into 2025 and beyond.”

Showcasing the importance of experiences over material gifts, easyJet holidays hosted a Santa’s Grotto pop-up in December, offering children the choice between a wrapped gift or an envelope with a surprise holiday voucher inside. Eight children chose the envelope meaning their families received a free holiday, creating the most unforgettable Christmas memories.

To see the heartwarming results, check out the easyJet holiday’s social media channels at @easyjetholidays.

For holiday inspiration and to book your 2025 package holiday at the best value, visit www.easyjet.com/en/holidays

-ENDS-

For more information, please contact the easyJet Holidays press office at easyjetholidays@taylorherring.com / 020 8206 5151.

Notes to editors: £2.2bn is based on 81% of British adults who celebrate Christmas and receive unwanted gifts, at an average of £55.40 each year

About easyJet Holidays:

easyJet holidays, which launched in 2019, is one of the major players in the tour operator industry, having taken almost 2 million people away in 2023. It offers great-value beach, city and lakes holidays to over 7000 hotels, in more than 100 destinations across Europe, directly through its website and through over 5000 travel agent partners. The ATOL-protected holidays can be secured with a deposit of just £60 per person, including flights, hotel, 23kg luggage and transfers on beach holidays. easyJet holidays is a member of ABTA, and all packages are covered by its Ultimate Flexibility, offering freedom to change a booking, a refund guarantee, and best price guarantee. In 2024 the holiday provider also started operating from Switzerland, France and Germany. 

Winners of the Sustainable Future Award at the Globe Travel Awards, easyJet holidays’ sustainability strategy, ‘Holiday Better’, focuses on three key pillars –create better holiday choiceswhich is about making sustainable travel affordable and accessible to everyone;keep our holidays specialwhich is maximising the benefits and minimising the negative impacts of travel and tourism, andtransform travel for everyonewhich means embedding sustainability into business decisions and behaviours and driving meaningful change in the industry. The tour operator has partnered with UN Tourism to help develop the first environmental, social and governance (ESG) framework for tourism businesses, co-designing a measurement tool that is meaningful and feasible for better monitoring how tourism businesses impact, and depend on, people, planet and prosperity. 

easyJet holidays has been named one of the Sunday Times Best Places to Work2023 and 2024, as well as being named one of the Best Workplaces in Travel 2023.