Christmas 2025 will be a different kind of celebration, more sober and measured than in previous years. Italian families, squeezed between inflation and widespread price increases, are reconsidering their habits and rethinking their holiday budgets, seeking a balance between tradition and the need to contain spending.
Estimates of total spending paint a clear picture: the average family spends around € 1,085, which includes gifts, food, decorations, travel and social gatherings. This is a significant amount, but its composition has changed compared to previous years. Gifts, for example, have seen a clear decline: total spending stands at around € 8.7 billion, and the per capita budget has fallen to just over € 200, a drop of nearly 20%. Many people explicitly state that they want to buy fewer gifts or opt for cheaper and more useful products.
Holiday lunches and dinners are also affected by the situation. The average expenditure per person is expected to be around € 64, and the national total amount for Christmas banquets is lower compared to the previous year. The increase in food prices in recent years has had a significant impact: between 2021 and 2025, price rises have reached almost 25%, with even greater increases for fruit, vegetables, dairy products and eggs. Faced with this scenario, many Italians are choosing to reduce waste, give up some excesses or opt for simpler solutions.
Despite everything, December remains a month of consumption, thanks in part to the thirteenth month's salary, which brings a little breathing space to families' pockets, not only for gifts but also for small treats, dinners out, shows or purchases for the home. It is a more pragmatic Christmas, where people try to keep the spirit of the festivities alive while being more careful with their spending.
Where spending shows no sign of decreasing is in the travel sector. It is estimated that around ten million Italians will spend at least one night away from home during the holidays, with an average budget exceeding € 400, up by more than 30% compared to last year. Despite increases in the tourism sector, the desire to allow oneself a few days off remains strong: a weekend in the mountains, a short holiday, an escape from routine become a real gift to oneself for many.
The result is a more fragmented Christmas than in the past: less focused on abundance and more oriented towards experiences, moments to share, sustainable or practical gifts, sometimes homemade. It is a Christmas that renounces some excesses but not the desire to be together. The choice is no longer between 'saving' or 'celebrating', but between how to make the holiday meaningful by adapting it to the times.
Christmas 2025 will therefore be a Christmas of balance, more essential but no less heartfelt. A Christmas that invites us to focus on what really matters: the value of acts, not their price.