This year, Portuguese people plan to spend around €300 euros on purchases for the Christmas period, an increase of 39 percent compared to the previous year, on average €83 more. This figure includes gifts, groceries and seasonal decorations. In 2020, the estimated value was around €216.

Portuguese between 34 and 54 years old are those who intend to spend the most this Christmas, at around €390, according to data from Cetelem. The youngest, between 18 and 24 years old, are those who intend to spend the least, on average €150, but they are the ones who intend to allocate most of their money on buying gifts (74 percent).

According to the Cetelem data, the largest portion of the average Christmas budget will be dedicated to buying gifts, €147, an increase of 24 percent compared to 2020 – with €56 being reserved for gifts for children.

Food and drink for the celebrations will represent an average spend of €140, an increase of 59 percent compared to the previous year. Christmas decorations is where the last amount of money is going to be spent, averaging just €12, with many Portuguese revealing that they are going to reuse Christmas ornaments (44 percent); reuse their artificial tree (36 percent) and even make their own decorations (7 percent).

When it comes to regions, it is in the south of Portugal that the most money is expected to be spent on Christmas, averaging around €415, of which 49 percent will be allocated to groceries and 46 percent to gifts. Then, residents in the Porto Metropolitan Area intend to spend around €327, with more than half (51 percent) being spent on groceries.

The study found that 88 percent of Portuguese respondents will offer gifts this Christmas. On average, they will give a gift to six people and spend an average of €26 per gift (+4€ compared to the previous year). In 2021, at the top of the list of gifts that the Portuguese intend to give are wines or other beverages (66 percent). Gifts related to clothing and accessories this year take second place, with 63 percent of Portuguese people thinking of offering gifts within this category. In third place are chocolates (62 percent), followed by toys (61 percent) and finally perfumes, make-up and wellness kits finish the top 5 (53 percent).