When it comes to our spend on Christmas Gifts for spouses, there aren’t really any hard and fast rules. Some couples don’t exchange gifts at all, while others go all out. A recent survey revealed that the average spend on Christmas Gifts for spouses or partners is £96.64. But there are some wide variations from region to region.
Northern Ireland, it would seem, is home to the most generous spouses and partners with an average spend on Christmas Gifts of £120.72. Meanwhile, this figure falls to £80.40 in the South West of England.
As a part of the survey commissioned by thatsweetgift.com, more than 2,000 over 16s were quizzed about what they spend on gifts, what their most wanted gifts are and what really happens to those unwanted Christmas presents by the gift experts. It is indeed partners who receive the lion’s share of the Christmas gift. Sadly, dad seems to get the short straw with a gift value of just £40.65, whereas mum fares slightly better with presents worth £49.30 piled up under the tree each year.
When it comes to the most desirable Christmas gifts, traditional presents trumped technology with jewellery topping the list for women at 55% and 40% of men stating that they would be happy to receive clothing under the tree this year.
The figures also reveal that on average, Brits buy eleven presents over Christmas and receive just seven in return.
One of the most interesting results from the survey focuses on what we do with those unwanted gifts, with one in five respondents confessed to posting their least favourite presents on eBay, 20% have returned or exchanged a gift without the giver ever knowing and shockingly almost 25% have re-gifted something they have received for Christmas to someone else.
“Christmas is all about giving. And we seem particularly happy to give generously to our spouses and partners. A word of caution though. Be careful what you spend that £96.64 on. You don’t want your gifts ending up resold on eBay!”
– Daniel Chabert Pfefferkorn from thatsweetgift.com
UK regional breakdown of what we spend on spend on Christmas Gifts
| Region | Average Spend on Spouse | Average Spend on Best Friend | Average Spend on Mum | Average Spend on Dad |
| East of England | £81.43 | £24.69 | £47.45 | £33.27 |
| Greater London | £108.15 | £36.64 | £68.44 | £61.30 |
| East Midlands | £103.68 | £25.19 | £52.32 | £40.02 |
| West Midlands | £85.89 | £25.55 | £45.09 | £39.68 |
| North East | £95.34 | £18.64 | £44.90 | £33.16 |
| North West | £93.55 | £22.92 | £46.87 | £39.28 |
| Northern Ireland | £120.72 | £16.46 | £67.78 | £38.58 |
| Scotland | £105.93 | £23.28 | £46.88 | £41.06 |
| South East | £99.54 | £21.62 | £42.57 | £33.95 |
| South West | £80.40 | £21.41 | £40.56 | £32.37 |
| Wales | £107.13 | £22.41 | £51.88 | £42.45 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | £91.47 | £19.21 | £39.85 | £36.90 |
| Overall UK Avg | £96.64 | £24.56 | £49.30 | £40.65 |
| Region | Average Spend on Adult Son | Average Spend on Adult Daughter | Average Spend on Son in Law | Average Spend on Daughter in Law | Average Spend on Grandparents |
| East of England | £81.78 | £75.00 | £30.10 | £33.00 | £18.46 |
| Greater London | £62.34 | £59.14 | £42.13 | £39.90 | £43.05 |
| East Midlands | £61.78 | £52.70 | £25.90 | £25.48 | £23.60 |
| West Midlands | £70.94 | £76.31 | £26.01 | £29.52 | £27.86 |
| North East | £57.94 | £63.96 | £30.88 | £22.47 | £15.85 |
| North West | £61.48 | £65.03 | £35.38 | £28.98 | £24.30 |
| Northern Ireland | £82.31 | £74.63 | £28.52 | £32.40 | £30.53 |
| Scotland | £65.88 | £69.93 | £29.32 | £33.07 | £31.82 |
| South East | £58.27 | £59.52 | £21.97 | £35.93 | £22.63 |
| South West | £56.04 | £68.60 | £29.98 | £31.68 | £23.21 |
| Wales | £69.18 | £61.36 | £43.24 | £44.91 | £26.45 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | £59.73 | £53.28 | £26.39 | £26.81 | £22.95 |
| Overall UK Avg | £64.21 | £64.27 | £30.82 | £26.97 | £23.60 |
