Nearly three in five U.S. holiday shoppers expect to make financial trade-offs this season, while many are trying to preserve meaningful gifts, shared meals and familiar traditions, according to a new Harris Poll report.
The research, The Holiday Edit, surveyed 1,906 U.S. adults ages 18 and older who expected to buy a gift for themselves or someone else. It was conducted Oct. 8–13, 2026, and released this week, according to the organization’s announcement.
Shoppers plan fewer gifts and more selective purchases
The report found that 59% expected financial trade-offs. In its financial-outlook breakdown, 32% said they would scale back holiday spending to fit their means, 14% expected to rely on credit, installment payments, savings or other resources, and 13% did not expect to spend much on the holidays. Another 35% said they could celebrate as they wanted without major financial trade-offs, while 6% were unsure or preferred not to answer.
Many respondents planned to adjust how they shopped: 59% expected to use rewards or loyalty points to lower spending, 56% planned to wait for promotions, and 51% would spend more on a few meaningful purchases while cutting elsewhere. More than half, 52%, planned to give gifts to fewer people or buy fewer gifts per person.
When asked what they would protect if budgets tightened, 69% selected personal or meaningful gifts, 66% selected gatherings or shared meals, and 65% selected gifts for children. Gifts or treats for themselves were the most commonly selected first cut, at 56%.
Togetherness matters, but celebrations may get smaller
Among respondents expecting to host or attend a gathering, 30% preferred spending on being together rather than exchanging gifts. Another 25% said they were spending more on gatherings because time together felt especially important.
That group also reported ways to reduce the cost and effort: 28% were choosing gatherings close to home, 26% were attending fewer gatherings, and 22% were keeping gatherings smaller. Informal or potluck-style celebrations and simpler or lower-cost menus each drew 28%, while 25% were asking guests to contribute.
Across holiday shoppers, 45% named meaningful time with people they cared about among their top three ingredients for a successful season. Traditions also remained important: 76% agreed that holiday traditions helped them feel grounded when other parts of life were changing.
The emotional expectations could be demanding. Fifty-eight percent said they would do the holidays differently if they did not have to worry about disappointing others, and 54% wished the people they exchanged gifts with would agree to stop buying gifts for one another.
“Shoppers aren’t opting out of the holidays this year: they’re editing them,” Jennifer Musil, global head of research at The Harris Poll, said in the release.
Discount skepticism persists
Although 56% planned to wait for promotions, 79% said sales and discounts were not as good as they used to be. Seventy-two percent agreed that Black Friday and Cyber Monday were more hype than genuine savings.
Large discounts and trusted product quality each appeared among the top three reasons for choosing where to make holiday purchases for 30% of respondents. The lowest final price, including fees and delivery, followed at 29%.
Gift preferences also pointed toward flexibility. A combined 34% preferred gift cards or cash, with 17% selecting each. A shared experience or outing was the largest individual gift preference, at 19%.
The findings describe respondents’ expectations and attitudes, rather than completed holiday purchases. The supplied report does not provide a margin of error or full sampling and weighting details; it directs requests for complete methodology and subgroup sample sizes to its researchers. It provides no separate Finger Lakes or New York results.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to news@fingerlakes1.com.
