How (much) will the Poles spend (on) Christmas in 2023?

Have you ever wondered how Polish people celebrate Christmas? Or, perhaps, it’s not just a matter of how but rather of how much they spend on it?

To better understand the financial behavior and decisions of Polish consumers during Christmas, in November 2023 loan company Provident surveyed 1000 adult Poles. Its findings were published in Provident’s Barometer report. And here is what they say.

How do we celebrate? “Home Alone” or “We're All In This Together”

Traditionally, Christmas is all about togetherness. It's this special time of the year when our friends and family gather around the table to share delicious food, as well as gifts and best wishes for the future.

However, according to the report, that is not necessarily the case any longer.

This Christmas:

• 1 in 5 – of surveyed Poles plans to go to visit family this Christmas,
• 1 in 10 – will invite guests to stay with them,
• 58% – of Poles plan intimate celebrations just with the closest household members.

Who expects to receive gifts?

“On the first day of Christmas, my good friends brought to me…” go the first verses of the popular carol “Twelve Days of Christmas”.

And look, nobody in Poland expects to receive a gift for twelve days in a row, as in the song, because… well, first of all, Christmas doesn’t really last twelve days. And secondly, we Poles are practical folk: and how does one go about obtaining a “guardian angel?”

So no, Polish people don’t expect miracles for Christmas, but still, according to the data, we are looking forward to receiving gifts:

• 57,6% – of respondents expect a gift this year,
• 19,7 % – of them are positively convinced they will find one under the Christmas tree.

The most sure of getting a Christmas goodie are responders aged:

• 18-24 – 70% of them
• 55-64 – 62,5%
• 65+ – 61,1%

What do Poles expect to eat during Christmas?

Traditional Polish cuisine is something near and dear to many Polish people. This is particularly true for Christmas Eve, when there are certain plates without which Christmas wouldn’t feel quite right.

The research indicates that:

• 48,7% – of Poles can't imagine a Christmas Eve table without borscht with “uszka” aka "baby dumplings" stuffed with mushrooms (and sometimes, with meat, too)
• 46,2% – anticipates tasting Christmas dumplings (the normal ones, not the abovementioned baby ones)
• 40% – nearly that many responders expect to eat carp – a fish in Poland almost synonymous with Christmas.
• 1 in 4 – of the surveyed declared that a vegetable salad is a Christmas must-have.

How much money will the Poles spend on Christmas?

Polish people love celebrating Christmas. And while Christmas is all about the joyful spirit and togetherness, unfortunately, there is a price tag attached to such celebrations.

And the price can be quite high, too. The costs are related not only to the gifts we exchange but also to the price of the Christmas tree and decorations, travel costs, not to mention all the food and beverages we consume.

According to the data on average we want to spend:

• 747 PLN – on Christmas gifts. Men will spend 813 PLN and women 682 PLN
• 969 PLN – on other costs. Men will spend 1107 PLN and women 820 PLN

This amounts to 1716 PLN, which is a significant increase from the previous year when the Christmas budget required around 1259 PLN. Therefore, Polish people will spend on average 457 PLN more on Christmas than they did in 2022.

Sources:

Barometr Providenta: święta kosztują Polaków coraz więcej