While most people have finished their Christmas shopping and wrapped all their gifts, some people enjoy the thrill of last-minute shopping and are hitting the stores today.
It’s estimated that 17 million shoppers start their shopping today, according to Consumer Reports. The hot gifts for 2019 are Apple AirPods, Instant Pots, weighted blankets, robot vacuums, Fitbit exercise trackers, and boots from L. L. Bean, among others, as reported by USA Today. Last year, holiday shopping surpassed a trillion dollars and American families spent an average of $1,536 during the season. To finance their spending, 14.2% of Americans sell something they own and 22% expect to go into debt once the credit card bills start showing up in the New Year. According to a survey by Deloitte, just over half of all shoppers pick up a little something for themselves when out shopping for gifts. Of course, Christmas is about much more than gifts, and about 50-60% of Americans attend church on Christmas Eve or Christmas. Even if they don’t attend church, 90% of Americans say they celebrate Christmas in some way, according to Pew Research. About 85% of Americans donate to charities during the holiday season as well, according to a BusinessWire report
