How Much Should You Save Each Month for Next Christmas?
Turn your gift, food and travel total into a monthly target you can start before December shopping.
Save about $74 each month for 12 months for a typical Christmas. To cover gifts alone, save about $65 each month across the year. A Christmas sinking fund is cash set aside each month for gifts, food, travel and decor.
The National Retail Federation found shoppers planned nearly $900 per person for those winter costs in its winter holiday spending release. Gallup found average gift plans of $778 in November in its November holiday spending poll.
Verification note: Program terms and availability can change. This page was checked against linked sources on November 03, 2026.
What does a typical Christmas cost?
That $74 figure covers gifts, food, decorations and seasonal items together. The gift-only $65 figure leaves travel, food and decor out. Deloitte researchers, as reported by MediaPost, put average household holiday spending at $1,595 in 2025.
Spread over 12 months, that equals about $133 per month. Use per-person costs if you buy for yourself and one household. Use the household figure if you host, travel or buy for many people.
How do you turn your total into a monthly amount?
List your own gift, travel, food and decor totals. Subtract money already saved, then divide by months left before you shop. For example, The Income Tracker shows the same math by paydays.
A £600 plan with £150 saved and three paydays left needs £150 per payday. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau advises savers to set a dollar goal and calculate the monthly amount in its guide to saving automatically. Move that amount on payday so holiday money builds before December.
- Write your total holiday cost in dollars.
- Subtract cash already set aside for holidays.
- Divide only by paydays before you start shopping.
What if you start late?
Starting in November changes the math fast. An $890 plan with two months left needs about $445 per month. LendingTree found 37 percent of consumers took on holiday debt averaging $1,223.
Parents with children under 18 reached 48 percent with $1,324 in average debt. A smaller gift list, shared meals and free decor lower the target. Put any amount aside now to shrink December charges.
How do you keep holiday savings separate?
Keep Christmas cash in a separate savings account. Schedule an automatic transfer for the day after payday. Survey averages shift with economic confidence and carry sampling error.
Gallup cited about plus or minus $68, while NRF cited about plus or minus 1.1 points. Use your own gift, travel, food and decor totals instead of the national average. Pick your total tonight, divide by paydays left, and move the first amount tomorrow.