Holiday Shoppers Plan Bigger Budgets, Fewer Gifts.

U.S. consumers plan to spend more during the 2026 holiday season, but much of the increase will go toward food, decorations, dining and entertainment rather than traditional gifts, according to a new survey from JLL.

Americans expect to spend an average of $1,243 on the holidays this year, a 9.7% increase from last year and nearly back to the level recorded two years ago, JLL said. The increase follows a 2025 holiday season in which consumers trimmed spending.

The growth is being driven primarily by spending outside of traditional gift purchases. Consumers plan to increase spending on food and decorations by 16%, while spending on entertainment and dining out is expected to rise 17.3%.

Gift spending, by comparison, is expected to increase just 3.1%. Gifts now represent 48.1% of consumers’ total holiday budgets, slightly less than last year.

“Budgets are back, but the extra money is going to the celebration, not the presents,” JLL said in its report.

Enclosed malls were the only shopping channel to gain popularity in JLL’s survey. Some 55.3% of consumers said they plan to visit an enclosed mall this holiday season, up from 49.9% last year.

Online delivery remains the most popular shopping channel, with 80% of consumers planning to use it, although that figure is down from 83.9% last year. Pickup-oriented shopping channels also declined.

Consumers who plan to visit malls also expect to spend more. Their average holiday budget is $1,357 vs. $1,101 for consumers overall. Mall shoppers plan to spend an average of 67 minutes on their visits vs. 48 minutes for other shoppers, and plan to visit about six stores.

Food and beverages are another important component of holiday shopping trips. JLL found that consumers who regularly purchase food or drinks while shopping also tend to have significantly larger holiday budgets.

Only 13% of shoppers said they will not purchase food or beverages during their shopping trips. Meanwhile, 20.8% said they plan to buy something on every trip, up from 12.2% last year, while another 21.4% expect to make such purchases frequently.

Consumers who plan to purchase food or beverages on every trip have an average holiday spending budget of $1,909 vs. $686 among those who never make such purchases.

Drinks are the most popular purchase, with 57.1% of consumers planning to buy them, up six percentage points from last year. Snacks are next at 43.1%, followed by fast food at 41.7%. Full-service dining is expected to account for 14.8% of purchases.

JLL also found that artificial intelligence is quickly becoming part of consumers’ holiday shopping routines. Six in 10 shoppers plan to use AI during the holiday shopping process.

Despite the larger overall holiday budgets, consumers remain concerned about prices. JLL said 71.6% of shoppers expect rising prices to affect their holiday spending, including 38.5% who strongly agree.

Consumers are still looking for ways to save, although several cost-cutting strategies are less popular than they were last year. The percentage of shoppers planning to look for more sales declined to 53.7%, from 60.6%, while the share planning to focus on deal days fell to 41.4%.

One potentially important change is the number of people consumers plan to buy gifts for. Some 28.9% said they expect to shop for fewer people this year, up from 24.9% last year.

JLL said that change could be more significant for retailers than consumers simply choosing less expensive gifts because eliminating someone from a gift list means eliminating the purchase altogether.

The report suggests retailers can respond by making it easier for shoppers to purchase gifts at accessible price points, including through bundles, clearly marked $25 and $50 price ranges and prominently displayed gift cards.

Overall, JLL’s findings indicate that the 2026 holiday season could bring stronger consumer spending, but the growth is likely to be distributed differently than in previous years. Rather than directing most of the additional money toward merchandise, consumers appear increasingly willing to spend on the food, entertainment and experiences that surround the holiday season.