Budgetary control among the Portuguese for the purchase of Christmas gifts is widespread, with about six out of ten defining a budget for this purpose, and this practice is more common among women, families with young children, and the middle class. Each person gives, on average, six gifts, and 70% of those interviewed intend to spend up to €250 in total.

These conclusions are from a market study promoted by Sonae Sierra — manager of shopping centers such as NorteShopping, Colombo, and CascaiShopping — which analyzed, in October 2025, the habits and behaviours of 800 national consumers during the Christmas season, and reported by ECO.

When choosing gifts, people's tastes and needs (70%) are the most decisive factor, followed by usefulness (47%) and emotional significance (30%). These figures "indicate an increasingly thoughtful and conscious consumer behaviour, to the detriment of impulse buying," according to a press release from the study.

This is also reflected in the fact that most Portuguese people start buying Christmas presents as early as November. In fact, 46% begin the Christmas gift shopping process at the beginning of that month, while 20% wait for Black Friday. One in four (25%) leave the task until December. However, there are still 20% of Portuguese consumers who prefer to shop throughout the year, in a "growing trend of advance planning."

Shopping centres are, by far, the main place for Christmas shopping for the Portuguese, with 79% stating they shop in these spaces, and, among these, 57% choose this space as their preferred channel, especially people between 25 and 34 years old. The second position is occupied by supermarkets and hypermarkets (14%), followed by online platforms (11%) and traditional commerce (9%), the latter being mostly chosen by the 55-64 age group.

Although the study shows that people are approaching Christmas in an increasingly rational and planned way, it also indicates that emotion and tradition remain the pillars of this festive season, with Christmas seen as a time of family unity and sharing by 73% of the Portuguese. The most evoked emotions are joy (56%), closeness (54%), and nostalgia (52%).