How much should you spend on Christmas? Have your say

One in five Christmas enthusiasts are planning to increase their festive spending this year, aiming to spend 30% more than they did last year. A survey of 2,000 adults found that nearly half are eager to spoil their loved ones, while a keen 40% simply want to make this Christmas especially memorable.

Have your say! Will you be splurging the cash this Christmas or sticking to a budget? Is presence more important than presents? Tell us what your Christmas will be like in our comments section.

The majority of Brits plan to use the extra funds for gifts, with 66% intending to increase their spending on food and drink, as well as hosting the perfect Christmas gathering. On average, the budget for 2024's festivities is over £650, with 76% planning to spend the same or more than they did in 2023.

To stretch their budgets further, 45% intend to use loyalty points earned through credit cards or cashback schemes. The survey revealed that the average person will have an additional £104 to spend this Christmas, thanks to these reward schemes.

A quarter have also managed to spread the cost by buying items throughout the year, and a savvy third believe that shopping for gifts earlier in the year gave them a better chance to secure the best deals.

Holly, a mother of two who shares her life on TikTok under the username @hollyslittlelife_, is an advocate for a budget-friendly Christmas. She recently shared some valuable advice on how to keep expenses low during the holiday season.

She revealed that she has allocated a budget of £100 for each of her children, a boy and a girl, to avoid overspending this Christmas. In her video, Holly explains: "I am spending around £100 per child. They get one present from Santa and then the rest is from us. This year I have decided I'm getting them both one quite expensive present and then they're getting lots of little stocking-y bits.She then showcases her son's ".

She then proudly displays her son's "nice pile of presents", mentioning that he can become overwhelmed with too many gifts.

Despite her practical approach, some viewers, presumably parents themselves, criticised her gift choices, labelling them as "basic necessities". While most of her 20,000 followers praised her considerate gift selection, a few commenters accused her of being "ashamed", questioned her parenting abilities, and suggested her children would be left disappointed.

However, the majority of commenters defended Holly, stating their own spending habits were similar, and chastised the critics for attacking a mother simply "trying to do her best".

One fan praised the efforts of a particular mum, saying: "Holly you are doing an amazing job as a mother. Which is why I'm now following you. £100 is more than enough! I spend £100 on each of mine and they are preteen and teenagers."

Another disclosed her own family's hardship from overindulging at Christmas, explaining: "My parents got into debt giving us huge hauls of presents and I don't remember a single thing I ever got. What I do remember is the joyous chaos of us all piled round the table for dinner."

Have your say! Will you be splurging the cash this Christmas or sticking to a budget? Is presence more important than presents? Tell us what your Christmas will be like in our comments section.