Halloween was last week, and you know what that means—Mariah Carey has officially declared “it’s time” for the Christmas holiday season to begin. Even if you’re not personally ready to deck the halls yet, plenty of Gen Z is. YPulse’s Holiday Shopping data shows 74% of 13-39-year-olds agree, “It’s never too early to start looking for holiday inspiration.” On top of that, 43% of 13-39-year-olds say they love winter holiday advertising and in-store displays coming out earlier and earlier each year. Gen Z young adults are even more likely to embrace the early rollout with 53% saying they love it, compared to 26% of 13-17-year-olds and 43% of 25-39-year-olds. But it’s not just their holiday shopping that they’re kicking off this month.
Young people are also ready to embrace holiday movies, music, and experiences. On top of the holiday parties and dinners we know half of young people are planning to have, we’ve also asked them about the holiday events they’re planning to attend. So, like Mariah, we’re ready to start the holiday season by sharing what kinds of IRL holiday memories Gen Z and Millennials say they’ll be making this year:
Holiday shopping events are as popular as holiday parties
We’ve shared that many young people are planning to host their own holiday parties this year, and 61% of 18-24-year-olds agree, “My friends and I always have our own holiday gatherings.” Now we also know that the majority of young people plan to attend a holiday party this season, with young adults the most likely to be decking the halls with friends (66% 18-24 vs 60% 13-17 and 58% 25-39). Whether an ugly sweater bash or a cookie exchange, young people are planning to party together to celebrate the holidays. Though, our POV: Gen Z is Hosting trend data shows they’re more likely to keep their holiday gathering casual than to go “all out.”
But it’s a huge call out for brands that young people are as likely to attend a holiday shopping event (59%) as they are to attend a holiday party. Holiday pop-ups and markets are a significant tradition for many young people, and clearly a big part of their holiday shopping habits. Plus, YPulse’s Experiences report shows that 71% of 13-39-year-olds are interested in going to brand pop-ups (66% 13-17 vs 69% 18-24 vs 74% 25-39). We know these generations want shopping to be an experience and holiday shopping events make the trips to fill their carts with presents a little more magical. With 88% of 13-39-year-olds saying they plan to do holiday shopping this year—and 46% saying they’ll shop in-store as much as they shop online—creating themed shopping events and pop ups is a major opportunity for brands.
Twenty-somethings are ready to visit holiday-themed events and bars
Gen Z young adults are more likely than teens or Millennials to be filled with holiday spirit and enthusiastic about many holiday plans, from sending out holiday cards to buying viral holiday décor. And those in their twenties are the most fired up about attending holiday themed events and spaces: 45% of 20-29-year-olds plan to buy a ticket for a holiday-themed event / experience, compared to 32% of 13-19-year-olds and 38% of 30-39-year-olds. Whether it’s because they have more free time to go on these holiday adventures, or more of a budget to spend on themselves, twenty-somethings are planning to eventize the holiday season. And their holiday plans align with the fact that they’re more likely than other groups to be interested in in-person events in general, according to YPulse’s Experiences data.
Christmas themed pop-up bars have also become big business during their lifetimes, and they’re supporting the trend: 31% of 20-29-year-olds plan to visit a kitschy Christmas themed bar, vs 21% of 30-39-year-olds. They’re looking for unique events, especially ones that look good on social media, and these décor-filled photo-op-ready spaces are the perfect backdrop to their holiday partying. We should also note that young people of drinking age who live in big cities, where these bars are most likely to be located, are by far more likely to plan to visit them (40%) than those in small cities (24%), the suburbs (24%), or rural areas (15%).
Gen Z and Millennial parents are still going to see Santa
As Gen Z and Millennials tackle parenthood, there are plenty of traditions they’re breaking away from—but they’re clearly keeping holiday traditions alive. The majority of parents 16-39-years-old plan to send out holiday cards (54%), buy advent calendars (56%), and buy holiday-themed pajamas/sweats (67%). But they’re also raising their young Gen Z and Gen Alpha kids with the time-honored tradition of going to see Santa at Christmas, with 67% planning to bring their kids for a visit with the big guy.
Despite the inevitable stress of the busy holiday season, parents are more likely than non-parents to say the holidays make them feel happy and festive—and passing holiday experiences down to their own kids are likely fostering those feelings. But of course, they are parents with social media habits, and many of those Santa snapshots are likely to end up on their feeds: parents are even more likely than non-parents to say they plan to post holiday pics on social media (67% vs 55%).
