Christmas Comes Early For 1 In 5 American Families

Christmas traditions vary greatly across the world.

While some countries hold the main celebration on Christmas Eve, others wait until Christmas Day to get festive and, most importantly at least to kids, to open presents.

In the United States, most families unwrap their gifts on Christmas Day, with the majority not waiting until breakfast to get cracking or unpacking.

But, as Felix Richter reports, according to data from Statista Consumer Insights, Santa comes early to 1 in 5 families, however, as 18 percent of respondents said they mainly open presents on Christmas Eve in their household.

You will find more infographics at Statista

Additionally, according to Statista Consumer Insights, a Christmas tree in the house tops the list of holiday must-haves this year, with 55 percent of Americans considering it essential to a proper celebration.

You will find more infographics at Statista

Some proper holiday tunes (there's more than "Last Christmas") and Christmas movies, think “Home Alone”, “Love Actually” and (to some) “Die Hard”, are other key ingredients to the holiday season with 50 percent of Americans calling both essential traditions.

When asked about what they are looking forward to most thinking about the holiday season, Americans show that community and family still beat the commercial aspects of the holidays. 70 percent of the respondents look forward to spending time with friends and family, making it the top answer by far. Interestingly Americans also prefer giving presents over receiving them, showing that not all is lost for Christmas romantics.