Quickly add a few new baubles for the Christmas tree, maybe a second chain of lights if the old one fails, and the nice little reindeer will make themselves very neat in the Christmassy decorated apartment. But in times of crisis, most people don’t have their money quite as easy as perhaps in previous years, even when it comes to the festival. In his current Christmas study, Philipp Rauschnabel, a professor at the University of the Federal Armed Forces in Munich in Neubiberg, found out that savings are primarily made on the decoration. Accordingly, at Christmas 2022 you will find out what Loriot complained about decades ago: “There used to be more tinsel.”
The quote from the sketch “Christmas at the Hoppenstedts” from 1976, in which the grandfather complains about the sparse decoration, has long since taken on a life of its own and is now used for everything imaginable. But this December it could also quite literally fit. In its representative survey, Rauschnabel asked 1000 test persons about their wishes, preferences and plans for Christmas and found out, among other things: 38 percent of Germans plan to save on decorations at home. On the one hand, they refrain from buying new decorative items, but they also state that they want to save electricity at Christmas.
Professor Philipp Rauschnabel from the Universität der Bundeswehr München in Neubiberg has presented a Christmas study every year since 2018.
(Photo: Claus Schunk)
One or the other light snake will probably stay in the box this time. Anyone who used to illuminate their entire garden was content with just one star or didn’t do it at all. However, 33 percent of those surveyed still state that they are still illuminating everything as usual despite the crisis, and 24 percent also treat themselves to new articles. Five percent even want to spend more or significantly more on Christmas decorations. And a third were not interested in that in the past, these people keep their hands off decorative utensils and bright odds and ends this time too.
At Plants Kölle in Unterhaching, there is no sign of willingness to make sacrifices
Even if far less decorative lights are visible on the streets of 2022, the will to do without is apparently not quite as noticeable in sales. One of the largest providers of Christmas decorations in all variations is Pflanzen Kölle in Unterhaching. According to a senior employee, at the beginning of the sale you could sense a certain reluctance among customers. “A lot of people were probably worried,” he says. In the meantime, the business with the decoration for Advent and the holidays is running as usual. There are always new trends on offer, such as this year’s theme of Christmas on the coast with various articles on the subject of the sea – also in the middle of Upper Bavaria. For the younger ones there is something funky in the range with eye-catching colours. Both are going very well and are encouraging customers to buy new decorations this year.
According to Rauschnabel’s study, Germans want to save even more on heating costs this year than on tinsel, balls and the like. At least half of the participants stated that, while 32 percent want to at least keep to the budget of the previous year, which in view of the price increases could also mean a thicker sweater at the family reunion. 13 percent, on the other hand, apparently cannot imagine sitting under a tree with the heating turned down and prefer to spend more on heat than before. Gifts (33 percent), going to restaurants (31 percent) and groceries (30 percent) are also at the top of the list of potential savings.
Five percent can imagine overdrawing the account for the festival
However, the researchers do not assume that the Germans will chew grumpily on a few cheap cookies and postpone gifts until better times. Although people are suffering from the crisis, according to Rauschnabel, “they don’t let it take their spirits away,” says the professor for digital marketing and media innovation, summing up the mood. “For Christmas, however, they have found their way to master this crisis well from a financial point of view,” he stated. Only a few were obviously unreasonable.
Only five percent can imagine financing the costs for Christmas in whole or in part with an overdraft facility, i.e. an overdraft on the account, or another form of money lending. Instead, 23.8 percent want to do without things, around eleven percent simply suppress the problem and still spend the money, although they should keep it together better. About 13 percent don’t mind price increases anyway, but the majority (52 percent) plan more carefully and pay more attention to bargains than before.
It also means that many are doing more research this time to find bargain deals (35 percent) and forego more expensive last-minute purchases (27 percent). A quarter of those surveyed have already bought gifts on promotional days such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Ten percent give away more homemade gifts and around one percent want to buy Christmas presents after Christmas. However, this may lead to conflicts. Rauschnabel also found out that about 23 percent of people get into a fight on the holiday because their partner doesn’t behave “Christmassy” enough. And women find it far worse than men.