Why it's the year of the gift card
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Expect more gift cards and personalized crafts under the tree this year.
Why it matters: Gift-givers are looking to stretch their dollars without skimping on holiday joy, says Claire Tassin, a retail and e-commerce analyst at Morning Consult.
State of play: Mastercard forecasts tariffs and inflation could drive more shoppers to gift cards, consistently one of the top presents.
- A $50 gift card still costs $50, even though it buys less than it did a few years ago.
What we're hearing: A gift card for somebody's favorite restaurant "still feels thoughtful" and is "a great way for folks to keep within the constraints of their budget," Tassin tells Axios.
- Around 3-in-5 active holiday shoppers said they'd bought gift cards as of September, more than any other category, according to Morning Consult research.
Meanwhile, younger generations are leaning into handmade gifts.
- Money is one reason — they typically have less to spend than adults — but it also reflects a bigger shift toward hands-on hobbies like needlepoint and pottery, Tassin says.
- Christmas ornaments, simmer pots and bath bombs ranked among the top trending do-it-yourself gifts in the past month, according to Google Trends data.
Places to craft DIY gifts are getting busier nationwide: Attendance jumped 4% at knitting circles and 19% at baking classes between November 2024 and October 2025, compared with the same period a year earlier, per Eventbrite data shared with Axios.
- A new Yelp report shows a sharp rise in searches for sewing fabric stores (+3,771%), quilting supplies (+531%), tufting classes (+480%), crocheting classes (+220%) and needlepoint shops (+173%).
Reality check: Electronics, apparel and home goods, many vulnerable to tariffs, remain popular gifts.
- Adobe expects hot sellers online to include the Nintendo Switch 2, iPhone 17, Dyson Airwrap and buzzy toys like Labubu dolls.
The bottom line: People are feeling the strain, but they'll "make it work" to celebrate the traditions they love, Tassin says.
