How much to spend on a Christmas gift
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Who you're buying for changes the number more than anything else. A teacher, a boss and a boyfriend or girlfriend are not in the same territory. Tell the calculator who this is for and it adjusts.
Recommended range
$30 to $60 is a comfortable range
This is a general-purpose range for someone on your list when none of the more specific relationships on this page apply. If they fit a category like teacher, boss, or partner, use that version instead for a closer number.
Ranges are a social norm, not a rule. The right amount is the one that does not strain you. Based on Australian etiquette convention and the policy anchors named above, not a Christmas-specific spending survey.
Now you know how much. Want to know what?
Add them to Birthday Backup and get three gift ideas within their budget, sent 14 days before their birthday, or instantly whenever you ask.
Back up your first birthdayChristmas gifting covers far more relationships than a birthday does, often all within the same few weeks: a teacher, a boss, a colleague, a new partner, immediate family, each with a different norm attached.
If your situation fits a more specific page on this site, teacher, daycare or childcare educator, boss, employee, or boyfriend or girlfriend, use that version instead. Each is built around real research into that relationship's actual etiquette, not a generic number with a label attached.
Questions
Why does the amount depend so much on who the gift is for?
Because the etiquette differs, not just the number. A teacher gift, a boss gift and a partner gift each follow a different norm. Tell the calculator who you are buying for and it adjusts for that, rather than giving you one number that is slightly wrong for everyone.
What should I spend if the relationship is not listed here?
$30 to $60 is a sensible general-purpose range for an unspecified relationship, friend, extended family, neighbour, adjusted up or down for your own budget comfort.
Why separate pages instead of one generic tool?
Because the etiquette genuinely differs by relationship. A teacher gift, a boss gift and a partner gift each carry a different norm, not just a different number, so the specific pages give more accurate guidance than one generic range could.