Deloitte factors in everything when it does its holiday survey each year, which is used to analyze expected spending trends going into the season.
"It's what we give to one another. How we celebrate with one another. It's how we decorate our homes," Stephen Rogers with Deloitte said, explaining what goes into the survey.
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Here in Houston, the survey found Houstonians expect to spend $1,577 per household this season, which is up 14% from the 2021 total of $1,378.
This is despite 42% of the people surveyed in the Bayou City saying they're currently in a worse financial situation than in 2021.
"The way they're managing through that is giving fewer gifts," Rogers said. "The other way is people are reaching for credit cards to stretch their holiday spending."
Rogers offered an explanation regarding gift-giving going down in Houston while overall spending is expected to rise.
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He said southern cities have shown more willingness to bounce back from the pandemic, which means a greater desire to celebrate in 2022.
"Shoppers are buying fewer gifts to make their budgets happen, but they're also planning to spend more on in-person experiences, think holiday parties, dinners, " Rogers said.
The survey found the average expected holiday spending in the United States, which is $1,455 per household, is about the same as in 2021.
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