According to the latest Care.com poll, parents are pinching pennies, but still planning for a full holiday season. With celebrations just around the corner and inflation looming large, we polled 1,000 parents across the U.S. to get a pulse on how they are feeling about gifting and tipping and what they want for themselves this year. While concern was high with regard to purchasing gifts for their kids, parents still plan to tip key people in their lives and some are looking to hire holiday help.
“Given current economic concerns, parental stress over gift buying this year was expected, but the number of people who plan to tip and hire help was definitely a pleasant surprise,” says Maressa Brown, Senior Editor, Care.com. “Parents continue to prioritize teachers and child care providers for holiday tips, perhaps echoing the gratitude these workers engendered during the pandemic. And for those looking to earn a few extra dollars during the holidays, there’s good news in the number of families planning to hire an extra set of hands.”
Key findings from the Care.com 2022 holiday poll
We asked parents across the country about their shopping, tipping and spending habits this upcoming holiday season. This is what we found:
- Higher prices are being offset by savvy shopping: To keep the season merry for their kiddos, parents are buying gifts during special sales (54%), searching for promo codes and coupons (46%), cutting back on gifts for friends (41%) and even taking on a side job for additional income (40%).
- Holiday tipping is still happening: Despite financial stressors, 76% of parents plan to give holiday tips this year, and 43% say they’ll tip the same amount as last year. Professionals topping tipping lists are child care providers, teachers, personal care professionals and senior caregivers.
- Families are looking for help this holiday season. According to the survey, 40% of parents may be hiring help to make the holiday season easier. Babysitters and housekeepers are the most in-demand.
- Cash and sleep are at the top of parents’ wish lists: Topping the list, 54% of parents want cash for the holidays, followed by gift cards (49%) and luxury items (22%). When asked what they really want this holiday season, 43% dream of a full night of sleep, 40% crave a peaceful meal at a restaurant with the whole family, and 26% yearn for the kids to go to bed without a fight.
Holiday spending is stressful, but parents are making it work
Of the 1,000 parents polled, 79% are stressed about affording gifts for their children this holiday season. While 36% of parents are planning to spend less on gifts for their kids this year, 32% are keeping the same spending budget as last year, and 32% are planning to spend more.
To underscore the importance of bringing a joyous holiday season to their kids, 40% of parents are picking up a side job this holiday season for additional income. To save money, 33% of parents say they’re cutting back on gifts for other family members, and 23% are giving fewer gifts to their significant other.
Parents plan to say thank you with holiday tipping
Of parents surveyed, 76% say they’ll be tipping some of the people who have made their lives a little easier this year. Here are the professionals that families say they are prioritizing for holiday tipping:
- 32% – Child care workers, such as babysitters, nannies and day care workers.
- 31% – Teachers or tutors.
- 24% – Personal care professionals, such as hair stylists and manicurists.
- 23% – Delivery workers.
- 22% – Housekeepers, gardeners or building door attendants.
- 20% – Senior caregivers, including in-home caregivers, nursing home employees and adult day care workers.
- 19% – Pet sitters, dog walkers, groomers and dog day care workers.
- 18% – Regular servers, such as baristas, waiters and bartenders.
- 12% – Coaches or personal trainers.
Babysitters and housekeepers could help parents out during the holidays
There’s a lot going on during the final few weeks of the year, and 40% of families say they may be looking for help around the house. Moms tell us a housekeeper is highest on their wish list with a babysitter being a close second. Interestingly, Dads have this reversed, preferring someone to watch the kids over a professional coming in to clean the house.
Creative holiday gifts for parents that won’t break the bank
Even if you’re spending less on gifts this holiday season doesn’t mean you can’t spoil the parents in your life in other ways. Parents told us these ideas were high on their wish list:
- A full night’s sleep (43%). Be honest, how many of these do parents usually get?
- A peaceful meal out with the whole family (40%). Dessert is included as long as everyone is on their best behavior.
- An easy night putting the kids to bed (26%). Everyone needs a break from this nightly battle.
- A long shower (23%). Let your partner have as much time to themselves as they need to relax.
- A cup of coffee with no distractions (23%). Let mom or dad pick how big of a cup.
- A meal that isn’t chicken nuggets or pizza (16%). Treat yourself — literally.
- A movie that isn’t G-rated (14%). Give cartoons a timeout for a night.
Types of gifts moms and dads say they want this year
Cash and gift cards remain at the top of the list, but from there, mom and dad’s wish lists diverge a bit. If you want to give a more tangible gift, here’s what parents say they want:
| What Moms want | What Dads want |
| Self-care gifts – 24% | Luxury gifts – 27% |
| Luxury gifts – 17% | Culinary gifts – 17% |
| Homemade gifts – 16% | Practical gifts – 15% |
| Practical gifts – 16% | Services – 14% |
| Services – 12% | Homemade gifts – 13% |
| Culinary gifts – 10% | Self-care gifts – 12% |
2022 holiday poll methodology
This sample of 1,000 U.S. adults (aged 18 or older) was surveyed on November 11 and November 12, 2022. All respondents are parents of at least one child aged 14 years or younger, confirmed by consumer data and respondent self-confirmation. DKC Analytics conducted and analyzed this survey with a sample procured using the Pollfish survey delivery platform, which delivers online surveys globally through mobile apps and the mobile web along with the desktop web. No post-stratification has been applied to the results.
