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Welcome to Tired America 2025: Most adults have little trouble giving out cash as gifts, and many plan to go to bed before midnight on New Year’s Eve, according to a new AP-NORC survey.
about 6 out of 10 Americans Cash or gift cards are “very” acceptable as holiday gifts, but they are less likely to say the same about a gift that is purchased secondhand or re-gifted, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
“I think cash for the grandchildren is OK,” said Nancy Wyant, 73, of rural Central. iowa“But I’m the one giving the gift,”
On New Year’s Eve, before 2026 arrives, she will fall into a deep sleep. “At our age, we don’t do anything,” the retired bus driver said, laughing, about himself and his live-in partner. “He’s set in his own way.”
According to the survey, they will be joined by 44% of Americans who say they will not be ready to welcome 2026. Nearly half of American adults age 45 and older do not wake up by midnight, while nearly one-third of adults under 45 do not wake up by midnight.
Consider 23-year-old Otis Phillips seattleA big reason for his age. That too will come soon. “It’s one of those holidays that doesn’t really seem special to me,” the master’s student said.
Most people say cash is an acceptable holiday gift
Cash is a safe gift for young adults. The survey found that nearly two-thirds of Americans under the age of 45 say cash is a “very” acceptable holiday gift, while 55% of adults 45 and older say the same.
“Everything is so expensive these days. And I don’t want to go buy a gift for someone and then find out they don’t like it. So cash,” said Gabriel Antonucci, 26, a ski resort cook in Alaska, about an hour outside. anchorage,
Most people accept gifts of various types at least reluctantly, with about 9 in 10 saying cash or gift cards are at least “somewhat” acceptable and about 6 in 10 saying the same is true for secondhand gifts and re-gifted items.
Teresa Pedroza, 55-year-old mother of two adult sons in Central FloridaMost are not on board.
“I don’t like it when kids say they want cash, or I want teenagers to get gift cards,” she said. “It takes away some of the charm of gift giving.” But he admitted to reaching for the card once or twice out of convenience.
Nearly three-quarters of adults under 45 say secondhand gifts are at least “somewhat” acceptable, while 6 in 10 adults age 45 or older say the same. More than 4 in 10 adults age 45 or older say secondhand gifts are “somewhat” or “very” unacceptable.
Many people keep holiday decorations up even after the New Year
It’s not just your pesky neighbors who leave their holiday decorations up in January. Nearly one-third of American adults say they will quit after New Year’s Day.
According to the survey, it is more common for people to leave their decorations up after the holiday season than to decorate early. Nearly 2 in 10 Americans say they put up holiday decorations before Thanksgiving.
“I told my husband to bring the boxes down. If we weren’t expected to be together, I honestly wouldn’t even bother decorating. I’m tired of doing it,” said Pedroza, a mother of two in Florida.
Many people will celebrate Christmas Day with sports
Nearly one-quarter of American adults say they plan to watch sports on Christmas Day, while only 5% will head to a movie theater.
Men are more likely than women to say they will watch sports on Christmas, and older Americans are more likely to indulge than younger Americans. 2 in 10 adults under the age of 45 say they plan to watch sports on Christmas, while 3 in 10 adults 45 or older say they plan to watch sports on Christmas.
Phillips plans to break out her red sweater from the green Christmas tree one of her grandmothers knitted for her a few years ago.
“He made all kinds of things for me growing up,” he said. “This is my favorite so far.” Phillips has it in rotation for her part-time job as a grocery checkout clerk.
Once again he is different from everyone else. Women are more likely than men to say they will wear sweaters or accessories during the holidays.
Gifts for pets and the Elf on the Shelf
Nearly 3 in 10 U.S. adults say they will give their pet a gift this year.
In Iowa, Wyant’s nearly 3-year-old Boxer-Great Dane mix named Indie is one of them.
“He’s a very spoiled dog,” Wyant said. “He has a lot of toys, so he’s getting presents this year. He loves his presents.”
And Lal thought that parents go around the house every night as Santa spies to see which children have been naughty or nice? Only 1 in 10 American adults say they would do Elf on the Shelf.
When Pedroza was asked if he ever did elf work for his children, he said, “No.” “My younger son was very well-behaved. I didn’t have to use any tactics.”
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The AP-NORC survey of 1,146 adults was conducted Dec. 4-8 using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 4 percentage points.