Tinsel, traffic and total chaos… Christmas is stressful enough without Secret Santa thrown into the mix and new research from Freenow by Lyft shows just how much festive pressure Londoners are feeling.
The study reveals that nearly three-quarters of Londoners overspend on their Secret Santa gifts – with two-thirds (67%) of them spending between £11-50 over budget in a last-minute scramble. This adds up to a staggering £150 million in unexpected Secret Santa spending in the city.
Londoners are the UK’s Secret Santa procrastinators
Nearly half of Londoners (46%) leave their Secret Santa shopping until the very last minute, more than anywhere else in the UK. Among 25–34-year-olds, this rises to just almost three in five (57%), making Gen Z and young millennials the nation’s biggest festive procrastinators.
However, even when the clock is ticking, Brits still want to show they care. Around two in five of those in the city (43%) say finding a thoughtful gift matters the most when strapped for time. Nottinghamians lead the way on meaningful gifting, with more than half (55%) prioritising thoughtfulness over cost, closely followed by Glasgow and Newcastle (50% each).
In Manchester, however, practicality wins over sentiment: 38% of Mancunians say that simply picking a shop close to their work or home is the most important factor when doing Secret Santa shopping.
The office Secret Santa minefield
The annual workplace ritual isn’t without its challenges. For Londoners, their office crush is officially the toughest person to shop for, with one in five (15%) agreeing. Panic-buying is common, with 37% of city dwellers rushing to the nearest supermarket if gifts don’t arrive on time. Although, in a pledge to fix the rush, Londoners would like fewer secret Santa gifts to purchase, and Freenow by Lyft is here to help.
Re-gifting is also popular when gifts don’t show up: more than a quarter of 35–44-year-olds (28%) admit to passing on a Secret Santa present to someone else as their gift. And over a quarter of men (29%) say they’d rather have someone else handle the gift entirely.
Cheapest gifts? London says no thanks
When it comes to spending as little as possible, Southampton and Liverpool top the chart – 35% say buying the cheapest present matters most.
Londoners, meanwhile, have other priorities: one in three (32%) say avoiding holiday crowds is their top concern. Between Christmas shoppers, queues, and Oxford Street turning into an obstacle course… It’s understandable.
Freenow to the rescue
To make life easier for frazzled Londoners, Freenow by Lyft is not only providing a taxi service facilitating ‘shopping without the dropping’ but will be giving away pre-wrapped Secret Santa gifts to lucky passengers. Delivered across the capital by black cab driver partners – no queues, no panic, no last-minute dash to a supermarket at 10pm.
Danny O’Gorman, UK General Manager at Freenow by Lyft, commented: “Secret Santa shopping should be fun, but most leave it last minute which can spark unnecessary stress. We know people have enough to deal with in December, from packed streets to busy diaries, so we wanted to add a bit of festive ease. From the convenience, reliability, and safety of a taxi journey, to the gift in your hand, we’re making December easier – we’ve teamed up with a few taxi drivers and we’ll be giving away pre-wrapped gifts so our passengers have one less thing to worry about this Christmas.”