An October 2022 survey conducted by Offerpad¹, a leading real estate tech company built to simplify home buying and selling, digs deeper into America’s favorite holiday decorations, style preferences while also solving some age-old debates.

The official day of decorating

It’s a debate that seems as old as time: how early is too early to decorate for the winter holidays? According to those surveyed, the “official” day of decorating is the day after Thanksgiving (32%). If that is too soon for those recovering from tryptophan overload, the second-most-popular decorating window falls the first week of December.

Peer pressured to get into the spirit

However, more than 60% of those surveyed reported decorating their home earlier than planned if they saw their neighbors decking the halls. One in four feel the pressure to step their holiday décor game up a notch after noticing their neighbors’ level of holiday spirit. It seems the pressure of having the perfect holiday décor is causing some relationship tension with more than one in four respondents also revealing they have argued with their spouse over holiday decorations. It’s the happiest season of all!

‘Tis the Season to Spend

Respondents spend an average of $180 on holiday decor each year. Almost one-third (32%) of respondents admit to spending more than $200 each year. When it comes to who is doing the spending, men spend the most with an average of $233, compared to women who spend about $144 each year.

Settling the debate

When it comes to the debate over real and artificial Christmas trees, the majority (40%) prefer artificial trees, but one in four like a mix of both equally. As for holiday lawn décor, respondents’ favorite is multi-colored lights (33%), followed by white lights (17%), while character inflatables were voted the least favorite. Sorry, Santa!

Additional notable holiday décor data from Offerpad’s survey includes:

• Social Media Inspires Spending: One in three respondents admit that social media has influenced them to spend more on decorations than normal, with millennials being influenced more than any other generation (52%). Those who admit to spending more on decorations because of social media say they’ve spent about $228.50 more than normal.
  
  

• When Does the Season End: Almost half of the respondents said they typically take down their holiday décor in the new year and one in four get to it the week after the holiday. Additionally, most Americans don’t seem to care too much about when their neighbors take down décor, with one in three saying there is no specific timeline to take down décor followed by 19% who said they hope their neighbors would at least get it done by the new year.

• How long does it take to decorate: When putting up all their indoor and outdoor decorations, the majority of respondents can typically do so in “a couple of hours” (28%), while 22% put them up in a day and 17% stretch it out over a week.

¹ The random double-opt-in survey of 2,008 Americans ages 25+ was commissioned by Offerpad and conducted by market research company OnePoll.

About Offerpad

Offerpad’s mission is to deliver the best home buying and selling experience so you can spend less time ‘real estating’ and more time living. From cash offers and flexible listing options to mortgage and buyer services, Offerpad has been helping homeowners since 2015. Pairing proprietary technology with local expertise in residential real estate, Offerpad puts you in control of the process and helps you find the right solution to fit your needs.

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