Concerns about COVID-19 and the need to remain socially distant from friends and family disrupted holiday celebrations and traditions in 2020. Now, with the majority of adults in the US vaccinated, the 260 million adults who celebrate Thanksgiving or Christmas can more safely resume in-person holiday celebrations this fall and winter. A new post-pandemic understanding of the importance of holiday celebrations will make spirits especially bright this holiday season.

• The pandemic has instilled a new appreciation for the importance of spending time with loved ones

• Food-related traditions are universally understood and integral to holiday celebrations

• Moms with kids at home are an ideal audience for holiday-related promotions

• Families plan to celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas with extended family this year

For the purposes of this Report, Mintel has used the following definitions.

Holiday: either a governmentally recognized, cultural or religious holiday. Holidays surveyed include Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Easter, Mother's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Eve.

Celebrate/celebrations: making a purchase or doing an activity that acknowledges a holiday. Celebrations can occur throughout a season, not just on the date of the holiday. Examples include eating specific food, wearing festive attire, decorating the home or attending a gathering/party.

Consumer research for this Report was fielded April 22 to May 7, 2021 and written June 9-30, 2021. Thus, this Report represents behaviors and attitudes of people who are re-emerging from a pandemic environment.

Mintel bases its expectations for economic growth on projections provided by the CBO, the FOMC, the Conference Board and other public sources. Consensus estimates forecast US GDP to increase by 6.5% in 2021. Unemployment has been forecast to decline to as low as 4.1% by the end of 2021 with an average of 5.7% for the year.

The first COVID-19 case was confirmed in the US in January 2020. It was declared a global health pandemic and national emergency in early March 2020. Across the US, various stay-at-home orders were put in place in Spring 2020, and nonessential businesses and school districts closed or shifted to remote operations. The remainder of 2020 saw rolling orders, as states and local governments relaxed and reinforced guidelines according to the spread of the virus in each region.

Vaccine roll-out began in December 2020. Based on current estimates of vaccine production and distribution, the US could reach herd immunity, with 70-85% of the population vaccinated, by late Summer to early Fall 2021. Mintel anticipates business operations in the US will remain in a state of flux through 2021 as the vaccine is widely administered.