Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- Top takeaways
- Market overview
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- Figure 1: Holidays celebrated prior to the pandemic, percentage of adults, 2021
- Opportunities and challenges
- Younger adults expect brands to acknowledge culturally specific holidays
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- Figure 2: Agreement that brands should recognize holidays from a variety of cultures, 2021
- Parents – especially moms – fuel holiday celebrations
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- Figure 3: Holidays celebrated prior to the pandemic, by parental status, 2021
- Opportunities to get dads excited about holiday celebrations
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- Figure 4: Agreement that holiday celebrations mean more to parents than adults without kids, by parental status, 2021
- Consumers already think of family birthday celebrations as holidays
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- Figure 5: Types of holiday traditions, 2021
The Market – Key Takeaways
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- Winter holidays are almost universally celebrated
- Women are a better audience for holiday campaigns than men
- Americans re-emerge with new outlook on holiday celebrations
Holidays by the Numbers
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- Nearly all adults celebrate Christmas and Thanksgiving
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- Figure 6: Holidays celebrated prior to the pandemic, number of adults (in millions), 2021
- Valentine’s Day rounds out the top three holidays in terms of reach
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- Figure 7: TURF Analysis – Holidays celebrated prior to the pandemic, 2021
- On average, women observe more holidays than men do
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- Figure 8: Holidays celebrated prior to the pandemic, by gender identity, 2021
- Not all US holidays are for everyone
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- Figure 9: Holidays celebrated prior to the pandemic, by race and Hispanic origin, 2021
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- Figure 10: Holidays celebrated prior to the pandemic, by race and Hispanic origin, 2021
Impact of COVID-19 on Holiday Celebrations
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- Holiday travel slumped
- Outdoor Halloween and Christmas decorations were big. Literally.
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- Figure 11: Social media post with photo of 12-foot skeleton, 2020
- Two thirds of adults have new appreciation for holiday celebrations
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- Figure 12: Post-pandemic perspective on the importance of holiday celebrations, by parental status, 2021
- For most, the best gift this year will be time in person with loved ones
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- Figure 13: Agreement that time with loved ones is the best gift this year, by gender and age, 2021
Companies and Brands – Key Takeaways
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- It’s the most wonderful time of the year
- The gift you give the earth
- Consumers are interested in learning about holidays from other cultures
- Winter holidays were hard last year; this year will also be difficult
Competitive Strategies
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- Mintel Global Trend Drivers
- Mintel Global Trend Driver: Experiences
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- Figure 14: Mintel Global Trend Driver, Experiences
- Leveraging food-related nostalgia to build brand associations
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- Figure 15: Green bean casserole Instagram post, November 2020
- Appealing to consumers’ sense of playfulness with seasonal promotions
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- Figure 16: Enjoyment of brands’ seasonal promotions, by gender and age, 2021
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- Figure 17: Twitter post with photo of Papa John’s Jack-o-lantern pizza, 2018
- Mintel Global Trend Driver: Surroundings
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- Figure 18: Mintel Global Trend Driver, Surroundings
- Offering products that help consumers celebrate sustainably
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- Figure 19: Reusable & Eco Furoshiki Fabric Book Cover - Quick & Easy, 2021
- Mintel Global Trend Driver: Identity
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- Figure 20: Mintel Global Trend Driver Identity
- Crossing outdoor holiday décor with fandom
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- Figure 21: Mickey Mouse inflatable Christmas decoration, 2020
Market Opportunities
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- To consumers, birthdays are essentially holidays
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- Figure 22: Word cloud representing open end responses about holidays celebrated or shopped for, 2021
- Interest in holiday traditions from other cultures
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- Figure 23: Agreement that brands should recognize holidays from a variety of cultures, 2021
- Opportunity to acknowledge families’ COVID-19-related losses
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- Figure 24: Agreement that “Celebrating holidays helps me remember people who I have lost,” 2021
The Consumer – Key Takeaways
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- Families aren’t the only ones who have traditions
- Parents are more enthusiastic about holidays than adults without kids
- Personal identity takes precedence over cultural background
- Christmas boasts the most celebratory traditions
Holiday Traditions
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- Half of all adults have traditional family recipes
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- Figure 25: Types of holiday traditions, 2021
- More than a third of adults have holiday traditions with friends
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- Figure 26: Percentage who have holiday-related traditions with friends, by gender and age, 2021
- Brand spotlight: Friendsgiving
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- Figure 27: Plans to shop for Friendsgiving, 2021
- One in five adults celebrates holidays from other cultures
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- Figure 28: Percentage who celebrate holidays from cultures different from their own, by race and Hispanic Origin, 2021
Parents, Kids and Holidays
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- Adults enjoy sharing their childhood traditions with kids
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- Figure 29: Agreement that “I enjoy sharing holiday traditions from my own childhood with the children in my family,” by parental status, 2021
- Most parents won’t miss a chance to celebrate with others this year
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- Figure 30: Agreement that after the pandemic a chance to celebrate with others should not be missed, by parental status, 2021
- Moms: holiday heroes
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- Figure 31: Holidays celebrated prior to the pandemic, by parental status, 2021
- Having kids changes men’s perspective on holiday celebrations
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- Figure 32: Agreement that holiday celebrations mean more to parents than adults without kids, by parental status, 2021
- Households outgrow some holidays as kids get older
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- Figure 33: Holidays celebrated prior to the pandemic, by age of children in household, 2021
Culture and Identity
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- “Me” before “we”
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- Figure 34: Connection between holidays, personal identity and cultural background, by race and Hispanic origin, 2021
- Holidays resonate with parents’ sense of personal family identity
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- Figure 35: Connection between holidays, personal identity and cultural background, by parental status, 2021
- Dads are strongest proponents of attending religious services on holidays
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- Figure 36: Importance of attending services on religious holidays, by parental status, 2021
Celebrating Specific Holidays
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- Not all holidays are celebrated the same way
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- Figure 37: Correspondence Analysis – Principal map – Ways of celebrating, 2021
- Christmas and Halloween most popular for decorating
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- Figure 38: Ways of celebrating specific holidays, 2021
Plans for 2021 Celebrations
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- The vaccine offers hope for the return of holiday traditions
- Most adults are ready to spend time with friends and family in person
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- Figure 39: Level of comfort with activities, 2021
- Social gatherings and parties will stay small this fall
- Multicultural consumers more reluctant about social gatherings
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- Figure 40: Comfort with attending or hosting a party/gathering, by race and Hispanic origin, 2021
- Thanksgiving and Christmas are for celebrating with family
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- Figure 41: Family members with whom adults plan to celebrate selected holidays, 2021
- Halloween is for kids and communities
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- Figure 42: People with whom adults plan to celebrate selected holidays, 2021
Appendix – Data Sources and Abbreviations
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- Data sources
- Consumer survey data
- Consumer qualitative research
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
Appendix – The Consumer
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- TURF analysis methodology
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- Figure 43: Table - TURF Analysis – Holidays celebrated prior to the pandemic, 2021
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- Figure 44: Table - TURF Analysis – 2021 comfort level with selected activities this fall, 2021
- Correspondence analysis methodology
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- Figure 45: Pre-pandemic celebratory actions, by holiday, 2021
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