Every holiday season has its trends, and so too does the 2025 gift talk. It hits a different tone this year. It’s more emotional, more personal and more creative. This year, people want gifts that carry meaning beyond the price tag.
There were 649 million mentions from August 2023 to November 2025. We found that global conversation about holiday gifting stayed overwhelmingly positive, with 83% net sentiment.
Mentions usually spike during early-November shopping previews and again in mid-December, when posts shift from wish lists to thank yous.
As we’ll see below, the data captured a picture of generosity mixed with practicality. People are blending luxury and logic. Consumers are splurging on perfume refills, trading blind-box collectibles and sharing home finds that make life more comfortable.
Fragrance has been a top gift for years, but this season, the bottle is secondary to the emotion. Videos across TikTok and YouTube show people listing “top five perfumes I’d buy again” and “holiday fragrance hauls.”
AI Summary: Creators highlight “most-wanted” perfume lists, repeat repurchases, and Sephora/department-store hauls — a clear signal: consumers treat fragrance and prestige skincare/makeup as both personal treats and gift items this season.
https://www.tiktok.com/@jessicafegeley/video/7541862860134173982
And Beauty consistently holds one of the highest sentiment scores (above 85) across all three years of analysis. Positive terms like “love,” “best,” “perfect,” and “thank” fill the Holiday Gift Emotions word map.
These conversations are digital word-of-mouth. When someone says, “This scent reminds me of last Christmas,” it reinforces fragrance as a gift that carries memory.
Creators also frame skincare and makeup sets as personal investments—“a treat that lasts longer than a night out.” For brands, this overlap between self-care and gift-giving offers an edge: consumers see beauty not as a luxury but as an attainable way to show care.
The rise of blind boxes, collectible pins, and plush toys shows that people still love to be surprised. Creators post unboxing videos for Popmart, Jellycat, and Miniso, racking up millions of views. The thrill is in the reveal.
https://www.tiktok.com/@leilanii_02/video/7557092772868607287
Our Holiday Gift Behaviors chart backs this up—“give,” “buy,” and “collect” dominate positive behaviors, while “not buy” and “reject” barely appear. These items spark curiosity and joy, not obligation.
There’s also the collectible economy. Fans trade, resell or showcase limited items online, turning gifting into a social cycle. Owning one piece of a blind-box set isn’t the end, but the start of a hunt.
For brands, this is an opportunity. Surprise formats translate easily into “mystery bundle” sales or short-run collaborations that drive both engagement and urgency.
People are gifting experiences inside the home. Holiday decor, tableware, and cozy furnishings dominate social hauls. Posts mention affordable but aesthetic finds from Costco, Primark, and HomeGoods. All gifts that make spaces feel more inviting.
https://www.tiktok.com/@tabbybellhome/video/7568946960615378198
Our Conversation by Interest chart shows Home & Garden and Green Living as strong over-indexed categories, reflecting how sustainability and style now go hand-in-hand.
The emotional tone supports this. Words like “beautiful,” “enjoy,” and “grateful” appear alongside visuals of table settings and tree decor. Consumers want gifts that blend practicality with pride. They desire things you can show off, not store away.
Tech gifting used to feel impersonal, because it was just a gadget in a box. But in 2025, people want tech that brings comfort and fun into daily life.
Mentions of Marshall Bluetooth speakers, Ninja smart cookers, and haptic gaming vests fill the Holiday Gift Things network, clustered around phrases like “perfect gift” and “Christmas gift”.
The emotional framing matters. These items aren’t just tools—they’re experiences. A speaker becomes a mood. A smart cooker becomes quality time. A haptic vest becomes immersion and play.
https://www.tiktok.com/@allcapskat/video/7562354770829217055?q=haptic%20vest&t=1762882440073
In the interest breakdown, Technology, Gaming, and Health & Fitness all over-index as active gifting communities. These are early adopters who influence trends.
For marketers, this means tech messaging should shift from specs to stories—focus on how products feel to use.
Fashion gifting focuses less on flash and more on comfort. Matching pajama sets, soft slippers, and small jewelry pieces dominate user mentions. Even limited-edition collaborations, like Chucky Crocs, appear as novelty but heartfelt gifts—tokens of humor and nostalgia.
https://www.tiktok.com/@snkrlodeon/video/7556352276483280135
Our Holiday Gift Conversation by Gender chart shows that male-identifying participants account for 56% of the discussion, yet female-identifying participants express higher sentiment overall (1.37 vs. 0.82). This suggests that while men are driving more overall volume, women contribute more emotionally resonant engagement.
The 25–44 age group drives most discussion, aligning with household decision-makers who plan and purchase gifts for families.
That means this demographic is important for brands. They respond best to convenience, relatability and storytelling. They are not interested in pure promotion.
Holiday gift conversations are far from one-dimensional. They reflect how different audiences engage around emotion, identity, and community.
Across the 2025 dataset, female-identifying participants lead 64% of all holiday gifting discussions, with especially strong engagement in categories like beauty, dining, and entertainment. These areas carry higher sentiment scores—driven by words such as “love,” “thank,” and “perfect.”
Male-identifying participants represent 36% of total volume, contributing more prominently to topics like Cultural Heritage, Online Casino, and Technology. While their share of emotional language is lower overall, their presence in data-heavy and performance-oriented categories signals a growing diversification in holiday gifting conversations.
The key takeaway: emotional resonance remains the universal driver. Gratitude, joy, and connection appear consistently across gender and category, especially when gifts are shown in real-life context rather than as isolated products.
Professionally, conversation leaders include office administrators, small-business owners, and household coordinators. These are the roles that plan and host celebrations, influencing how holiday marketing spreads across digital platforms.
The strongest emotional drivers, such as gratitude, happiness, and love, appear most in creator content where gifts are shown in context, rather than in isolation.
The professions behind the chatter also tell a story. Office administrators, homemakers, and entrepreneurs lead mentions. These are the people who plan, host, and manage family traditions—and their voices shape seasonal marketing momentum.
The 2025 holiday gift landscape is grounded in meaning. To meet consumers where they are, brands should focus on emotional utility—how gifts make people feel, not just what they do.
Here’s how to use these insights strategically:
What types of gifts get the best reactions online?
Fragrance, collectibles, and decor gifts drive the most joyful and grateful responses.
Which emotions define the 2025 holiday conversation?
“Love,” “happy,” “thank,” and “beautiful” dominate across millions of posts, reflecting emotional connection and gratitude.
Who’s leading the conversation?
Individuals aged 25–44, particularly those managing both professional and household responsibilities, are setting the tone for holiday gifting this year.
Holiday 2025 demonstrates an emotional balance, with a focus on comfort, joy, and intention. From viral perfumes to smart speakers, people are giving gifts that tell stories. Brands that listen to these emotional cues and create campaigns that reflect them will discover the true gift of the season is a lasting connection with consumers.