With inflation looming large and the holidays around the corner, Care.com polled 1,000 parents across the U.S. to get a pulse on how they are approaching the holiday season, from gifting and tipping to gifts they want most this year. While concern was high with regard to purchasing gifts for their kids (79%), parents still plan to tip key people in their lives (76%) and many will even hire holiday help (40%).

“Given current economic concerns, parental stress over gift buying this year was expected, but the number of people who plan to tip and hire help was definitely a pleasant surprise,” said Maressa Brown, Senior Editor, Care.com. “Parents continue to prioritize teachers and childcare providers for holiday tips, perhaps echoing the gratitude these workers engendered during the pandemic. And for those looking to earn a few extra dollars during the holidays, there’s good news in the number of families planning to hire an extra set of hands.”

Care.com 2022 Holiday Poll Highlights

Higher Prices Are Being Offset by Savvy Shopping: 79% of parents are stressed about affording gifts for their children this holiday season. To keep the season merry for their kiddos, parents are buying gifts during special sales (54%), searching for promo codes and coupons (46%), cutting back on gifts for friends (41%), and even taking on a side job for additional income (40%).

Holiday Tips + Hiring Are Still Happening: Despite financial stressors, 76% of parents plan to give holiday tips this year, and they aren’t cutting back either with 43% spending the same amount as they tipped last year. Professionals topping tipping lists are childcare providers (32%), teachers (31%), personal care professionals (24%), and senior caregivers (20%).

In addition, 40% of parents may hire help to make the holiday season easier. Babysitters (25%) and housekeepers (24%) are the most in demand.

Give Parents the Gift of Cash and Sleep: 54% of parents want cash for the holidays, followed by gift cards (49%) and luxury items (22%). When asked what they really want this holiday season, 43% dream of a full night of sleep, 40% crave a peaceful meal at a restaurant with the whole family, and 26% yearn for the kids to go to bed without a fight.

Moms Want the Spa, Dads Want Luxury: Aside from cash and gift cards, nearly 1 in 4 moms want self-care gifts for the holidays, doubling the number of dads who say the same (24% of moms vs. 12% of dads). Topping dad’s wish list? Luxury gifts rank #1 for 27% of dads vs. 17% of moms.

The full results of Care.com’s 2022 Holiday Poll are available upon request.

About Care.com’s 2022 Holiday Poll

This sample of 1,000 U.S. adults (aged 18 or older) was surveyed on November 11 and November 12, 2022. All respondents are parents of at least one child aged 14 years or younger, confirmed by consumer data and respondent self-confirmation. DKC Analytics conducted and analyzed this survey with a sample procured using the Pollfish survey delivery platform, which delivers online surveys globally through mobile apps and the mobile web along with the desktop web. No post-stratification has been applied to the results.

About Care.com

Available in more than 17 countries, Care.com is the world's leading platform for finding and managing high-quality family care. Care.com is designed to meet the evolving needs of today's families and caregivers, offering everything from household tax and payroll services and customized corporate benefits packages covering the care needs of working families, to innovating new ways for caregivers to be paid and obtain professional benefits. Since 2007, families have relied on Care.com's industry-leading products—from child and elder care to pet care and home care. Care.com is an IAC company (NASDAQ: IAC).

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