The gift list is done, and with the list comes the question: How much do you give at Christmas? The honest answer is: there is no fixed rule. The amount depends on the relationship, on your own budget and on what has been agreed in the family. For orientation, our values by relationship help, plus two surveys from 2025 and the question of whether it has to be money at all.
At a glance: guide value per gift
✦ Note: our estimate, not a survey; the survey figures are given separately in the section on total spending
✦ Partner: €50–150
✦ Parents: €30–100
✦ Siblings: €20–50
✦ Friends: €15–40
✦ Colleagues: €10–25
How much do you give at Christmas? Guide values by relationship
The following table sorts the relationships. The ranges are our estimate for Germany, not a survey and not a rule. They are a guide value for a single gift, not a yardstick you have to measure yourself against.
| Relationship | Guide value (our estimate) |
|---|---|
| Partner | €50–150 |
| Parents | €30–100 |
| Parents-in-law | €30–60 |
| Siblings | €20–50 |
| Grandchildren (from the grandparents) | €30–100 |
| Godchild | €30–80 |
| Friends | €15–40 |
| Colleagues, Secret Santa | €10–25 |
| Business partners | €25–60 |
More important than the number is the feeling behind it. Give in a way that feels right to you. A gift that puts you under pressure misses its purpose. In the family, it is worth talking beforehand: Is there an upper limit? Does everyone give the same amount? That takes tension out of the evening.
Deciding within the range
The table sets limits, and the middle is up to you. Three questions help: How close is the person to you? How many gifts are there in total, and how many of them come from you? And is the gift handed over alone or together with others? The closer the relationship and the smaller the circle, the more likely you are to be in the upper range. In large groups where everyone gives everyone something, the single amount stays deliberately low.
Partner, parents, children: the closest relationships
Here the gift is rarely a question of the number, but of hitting the mark: does it suit the person's everyday life? With partners, many give a main gift and a small extra, with parents often together with the siblings. For your own children, the sum of all gifts counts, not each single parcel; as a guide value we name €50–150 in total (our estimate). Agree with the grandparents and godparents so that nothing is duplicated.
Friends, colleagues, Secret Santa: attention instead of amount
The wider the circle, the smaller the amount, and the more important the gesture becomes. A small parcel that shows you know the person's taste has a stronger effect than a more expensive piece with no connection. In Secret Santa, the agreed upper limit usually applies, not your generosity.
How much do Germans spend on Christmas gifts in total?
Two surveys from 2025 show how far the figures lie apart. The Christmas survey of the FOM University with more than 2,000 respondents gave an average of €502 for Christmas gifts. A survey commissioned by the German Retail Association (HDE) arrived, according to a Tagesschau report of 15 November 2025, at an average of €263, compared with €297 the year before.
Both figures are the budget for all of a respondent's gifts together, not amounts for a single person. That they differ so much shows above all one thing: there is no “normal”. According to the FOM survey, 70 percent of respondents gave gifts to their partner, 62 percent to their children and 61 percent to their parents.
The differences within the FOM survey are striking: Generation X gave an average of €598, Generation Z €270. Men planned €590, women €416. The figures show how strongly life stage and income determine the budget. They say nothing about what is appropriate for you, and they do not say whether the recipients would have been happier with more.
Sources: FOM University, Christmas survey 2025 (published on 9 December 2025), and the survey commissioned by the German Retail Association (HDE), reported by tagesschau.de on 15 November 2025. The figures for this year are only available in winter.
A practical approach: plan your budget first for the people closest to you, and smaller amounts for everyone else.
Money or a physical gift? An honest comparison
Both have good arguments. Here they are side by side.
What speaks for money
- Freedom: The recipient decides for themselves what they need.
- No wrong purchase: You do not have to guess anything or exchange anything.
- Can be pooled: Several people can collect a larger amount.
What speaks for a physical gift
- You have given it some thought: A chosen piece shows that you thought of the person.
- It stays visible: A banknote is spent after the festivities, while an object recalls the moment.
- It can be made personal: With a name or a card, a gift becomes a greeting.
Gifts of money are rarer than you might think: according to the FOM survey of 2025, 25 percent of respondents gave money, whereas 64 percent gave books. There is no right and no wrong. The choice depends on whom you are giving to.
What do you give when the budget is fixed?
A fixed budget is not an obstacle but a guard rail. Three ways help.
Talk about it openly. Many find it easier when everyone knows it is about an upper limit, for example in Secret Santa or in large families. Pool your money: two or three people can give a piece that one alone would not buy. And think of the extras: a card with your own lines, an afternoon together, a carefully chosen wrapping often count for more than the amount.
Finally, do the sums: if all the amounts together come to more than you want to spend, do not cut at those closest to you, but trim the ranges in the outer circles. An honest sentence on the card (“This year there is only a little something”) is almost always understood. A physical gift is also easier to adjust in amount than an envelope, because you can choose between smaller and larger pieces.
For parents, parents-in-law and grandparents, the guide Christmas gifts for parents, parents-in-law and grandparents collects ideas. Anyone without an idea will find further suggestions in the guide A gift for people who have everything.
Lasting gifts in 925 silver
Silver belongs in a different order of magnitude than the envelope. In return, it stays: it is used, polished and passed on. It suits something special that you are glad to chip in for, for instance with siblings for the parents or with the grandparents for a grandchild. A piece in silver then replaces several small parcels. Three pieces show what that can look like.
The napkin ring by Zaramella is a plain, tall ring of polished silver with a smooth outer surface and can be engraved. The tea glass holder “The Master” by ArgentA carries an oval field for an engraving and holds a tea glass with a diamond cut. For a baby, the baby spoon with snowman fits: top hat, scarf and three buttons sit at the end of the handle.
The whole selection is shown by the Christmas gifts in 925 silver, and ideas for the godparent role come from the godparent gifts. What guide values look like at another celebration is shown by the article How much money do you give for a christening?
When silver fits and when it does not
Silver fits when you want to give a close person a lasting piece. The prerequisite is that the budget is enough or that several people chip in. It does not fit for the Secret Santa gift at the office, nor for someone who would rather not have things in the house. Then an envelope with personal lines is the more honest choice. Both are fine, and no gift gets better by costing more.
Engraving: making the gift personal
On selected pieces, a name or a dedication can be engraved. You order the engraving as a flat fee together with the item, and you write the wanted text in the note at checkout. Whether it fits on the surface, we clarify after the order. The Engraving service describes the process; a name turns a gift into a personal piece, even if the amount stays the same.
SilberVerse card: the personal touch
Whether money, book or silver: words make any gift more personal. One option is the SilberVerse card, free of charge on request: a verse created individually for the occasion and name, as a photo card in the format 15 × 10 cm.
Frequently asked questions about Christmas gifts and budget
How much money is appropriate for grandchildren at Christmas?
As a guide value we name €30–100 per gift (our estimate, not a survey). What matters is that the grandparents ask the parents beforehand so that nothing is given twice.
How much do you give colleagues and in Secret Santa?
Our guide value is €10–25. In Secret Santa, the agreed upper limit applies, not the guide value.
How do I divide up a total budget?
Write down all the names, sort them by closeness and give each group an amount. You compare the sum with your limit and adjust the outer groups.
What do I give if no idea comes to me?
Something that is used and gets a permanent place, for example tea, cutlery or a spoon. Further ideas are collected in the guide A gift for people who have everything.
Something that stays
Silver gifts for Christmas
From the baby rattle to the tea glass holder: a selection for the gift table.
View Christmas gifts