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[title]Nothing brings people together quite like the holidays, and nothing tears them apart quite like the holidays. Ask a New Yorker when it’s acceptable to put up the decorations and you’ll get a lecture with footnotes. Ask them when the music should start and, well, brace yourself.
So we decided to settle it. Through a Time Out Loud survey, we asked New Yorkers to weigh in on the holiday questions that spark the most spirited opinions, including when to shop, when to decorate, how many cookies feel right and who on the list is hardest to buy for.
The rulings are festive, petty and occasionally hard to explain. A third of people shop “whenever I see something perfect,” which is either a beautiful philosophy or an excellent excuse. More than one in ten pulled out the holiday candle collection in September. And as many people said their holiday cookie math adds up to zero as said it adds up to 100 or more. Both camps are brave.
Here are 10 debates with 10 verdicts, including one small gift that nearly eight in ten New Yorkers would at least consider. Read on, then screenshot the results and send them to whoever needs to hear it.
When should the decorations go up
The debate: How early is too early?
The verdict: Wait your turn.
The largest camp, 43%, holds off until the previous holiday has had its moment, because one holiday at a time, please. Then it’s chaos. About 23% say October is fair game, 19% wait until October is officially over, and 11% have already whipped out the holiday candle collection in September. Only 4% decorate at the last minute and ‘thrive under festive pressure,’ a group we assume also files taxes at 11:58pm on April 15. Early birds, take heart: plenty of your neighbors are quietly on your side, just behind a closed door cheering you on.
Minimalists narrowly win the decor war
The debate: A few tasteful touches or all-out festive overload?
The verdict: Minimalists, by a nose.
About 23% say a few decorations is enough, compared with just 8% who are full maximalists and believe the more festive the better. That’s a ratio of nearly three to one. Another 23% mix a few styles, 21% go vintage and beautiful, 9.5% prefer shiny and new, 7.5% go homemade, and 7.7% don’t really decorate at all. So New York is mostly tasteful, with a few glorious outliers in every neighborhood. You know exactly who they are. You’ve slowed down to look, and don’t pretend you haven’t. Maximalists, we salute you.
Which holiday soundtrack wins the room
The debate: Classics, new hits or total silence?
The verdict: A bit of everything.
Most New Yorkers, 58%, want a good mix of old and new, which is the musical equivalent of “I’m fine with anything” or “You pick. I’m easy.” About 31% want upbeat songs that get everyone in the mood, 22% prefer something chilled in the background, and 12% go with whatever’s trending. Meanwhile, 16% put one artist’s holiday album on repeat. You know the one. You know the artist, and she always hits that high note. At the other end, 5.7% would rather not hear holiday music at all, and an equally resolute 5.7% want no music, just the vibes. Seat both groups far from the album-on-repeat crowd at dinner.
Cookie math
The debate: How many holiday cookies is the right number?
The verdict: A hung jury.
We asked Time Outers to do their holiday cookie math, and the two most popular answers tied at about 26% each: “close to 10” and “probably 25ish.” Another 13% say “1 or 2, maybe,” and 12.7% say 50 feels right. A proud 8.5% chose “75, I LOVE holiday cookies,” a number with its own personality. And at the extremes, 3.4% said zero while a wholly opposite 3.4% said 100 or more. Exactly as many people opted out as went all in, and honestly, we’d love to see them meet. Bring a plate. Or don’t.
Shop early or wing it?
The debate: Start in October or trust the universe?
The verdict: Trust the universe.
The biggest group, 34%, shops “whenever I see something perfect,” which is a very romantic way to describe an 11pm credit card swipe. Another 26% go full festive in November, 20% get ahead in October, and 17% wait until December, when it finally feels like the holidays. Then there are the 2.8% who shop two days before. We see you, and we hope you’ve made peace with overnight shipping. The ruling? A shopping calendar is a suggestion. The perfect gift shows up on its own schedule, usually when you’re not looking and always when it’s nearly sold out.
Who’s hardest to shop for?
The debate: Who gives you the most gift anxiety?
The verdict: Sorry, significant others.
You are the hardest person to shop for, according to 24.5% of respondents, which is a lot of pressure on someone who may be in the room while you’re deciding. Mom is runner-up at 18.8%, followed by siblings (11.1%) and dad (10.1%). Your boss lands at about 4%, a number we’re choosing to read as “valued, but not that valued.” Barely anyone loses sleep over the in-laws, either: partner’s mom (2.8%), partner’s dad (2.0%) and grandparents (2.6%) all rank near the bottom. Our advice: leave a hint, and make it a big one.
Cash is still king, apparently
The debate: Cash or a surprise?
The verdict: Cash, and it’s not close.
Asked for the perfect gift, 27% said cash or a gift card, the present equivalent of “just tell me where to be and when.” Another 16% said “honestly, surprise me,” and 14% want something they wouldn’t buy for themselves. Experiences and sentimental gifts each earned about 11%, while foodie finds got just 3.6%, so maybe hold the fancy jam. As for gratitude, 57% say they’d return or regift none of what they get and will be happy with whatever. But 1.4% say they’d return or regift absolutely everything. Ouch (but mad respect, too).
The gift idea New Yorkers approve of
The debate: Is a scratch-off ticket a surprise worth giving?
The verdict: You betcha.
Remember two seconds ago when we said “cash is king”? Well, enter the New York Lottery Festive Holiday Scratch-Off Games, a lineup of festive tickets at $2, $5 and $10, with a chance at prizes up to $5,000. When we asked, 41% said “absolutely, it’s going straight in,” and another 39% said “maybe, it’s a fun little surprise.” That’s nearly eight in ten at least considering it. 7% said they’d rather keep the lucky streak for themselves, which is honest, and which we respect. It’s a light packer, too. No sizes, no colors, no gift receipt required.
Why a scratch-off ticket makes the cut
So why does a scratch-off ticket work as a gift? Because, as 56% of respondents put it, “who doesn’t love the chance to win money?!” (Fair.) About 44% say it’s a great gift for just about anyone, 43% say it’s fun to scratch and see what happens, and 32% like that it lets the recipient imagine what they’d do if they won. A sneaky 14% say it’s a way of hinting at what they’d like to get, which is a bold strategy (and one we might copy). It’s the whole idea behind the New York Lottery’s holiday tagline: One Gift Fits All. Consider that argument entered into the record.
Mom tops the scratch-off game list
Who’s getting one? Mom, by a nose: 19% would send a scratch-off ticket her way, a nice fit given that mothers rank as the second-hardest people to shop for. “Someone else” takes second place at 17%, a mysterious group we would be happy to be part of. Then come significant others (14%), sisters (12%), dads (10%), besties (9%), brothers (9%), grandparents (5%) and, at 4%, the boss. (Boss, if you’re reading this, it’s nothing personal.) Everyone on this list has one thing in common: they’ve probably said “don’t get me anything.” Time to see what’s in the Festive Holiday Scratch-Off Games and find the right ticket for each of them.
Case closed
Debates settled. Whether you decorate in September or wait your turn, and whether your cookie math ends at zero or 100, everyone has someone who’s hard to shop for. The New York Lottery Festive Holiday Scratch-Off Games have a ticket for that person, from $2 to $10, with a chance at prizes up to $5,000. Find a New York Lottery retailer near you at https://nylottery.ny.gov/find-a-retailer, then go eat some cookies.
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