Over a quarter of Brits have all their Christmas shopping done by the start of December - but more than a third admit they leave it to the last minute.
A study of 2,000 adults found that one in six of the “super organised” start early because they “just can't wait” to begin their festive purchasing.
And a third simply enjoy buying presents, and will average at least five Christmas shopping trips before the big day.
As many as 54 percent keep a note of what they are planning to buy people for Christmas throughout the year, to make things easier when they do their present shopping.
But the research, on behalf of M&S Credit Cards, found 50 percent plan to leave their wrapping to the third week of December.
And while four in ten try to get all their presents bought and wrapped by the end of November, most fail to actually do this.
Paul Stokes, from M&S Credit Cards, said: “There is nothing like a bit of Christmas shopping to get you in the festive spirit.
“Buying presents for loved ones brings so much joy to millions of Brits, it’s no wonder people love to get out and about shopping early.
“There’s nothing better than a thoughtful gift, so it’s endearing to see so many take notes of present ideas throughout the year.”
The study also found that 28 percent intend to wait for Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales to start before they begin their purchasing.
And this is when the average Brit will buy up to 20 percent of their presents.
More than half (54 percent) collect vouchers and rewards throughout the year just to spend on Christmas, with one sixth saying the majority of their shopping will be purchased with these rewards.
While more than a third have even been known to start buying Christmas gifts in the January sales.
Despite this, the average Brit is still expecting to spend £446 on Christmas presents and £256 on Christmas food - which is £167 more than last year.
A reason for this additional spending is that 44 percent want to make up for last year’s festive season in the pandemic, and 37 percent want this Christmas to be extra special, according to the OnePoll study.
Furthermore, 41 percent are likely to set a budget but exceed it, with children being allocated the largest budget - an average of £91.
Paul Stokes added: “It’s great to see that more than half of shoppers are saving up rewards points and vouchers they have earned on their spending throughout the year, such as through a rewards-based credit card, to help make their Christmas that extra bit special, and make their festive spending go that little bit further - especially after last year’s unprecedented Christmas period.”
