Is it tight not to buy colleagues Christmas presents?

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See it as it's framed

Our note

On 15 September, MoneySavingExpert published Martin Lewis's call for people to agree a no-presents pact with the wider circle of friends, colleagues and relatives. Colleagues were explicitly included. That puts individual Christmas gifts at work in a wider conversation about reciprocal spending.

The YouGov Big Survey on Christmas, carried out in November 2025, asked people who buy presents who they typically buy for. In its full tables, 18% named their closest colleagues, leaving Secret Santa aside, while 51% said they would not buy for them. By comparison, 70% bought for a partner and 57% for siblings. I would look at those as 2025 habits alongside what colleagues have agreed for this Christmas.

Secret Santa is separate from buying each colleague a gift. In a 2024 instantprint survey of 1,000 UK office workers, 31% said they would not take part. An agreed group arrangement and a personal present carry different expectations; knowing which one colleagues mean helps explain the pressure.