Christmas shopping is a strange activity. It's something we look forward to, but something we dread at the same time. From the glitz of shop displays and the twinkling of multi-coloured lights, to the reassuring backdrop of festive music, and the anticipation of giving special gifts, there's plenty to love about shopping at Christmas.
But at the same time, the crowds, queues, sold-out items, and stress of trying to find the perfect presents for every friend or family member can make Christmas shopping a less than stellar experience. And that's before we even start thinking about the expense.
At hotukdeals, we know all about Christmas shopping, so we've made it easy to track down the biggest Christmas discounts, allowing you to save a little bit more this festive season, and have something left for extra luxuries on the big day, or for bargain hunting when the sales begin.
Our Christmas shopping page is the ideal place to find gifts that everyone will adore. You can easily use our gift finder to track down brands and models that match up to Christmas lists, avoiding any disappointment. The dates for final orders before Christmas are all clearly shown, and we even provide information about returns for major UK merchants.
Basically, hotukdeals have thought about everything that the UK's festive shoppers need. And with a massive selection of deals from all of the biggest retailers in the country, you're sure to find the gifts you need when you shop with us. So let's dive into what's on offer, and provide some useful tips to make the most of our site. Remember, the perfect Christmas is just a click away.
It's no great secret that us Brits spend much more at Christmas than other times of year. In fact, we're also spending more every year on festive gifts, and spending has been increasing for the past 20 years. In 2021, UK shoppers spent as much as £24 billion on gifts alone. That means each adult spent roughly £476 on food, decorations, and presents, and the cost has risen every year for decades. As for online shopping, it's going through the roof, with Christmas cyber-deals growing by 12% year-to-year.
Christmas 2022 won't seem to buck that trend either. In fact, it's a safe bet that you and your family will spend a little bit more than in previous years. This makes it doubly important to find the best deals, so you can save money while keeping everyone happy throughout the season.
Thankfully, all of the UK's biggest brands make Christmas sales a key part of their retail strategy. But they don't reach out to customers to tell them one-to-one about great deals. For that you need to check listings like hotukdeals, where you'll always find up to the minute information about the biggest brands around.
To get a feel for what your favourite brands are offering this year, here are some festive highlights from major merchants covered by our listings:
Amazon Christmas deals – Along with Amazon Prime Day and Black Friday, Christmas is part of the big three retail events for the world's largest online seller, so expect a vast array of special offers as the 25th December approaches. Amazon have set up their very own Christmas Store, which guides buyers to sections for men, women, kids, babies and even pets. You can filter by product area, and also zero in on decorations and Christmas dinner ideas as well. In many cases, Prime members can still order as late as Christmas Eve – so be sure to check for free Prime memberships if you are still stuck and need to make purchases at short notice. You can always cancel them before the recurring payments kick in.
Argos Christmas deals – Argos is one of the UK's go-to retailers for pretty much everything, from toasters to nappies, mobile phones, and coffee makers, so it's no surprise that they are a big part of the hotukdeals Christmas listings.
Currys Christmas deals – 'Tis the season to buy gadgets, as every high-tech gift buyer knows, and few places have as many phones, computers, TVs and consoles as Currys. From the latest fitness trackers for exercise fanatics, to smartwatches, high-end headphones and Sonos speakers, this year's gift selection at Currys has something for all tech lovers. Even better, Currys offer free delivery on all products with Click and Collect available until closing on Christmas Eve.
Selfridges Christmas Deals – If you need some stylish outfits, festive treats, and games to play on Christmas evening, Debenhams have it covered. Whether you want to order up a luxury hamper, stock up on crackers, or renovate your wardrobe for Christmas parties, their seasonal site features a huge range of hand-picked offers and products. Of course, as with other retailers, be sure to order your gifts as early as possible to make sure your items arrive in time for Christmas.
John Lewis Christmas deals – You've seen the Christmas advert, now head over to John Lewis' Xmas site, where all of the upscale retailer's offerings can be found. Always a handy brand for clothing, furnishings, luggage, games, sports equipment – well, pretty much anything – John Lewis goes all-in for Christmas like few other UK merchants.
Marks and Spencer Christmas deals– Another key part of Britain's festive shopping bonanza, M&S go to town when December begins, and don't let up until closing time on Christmas Eve. Particularly strong on decorations and other Christmas knick-knacks, M&S also have massive ranges for him, her, kids, and everyone else, along with plenty of Christmas deals across the board, which you'll find at hotukdeals. They even have a special Christmas FAQ and an extended returns policy, which makes Christmas shopping that little bit simpler.
Very Christmas deals – Always a useful source of online bargains, very.co.uk make a big effort when Christmas nears, getting into gear straight after Black Friday. They are a great place to pick up entertainment products like DVDs and games, as well as home and garden items, electronics – and plenty more.
Boots Christmas deals – From perfumes to cosmetics, Boots is a perennial source of great gifts for teenagers especially, and their Christmas section is jam-packed with brands like L'Oreal, Chanel, Ted Baker, and Bulldog. If you need a high-quality wash bag and shower gel set for a relative, or some gorgeous scents, this is the place to look.
GAME Christmas deals – Gamers are always confronted with an ocean of choice at GAME, where the latest PS5, Xbox, PC, and Nintendo Switch titles fly off the shelves as December begins. You'll find all of the year's hottest titles, from FIFA, to Call of Duty at the game.co.uk Christmas section, where there are also some great gaming-related clothing ideas that the gamers in your life will adore.
The Perfume Shop Christmas deals – A seductive selection of the world's greatest scents awaits at the Perfume Shop's Christmas store. If you are struggling to find a festive gift for your wife or girlfriend, look no further than the Perfume Shop's seasonal pages, where alongside perfumes, you'll also find some delectable scented crackers and candles to adorn your home's decorations.
However, brands aren't the only way to focus on the gifts and merchants you are looking for. With hotukdeals, you can also home in on specific gift areas, and compare prices from all of the UK's leading merchants (as well as some smaller companies as well).
That way, you can shop scientifically, finding the very best price for every single gift. It's all simple and quick, and the end result is guaranteed to be a heavier wallet come Boxing Day. So let's check out some major gifts and the best places to buy them.
Perfume – 2022 has been a big year for the perfume sector, with some dazzling new fragrances coming onto the market. These luxury perfumes aren't always cheap, but you can find them for much less at hotukdeals merchants like Boots, the Perfume Shop, and John Lewis.
Watches – This Christmas, expect watches to sell in their droves. Always a popular product, this year has seen some great smartwatches emerge, as well as fitness trackers, and plenty of classic designs from brands including Casio, Rolex and Breitling. Check out Argos, Amazon, John Lewis, Very and the Watch Shop for some killer timepiece deals.
Gaming – Look out for 2022's hottest gaming products for the Xbox Series S, the Nintendo Switch, and the PS5, as well as all the previous generation consoles like Xbox One X and PS4. Also video games with popular and new titles have standalone hotukdeals listings, where you can grab them in download or hard copies at huge discounts. Check out retailers like Very, GAME, Tesco, and Asda – as well as the PlayStation Plus, Steam, Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Live Gold for season passes.
Women's Fashion – hotukdeals covers all of the UK's biggest women's fashion retailers and labels this Christmas. Debenhams, John Lewis, and M&S offer quality garments for older women, while places like BooHoo, Missguided, and Zalando stock the latest fashions. Look out for designs by Burberry, Alexander McQueen, Paul Smith, and many others – all at huge savings.
Men's Fashion – The same applies to guys, with leading brands like Barbour, Ted Baker, Levi's, Calvin Klein, Adidas, Nike, and many more all available from clothing merchants at steep reductions. Check out the listings for individual labels, but be sure to compare prices with retailers like John Lewis or Zalando as well. You can never tell where you'll find the best offers, well, aside from hotukdeals.
Toys – Old favourites like LEGO continue to blaze a trail in the toys sector, and you can find everything the Danes have to offer at merchants like Argos, Tesco, Smyths, and Amazon. The hottest Christmas toys tend to sell out quickly, so order nice and early to make sure you snag a bargain.
Phones – These days, smartphones and accessories are always a huge part of the festive buying scene, especially with the new iPhone having hit the shelves in the past couple of months. You can track down Apple's new masterpiece for less at the Apple Store, Currys, and Amazon, or opt for alternatives like the Samsung Galaxy Series. For stocking fillers, customised phone cases are always a neat idea, while power banks and screen protectors may not be glamorous but they are always well received.
Jewellery – Christmas is a great time to give gifts like diamond rings, or more humble presents like earrings and friendship bracelets. Fortunately, there are plenty of hotukdeals merchants offering jewellery at very festive prices. Check out H Samuel, John Greed, Lisa Angel, Goldsmiths, and Ernest Jones to run rings around the market and find beautiful pieces at gorgeous prices.
Christmas tree and decorations – If you want to create a classic festive environment with Christmas lights for everyone to enjoy, the costs can mount. You start with some ideas in your head, but soon you've filled up your house with clutter, and the results aren't quite what you had in mind. Instead, try to be methodical about decoration buying, and head to the hotukdeals listings of major festive merchants. John Lewis, M&S, Argos, Asda, Home Bargains, and B&M all offer discounted, attractive decorations. By all means check upscale merchants like Harrods or Fortnum and Mason, as their listings will have plenty of festive deals, but you can use their products as accents. Cheaper decorations can still look great for most of your festive needs. Christmas trees can also be fairly expensive, but thanks to the special section at hotukdeals, you can cut the cost of them as well, whether you opt for natural or artificial varieties.
Christmas Dinner – Christmas is as much a feast for the tastebuds, as it is a time of giving, song, and friendship, but where can you get cut-price yuletide nibbles? Actually, there are lots of places, and hotukdeals lists the best of them. Mince pies, pigs in blankets, Christmas logs, and much more can be found at merchants like Tesco, Sainsbury's, Waitrose, Asda, Morrisons, Iceland, Lidl, and the Co-op. There's even a whole section dedicated to Christmas turkey deals. You'll also find plenty of discounts for Christmas essentials like brandy, beer, wine, and Baileys, as well as chocolates from national favourites like Quality Street and Cadburys. So anyone can put on a great Christmas spread, providing they shop with hotukdeals.
By now, we should be getting closer to finding the perfect Christmas gifts for 2022. But, whether you're buying a new iPhone, some stunning jewellery, or a designer dress, you still need to know how to get the best deals around. So here are some handy Christmas shopping tips from the hotukdeals experts.
Budgeting can make or break a happy Christmas – Perhaps most importantly of all, before you even start Christmas shopping, try to establish a budget, and stick to it. We noted earlier that the average spend on all Christmas related costs per adult in the UK is around £400. That's quite expensive just for one holiday so if possible, limit your gift-buying, assuming you spend the rest on decorations, food, drink etc... Now, note down the people you need to buy for, and write a 1,2,3 list of priority gifts for each one (not everyone will need more than one gift, of course). Work within your budget, and be disciplined. That way, you'll see that spending more on one person will hurt another, helping to keep costs in general under control.
Know what you want before you shop – On a related note, always be clear about what you are looking for before you enter Amazon's store or you start scrolling through our listings. It's all-too-easy to start "window shopping" online, resulting in purchases that weren't well thought through. So write those lists, and pin them up in front of you. They'll become the foundation of your festive shopping.
Cash is king when saving money – We've already discussed the perils of using credit to do your Christmas shopping. Well, it's worth reiterating that, and stressing the virtues of cash. The only drawback is that cash won't be much good if you're shopping online. However, with the bricks and mortar deals listed at hotukdeals, you'll find plenty of opportunities to shop in-store and avoid the need to pile up payments on your credit card. Use credit as a last resort, or for genuinely amazing deals. Don't splurge automatically online with plastic. Carefully consider every deal before taking the plunge.
Don't leave things to the last minute, but don't panic if you do – You'll often hear people tell you not to leave Christmas shopping to the last moment. It's a classic image from pop culture – a dad (it's usually a dad) hunting desperately for a popular toy as the shops gradually shut, leaving him out in the cold. But things don't have to be that way. By the start of December, UK retailers have Christmas sites up and running. You can get in there, place orders, and even check them and return them if necessary – as long as you order early. But, if you don't get organised, don't panic. Many retailers offer same day deliveries even on Christmas Eve, as well as Click and Collect. You may pay slightly more, but you can usually get the gifts you need, even if you have messed up the timing a bit.
'Tis the season to make price comparisons – This is our mantra: always compare prices across the board before heading out to shopping centres and High Streets, or clicking the order button online. While stores might have glitzy Christmas pages filled with deals, it's impossible to tell whether those deals are actually as generous as they seem, until you make the comparison. So log onto hotukdeals, load up the retailers and products you are interested in, and note down relevant prices. You'll be amazed by how much variation you find, and how what look like great deals on company sites, suddenly don't seem so stellar when placed alongside the competition.
Scout around for extra bonus deals – If you're really keen to save money this Christmas (and who isn't?) then there are some cunning ways to boost your reserves. For instance, some bank accounts will give you a free cash bonus when you switch. Many retailers also offer special credit deals at Christmas. While these are superficially attractive (buy now, pay later), they are rarely good value, so try to give them a miss unless you are absolutely strapped for cash. A better option would be to take out a 0% credit card from hotukdeals merchants like Barclaycard, but even then you need to remember the repayments schedule.
Make it a cashback Christmas – Many credit cards offer cashback as part of the deal. So, when you spend with them, you automatically accumulate points, which can then be redeemed at partner shops and online retailers. Not everyone with these cards takes full advantage, or even know they exist, so double check and be sure to use your points at Christmas. The same applies to loyalty cards. An amazing amount of loyalty card credit goes unredeemed, and retailers often schedule special discounts for regular customers.
Slip some discount codes in your stocking – Another thing we're really keen on at hotukdeals is encouraging shoppers to take advantage of promotional codes. Almost all major retailers use these codes on their online stores, and they can help you realise massive savings. But shoppers often seem unaware of their existence, handing over far too much cash at stores and online. hotukdeals makes it easy to track current codes. Some of them may last for a day or two at Christmas, so be sure to check our listings regularly over the shopping season.
Put yourself in (Amazon) Prime position – There's no doubt that Amazon Prime is an amazing service for retail fans, with access to a vast array of products and services, and ridiculously fast deliveries. But at £95 per year, not everyone can afford a subscription. Amazon regularly offer free taster memberships lasting a month. You can start one before Christmas, then shut it down soon after. But be sure to do so, as the free membership instantly becomes an annual monthly payment after the month runs out.
Use the “Gifts for“ guides at hotukdeals – Take a look at our present guide for general Christmas offers or specific ones for every group of people you can think of and make buying presents as easy and cheap as possible
Gift cards suit everyone – During festive season, you might well end up giving a gift card or two. After all, these cards let the recipient make their own choices, so they are handy for people you don't know that well. But gift cards can have issues of their own. For example, some cards have short expiry dates, so always check the length of term before buying. People can be slow to use them, and no-one wants to find that, 6 months down the line, their Christmas gift is worthless.
Delivery dates are as important as Christmas Day – When shopping online for Christmas gifts, one of the great skills is ensuring that all of your orders arrive in time for Christmas Day. We've listed a few of the last delivery dates for major retailers already, but every company is different, so take care when ordering. Sometimes orders will have to be sourced from overseas, extending delivery times, and this can catch people out (Amazon is particularly notorious for this). In general, bear in mind that the closer you get to Christmas, the more likely it is that delivery times will slip. So order early in the season to avoid last minute stress.
Check hotukdeals – During the Christmas shopping season, it also helps to be part of a wider community of bargain hunters who are facing exactly the same challenges, and that's where hotukdeals comes in. You'll be among retail experts who know the market inside-out. Our members are always happy to offer advice via the comments section, so feel free to ask away.
Stay in the know by checking out hotukdeals' extensive range of great discounts this Christmas. By using our gift finder, you can tailor searches to find discounts that meet needs, and stay one step ahead of the festive gift-buying crowd. So don't pay more than you need to. With hotukdeals, yuletide bargains are always just a couple of clicks away.
