How Much Do We Clark Griswolds Spend on Holiday Lights Each Year?

If you’re like most Clark Griswolds, the holiday decorations are up. You’ve climbed the ladder, emptied the staple gun, and strung lights all over your home. Or you outsourced and directed contractors to do it.

Either way, you’re among those who got into the holiday spirit.

What was the average cost of that holiday spirit? A new Rocket Homes study discovered that the average American spends $269 for holiday decorations. The study also found that 63 percent of Americans put up their decorations right after Thanksgiving, probably to work off the turkey or to get away from Cousin Eddie.

This adds up to the average American spending $269 for something they enjoy for just over a month.

Rocket Homes aligns buyers, sellers, and lenders. The Detroit-based company commissioned a survey of 2,064 Americans with equal samplings for ages 22 to 45, 45 to 65, and 65-and-over.

Texas joins other U.S. neighborhoods in turning holiday lights up a notch. Suburban neighborhoods have drive-through tours. Homeowners Associations and subdivisions have their own contests.

In Rocket Homes’ study, 63 percent of those surveyed say they put holiday lights on their house or in their front yards. The study found that a majority of people spend around $100 on decorations each year while nearly 15 percent spend upward of $500. Obviously, people with higher annual gross incomes spent more on decorations. That’s clear when you drive through Highland Park at night in December.

For people married with kids, like the Griswolds on National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, the average decoration spending totaled $390.38. Single people still spent $217.12 on decorations.

People ages 22 to 44 spent the most on decorations, an average of $347.19. In the 45 to 64 range, people already have amassed plastic totes full of decorations and spend $264.27. By the time they’re 65-plus, well, the attic is full of even more totes loaded with decorations, or it’s time to get someone else to put up the lights.

For those who can’t or don’t channel Clark Griswold, outsourcing light installation can run from $100 to $300 on average, and even $1,000-plus for larger properties or more complex lighting designs, according to The Home Depot.

But why pay when you can put Cousin Eddie to work?