Winter is upon us; that means there are a ton of seasonal changes happening this month - from frosty fun outdoors to scouring stores for the best deals on gifts for loved ones. To celebrate the transition and see what everyone is up to, we asked our Creative Consumers® associates (CCs) how they’re engaging with the changes, what they’re buying to pull them through the cold, and how they’re shopping this year.

To gather all of our responses, we used our Inspire® Consumer Insight Accelerator to poll the CCs and capture some of the great photos they’ve taken while getting ready for the winter!

The Festivities

We asked 35 of our Creative Consumers® associates, “How do you enjoy engaging with the winter?” From meeting loved ones at the pub for a drink and a great meal to fleeing the cold in hopes of better weather – here’s how the CCs plan on observing the seasonal festivities of December:

It’s time to get cozy! There’s no better way to enjoy the cold than by staying away from it, and 77% of our Creative Consumers® associates concur. Among the CCs, the most popular way to settle into the new season was with a warm beverage, maybe a movie or two, and a toasty fire to enjoy all night long.

The next most popular activity to partake in this winter is (of course) enjoying the snow and the cold! 22 of our CCs said that they’d be making the trek outdoors this winter to build snow forts, see the lights, hit the slopes, and take in the scenery.

December marks one of the best times to gather with loved ones, and what better way to do so than meeting at the local pub for friendly conversations with great people at a place like The Christmas Corner Bar? Of the 35 Creative Consumers® associates we polled, 43% said they’d be getting out to enjoy a fun night of laughter and space heaters.

Don’t let the weather keep you from enjoying some frosty fun! Of the CCs we polled, 10 said that they’d be traveling to get a slice of winter wonderland that they’re missing out on at home.

Alternatively, you may want to flee to the heat and you’re not alone! Unlike our cold-weather seekers, 26% of our Creative Consumers® associates said they’d be making like geese and flying south for the winter to celebrate exclusively from warmer climates.

Of our CCs who said “other”, they’ve been filling their December with decorations, football games, and unique date night ideas like a board game night!

The Goodies & Gadgets

Seasonal purchases can make or break the winter experience, so we asked our Creative Consumers® associates, “When the snow is falling (outside your window, or miles away), what purchases, items, or possessions let you survive the winter?” The results can be seen in the chart below along with some of the pictures they’ve captured of their seasonal essentials:

There’s no better time to be a foodie than around the holidays! 31 of the 35 Creative Consumers® associates we polled are conquering the coldest of chills with warm drinks and hearty meals. Our CCs have been enjoying a little bit of everything like enchiladas, pho, homemade naan, filling chilis, and festive grinch cookies!

Bundle up! 66% of our CCs said that when the cold hits, it’s all about the clothes; thermal long underwear and ugly sweaters are what’s warming their souls this month.

Not far behind the clothes and food is the décor!

54% of the 35 Creative Consumers® associates said that they’re making use of the lights, baubles, and jingle bells to banish the blizzard with bright lights, twinkling ornaments, and festive cheer.

In after décor was technology with 9 of the CCs saying that they’re all in for the tech and electronics. Their Cyber Monday was for cutting-edge space heaters, headphones and tablets, snowblowers, and electric hand warmers.

To wrap up our CCs buys for the season is snow-readying gear with 17% of CCs stocking up on their outdoor must-haves to make their runs with shiny new skis, snowboards, snowshoes, and much more.

The Plan

Winter comes with a cluster of holidays, festive items, and gift-giving opportunities, so to wrap up our mini survey, we asked our Creative Consumers® associates about how they approach their shopping agenda, asking: “What sort of winter shopper are you?” We had six categories: the Black Friday Adventurer, the Cyber Monday Surfer, the Early Bird Gifter, the Year-Long Hoard-a-Culturist, the ‘Twas the Night Before Risk Taker, and other to let our CCs fill in any gaps! Here are the results we gathered:

The most popular response we had was the Cyber Monday Surfer with 23 of the 35 CCs saying that their favorite way to shop was from the comfort of their own laptop with some pj’s and a hot cup of joe.

Second, coming in at 37% were the year-round gatherers with a closet full of things they’ve been collecting throughout 2022. Seasoned veteran, CC Justin V., showed us his very organized stockpile of gifts for EVERY occasion.

Not far behind were the Early Bird Gifters whose shopping AND wrapping concluded by November 1st. 10 of our Creative Consumers® associates said this was their preferred method to eliminate the stress of shopping through the holidays.

While far from each other in concept, tied with 9 responses each were the Last- Minute Shoppers who wake up in a cold sweat and dash to the store at the final hour and Black Friday Pros at the front of the shopping lines year after year.

Our Creative Consumers® associates also shared some of the other gifting habits they partake in like CCs Danielle P. and Kory G. who like to gift experiences over things and CCs Laura F. and Mia F. who handmake their gifts!

This year, CC Laura has been working on these gorgeous handmade pendants while CC Mia has been hard at work on a set of adorable, crocheted baby beanies and even a bowtie for the best pooch!

December is a great time to engage in not only the festivities, but with loved ones, family, and the community. Our Creative Consumers® associates are making the most of this season, and we hope you do too! However you’re planning to celebrate the changes this year, we hope you make some amazing memories - just like our CCs!