Home Insurance cover at Christmas

Did you know?

Over the Christmas period, Brits are projected to spend an impressive £41.6 billion in total, including gifts, food, travel and socialising, according to Finder research. That’s an average of £802 per person!

Source: https://www.finder.com/uk/banking/christmas-shopping-statistics

The cost of Christmas: what the numbers say

If it feels like the cost of Christmas creeps up on you every year, you’re not alone. With surprise guests and extra stocking fillers, it all builds up quickly, and the stats show we’re all in the same sleigh.

According to YouGov’s Christmas Gifting Report 2024:

• 88% of Brits celebrate Christmas, with 53% buying gifts for six or more people and 15% buying for 11-20 people
• On average, people who exchange gifts spend £320 across the festive season
• 78% of British adults expect to spend under £300 on Christmas food and drink, with 31% budgeting between £100 and £199
• 27% of consumers say they are cutting back and looking for lower-cost or alternative food or drink options, while 55% are spending about the same as last year

With so much money tied up in gifts and gadgets, food, fizz and festive extras, having the right home insurance cover in place can give you one less thing to worry about, so you can focus on enjoying the celebrations instead of stressing over what-ifs.

Does esure home insurance cover Christmas presents?

If you’ve got contents cover with esure, we’ll cover your Christmas presents just like any other personal belongings in your home. That includes gifts you’ve bought and tucked away before Christmas Day, as well as presents received over the celebrations.

You don’t need to take out separate insurance for Christmas gifts; in fact, esure will increase your contents cover by 15% for the four weeks either side of any religious festival you celebrate. A gift from us to you!

This gives you added protection for presents, decorations, food, valuables and any temporary increase in belongings. The discount applies to any religious festival or celebration that’s meaningful to you, not only Christmas, such as

• Eid
• Diwali
• Hanukkah
• Other religious or traditional festivals

Insurance for guests’ possessions

The festive season can often mean hosting friends and family. At esure, we also provide cover for visitors’ belongings, such as clothing, bags or small personal items during the festive periods, if something happens like guests’ possessions are stolen following a break-in, or their belongings are damaged due to an insured event (such as fire or flood).

Don’t forget to check your policy for limits and exclusions.

How to protect your Christmas gifts during the holiday season

Insurance is of course there to help should the worst happen, but a few practical steps can go a long way towards keeping your festive treasures out of trouble. Here’s how to help protect your home, gifts and deliveries:

• Keep the lights on: a cosy, lived-in glow makes your home look busy and welcoming (and a lot less tempting to anyone up to no good).
• Check your outdoor lights setup: make sure you’re not feeding cables through open windows and creating sneaky entry points.
• Make a quick gift list: noting down what you’ve bought can be a lifesaver later, especially if you ever need the details for a claim.
• Hang on to receipts and order emails, and snap a quick photo of any high-value gifts.
• Keep presents out of sight from windows, and hide the packaging from expensive items until it’s recycling day.
• Stick to simple security basics: no keys under doormats, no notes for delivery drivers, and redirect deliveries to neighbours, lockers or collection points if you won’t be at home.

For more festive security tips, check out our article.

Increasing your contents insurance

Once the celebrations are over and you’ve unboxed all the goodies, your home may now contain more high-value items than before. It’s a great moment to review and, if you need to, update your contents insurance.

You may need to:

• Update the total value of belongings
• Specify any new high-value gifts you received (or gifted!) as presents - if you're an esure customer, this will be anything £1500 or over (bicycles have different limits, so check your policy details in your Account for more information)
• Extend/update your accidental damage or personal possessions cover
   

Keep your festive season protected

Christmas should be a time for joy, not worry. Whether you’re buying for a handful of loved ones or filling the house with gifts for a large family, having the right cover in place means you can relax and enjoy the celebrations knowing your home and belongings are protected.

With the reassurance of an extra 15% contents cover around Christmas, or any religious festival you celebrate, we help make the season brighter!

If you don’t already have contents insurance, or you’re thinking about reviewing your current policy, now’s the perfect time to get prepared. Explore esure contents insurance today.

Sources:
https://yougov.com/en-gb/reports/50927-gb-christmas-gifting-report-2024
https://yougov.com/en-gb/articles/53416-christmas-on-a-budget-how-britons-are-planning-their-2025-holiday-meals
https://www.finder.com/uk/banking/christmas-shopping-statistics