Gen Z is the most online generation but this Christmas, they want gifts to get them outside

All Gen Z wants for Christmas is something old school.

The generation stereotyped as the most glued to their phones wants to get off them this holiday season. According to PwC’s 2026 Holiday Outlook report, nearly four in five Gen Zers (78%) are interested in screen-free gifts like puzzles, art supplies and gift cards, as compared to 64% for all consumers.

This analog craving also extends beyond what’s gift-wrapped under the tree. Over eight in 10 Gen Zers (81%) of the 1,006 surveyed said they’re prioritizing in-person activities during the holidays and over three in five (63%) said a shared meal matters more than a present, according to the same report. 

“The more digital everyday life becomes, the more value they seem to place on things technology can’t fully replicate: something tactile, personal, social, and enduring,” Ali Furman, PwC’s U.S. consumer markets industry leader, told Fortune.

The idea of a decked-out yet holly, old-fashioned Christmas has already been creeping into younger........

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