Top 20 Christmas gifts 2026, ranked by UK Google searches

Part of our UK Christmas search series: the top 20 gifts by UK Google searches for everyone, men, women, boys and girls.

Looking for the most popular Christmas gifts of 2026? We ranked the UK's biggest gift brands and products by how many people are actually searching for them, then checked which are up and which are down on last Christmas. The result is a top 20 led by Jellycat, Lego and the PS5, with Charlotte Tilbury and the Nintendo Switch 2 close behind, 1 squishy newcomer, NeeDoh, growing faster than anything else on the list, and last year's number 1 craze, Labubu, down to 16th.

It is built on UK Google Trends and Semrush search data, so it reflects what shoppers want rather than what retailers are pushing. Each figure is a prediction: what the gift drew last November and December, moved by how interest has changed since. We explain the method, and what it cannot see, just below the grid. If you are buying, it is a good steer on what will be hard to find by December. If you sell gifts, or advertise them, it shows you where the demand is and when it arrives.

How we predict what will be popular this Christmas

Every figure in this post is a prediction, and it is built from 2 pieces of evidence rather than a hunch.

1. Search volumes tell us the size of last Christmas. Semrush records how many times each gift was searched on Google in the UK every month. For every product on the list we took its searches in November and December 2025, the 2 months when Christmas buying actually happens. That is the baseline: how big the gift was last time, at the moment it mattered.

2. Google Trends tells us how interest has moved since. For each product we compared Google Trends interest in October 2026 with October 2025. If a gift is drawing 37% more interest than it was a year ago going into the season, we expect its Christmas to be 37% bigger too. If interest has fallen 89%, we expect its Christmas to shrink by the same amount.

Multiply the 2 and you get the expected UK searches a month this Christmas. We rank on that number, rounded to 2 significant figures, and we show last Christmas's figure next to every entry so you can see the step.

Why not just use the yearly average?

Because the yearly average hides exactly the things a Christmas list needs to show. Lego averages 823,000 UK searches a month across the year, but it drew around 1.3m a month last November and December, and with interest up 11% we expect around 1.5m this time. The average would have undersold it by almost half.

It cuts the other way for a fad. NeeDoh averages 246,000 searches a month, which sounds like a Christmas staple, but almost all of that arrived in spring and summer 2026: last Christmas it drew around 40k a month. Trends interest is 18 times higher than a year ago, so the honest projection is roughly 690k a month, 6th on the list rather than a top 3 story. And Labubu, which averages 550,000 a month and drew around 600k a month last Christmas, is down 89% on last October, which puts it at around 66k a month and 16th. A yearly average would have ranked it 3rd.

What the method cannot see

• Launches. GTA 6 has no Christmas to compare against, so we show its current run rate, over half a million searches a month before release. Its actual Christmas will be bigger.
• Stock. Search interest measures what people want, not what they can buy. The Nintendo Switch 2 Zelda edition and the Pokémon 30th anniversary products are already showing scalper and resale searches.
• November surprises. A product that goes viral on TikTok in late November will not be in October's data. Last year's Labubu and NeeDoh were both invisible 12 months before they peaked, which is a good reason to re-run this in December.

The UK's top 20 Christmas gifts for 2026, ranked

Each gift is ranked by the UK Google searches a month it can expect this Christmas: what it drew last November and December, adjusted by how interest has moved since (October 2026 against October 2025 on Google Trends). A 12-month average would flatter a spring fad and hide a December peak, which is why the list is built this way. Every entry links to the product on Amazon, and where we have them the live Google Trends charts show the past 2 years.

1. Jellycat

1.5m UK searches a month expected this Christmas · up 3% on last October (1.4m last Christmas)

The UK's most searched gift brand by a distance. Around 1 million searches a month across the year, heading for about 1.5 million a month over Christmas, and up 3% on last October.

Jellycat demand is huge and very character-driven. The 2026 advent calendar, Jack Junior and the Fizzleskip bunny are breakouts, Bizzlestomp bear is up 2,900% and the Yorkshire pudding is up 1,550%. Its novelty food range, searched as "jellycat brunch", is up 950%.

Shop Jellycat advent calendars on Amazon

2. Lego

1.5m UK searches a month expected this Christmas · up 11% on last October (1.3m last Christmas)

Lego sees around 823,000 UK searches a month across the year and about 1.5 million a month over Christmas. It is up 11% on last October and heading for another big December.

Lego's growth is coming from grown-up and nostalgia sets. Lego Astro Bot and Wallace and Gromit are both up 2,250%, Downton Abbey is up 2,150%, Skylines up 1,250% and a Lego PS1 up 550%. Seasonal sets are rising too: the 2026 advent calendar is up 1,350%, with the gingerbread house and Christmas tree close behind.

Shop Lego Wallace and Gromit on Amazon

3. PS5

1.1m UK searches a month expected this Christmas · up 37% on last October (800k last Christmas)

Around 450,000 UK searches a month across the year, up 37% on last October, and on course for about 1.1 million a month this Christmas. The PS5 is 6 years old and having one of its biggest Christmases.

Shoppers are hunting specific editions and add-ons, not just the console. A Grand Theft Auto VI PS5 controller is a breakout, "wolverine ps5 console" is up 1,600% and the 2TB PS5 Pro is up 1,400%. New releases are pulling searches too, with FC 27 up 1,250%. GTA 6 is now one of the top searches alongside PS5 itself.

Shop the PlayStation 5 Pro on Amazon

4. Charlotte Tilbury

790k UK searches a month expected this Christmas · up 3% on last October (770k last Christmas)

The biggest beauty brand on the list: 368,000 searches a month across the year, about 790,000 a month over Christmas, up 3% on last October.

The brand is steady, and its advent calendar is still one of the biggest beauty searches, with around 12,100 a month. Searches for the 2026 calendar have jumped 4,050% since it launched, though Charlotte Tilbury advent calendar interest overall is 24% below last October as beauty shoppers spread across more retailers. Everyday favourites like Pillow Talk, foundation and setting spray still lead the brand's top searches.

Shop the Charlotte Tilbury advent calendar 2026 on Amazon

5. Nintendo Switch 2

780k UK searches a month expected this Christmas · up 37% on last October (570k last Christmas)

Its first full Christmas. 301,000 searches a month across the year, about 780,000 a month expected over Christmas, up 37% on last October.

It's all about Zelda. Searches for a Legend of Zelda 40th anniversary edition and an Ocarina of Time bundle are breakouts, and "zelda switch 2 console" is up 3,000%. "Nintendo switch 2 holiday bundles" is also a breakout, and searches about scalpers and resale prices are up 3,950%, a sign that limited editions are already hard to find.

Shop Nintendo Switch 2 Zelda games and bundles on Amazon

6. NeeDoh

690k UK searches a month expected this Christmas · up 1,710% on last October (40k last Christmas)

The breakout gift of 2026. October searches for NeeDoh were 18 times higher than a year ago, and the squishy fidget toy is on course for roughly 690,000 UK searches a month this Christmas, from around 40,000 a month last Christmas.

NeeDoh's story is advent calendars. 7 of its top 10 related searches are for a NeeDoh or squishy advent calendar, with retailer-specific searches at Hobbycraft (up 4,300%) and Smyths (up 3,500%). Seasonal designs are also breaking out, including NeeDoh reindeer, Knittens and Halloween editions.

Shop the NeeDoh Squishmas Advent Calendar on Amazon

7. Ugg

660k UK searches a month expected this Christmas · up 3% on last October (640k last Christmas)

Ugg averages 201,000 searches a month across the year but around 660,000 a month over Christmas, up 3% on last October. Boots and slippers are a Christmas staple, and Ugg stays at the top of that list year after year.

Shop Ugg on Amazon

8. Lush

650k UK searches a month expected this Christmas · up 6% on last October (610k last Christmas)

Lush is a breakout search this autumn, and "best perfume gifts for christmas" is breaking out alongside it. Up 6% on last October and heading for around 650,000 searches a month over Christmas, it is the go-to bath and body gift, and one of the brand names competitors bid on hardest in December.

Shop Lush on Amazon

9. GTA 6

560k UK searches a month expected this Christmas · pre-launch, so no like-for-like last Christmas

With launch finally in sight, Grand Theft Auto VI is now one of the top searches alongside PS5 itself, already running at over half a million UK searches a month before release. A GTA VI PS5 controller is a breakout search too, which tells you how many of these will be wrapped up as a bundle.

Shop GTA 6 on Amazon

10. Pokémon cards

310k UK searches a month expected this Christmas · up 50% on last October (200k last Christmas)

Pokémon cards are having their best Christmas yet: up 50% on last October and heading for about 310,000 UK searches a month over Christmas.

The 30th anniversary is driving almost all of the growth. Searches for "pokemon 30th cards" are up 550%, and people want the detail: "30th anniversary set card list" is a breakout, "chase cards" are up 450% and the Elite Trainer Box (ETB) is up 250%. This is a collector's market, with plenty of adults buying too.

Shop the Pokémon TCG 30th Celebration Elite Trainer Box on Amazon

11. Dyson Airwrap

280k UK searches a month expected this Christmas · down 13% on last October (320k last Christmas)

The premium beauty gift that makes the list every year, with around 280,000 searches a month expected this Christmas. Down 13% on last October as rival stylers and bundles compete for the same shopper.

Shop Dyson Airwrap on Amazon

12. Stanley cup

260k UK searches a month expected this Christmas · down 16% on last October (310k last Christmas)

One of 2025's viral gifts. The Stanley cup is still good for around 260,000 searches a month this Christmas, but interest is down 16% on last October as the craze settles into a steady seller.

Shop Stanley cup on Amazon

13. NeeDoh advent calendar

210k UK searches a month expected this Christmas · up 1,246% on last October (20k last Christmas)

NeeDoh's story is advent calendars: 7 of its top 10 related searches are for a NeeDoh or squishy advent calendar, and the calendar itself was searched 13 times more this October than a year ago. From around 20,000 searches a month last Christmas it is on course for roughly 210,000 a month this time, with retailer-specific searches at Hobbycraft (up 4,300%) and Smyths (up 3,500%).

Shop NeeDoh advent calendar on Amazon

14. Sol de Janeiro

200k UK searches a month expected this Christmas · down 27% on last October (280k last Christmas)

Brand interest is down 27% on last October, but Sol de Janeiro is still heading for around 200,000 searches a month this Christmas, and its gift sets are up 140% in the breakout data. The gift set is the product people want, not the single bottle.

Shop Sol de Janeiro on Amazon

15. Yankee Candle

150k UK searches a month expected this Christmas · down 8% on last October (160k last Christmas)

Around 150,000 searches a month over Christmas, down 8% on last October, but still one of the most searched home gifts in the run-up to the day.

Shop Yankee Candle on Amazon

16. Labubu

66k UK searches a month expected this Christmas · down 89% on last October (600k last Christmas)

Last Christmas Labubu drew around 600,000 UK searches a month. October interest is down 89% on 2025, which points to something like 66,000 a month this time. It is the biggest faller on the list by a distance.

Last year's craze hasn't vanished, it's narrowed to collectors. Breakout searches are about specific series and secrets, such as the cat series and "cat mode", plus Halloween costumes and a Labubu advent calendar. That's a smaller, more committed audience than the mass-market rush of 2025.

Shop Pop Mart Labubu on Amazon

17. Squishmallows

50k UK searches a month expected this Christmas · down 47% on last October (94k last Christmas)

Down 47% on last October, the clearest sign that 2025's plush craze has moved on. Around 50,000 searches a month this Christmas is still a lot of Squishmallows, but the growth has gone to NeeDoh and Jellycat.

Shop Squishmallows on Amazon

18. Ray-Ban Meta

40k UK searches a month expected this Christmas · down 33% on last October (60k last Christmas)

Ray-Ban Meta glasses are heading for around 40,000 searches a month this Christmas, down 33% on last October's spike. Launch buzz does not always carry through to Christmas.

Shop Ray-Ban Meta on Amazon

19. Lego advent calendar

39k UK searches a month expected this Christmas · up 1% on last October (39k last Christmas)

Around 39,000 searches a month this Christmas, flat on last year but still one of the biggest advent calendar searches in the UK. The 2026 calendar is up 1,350%, with the gingerbread house and Christmas tree sets close behind.

Shop Lego advent calendar on Amazon

20. Charlotte Tilbury advent calendar

26k UK searches a month expected this Christmas · down 24% on last October (35k last Christmas)

Still one of the biggest beauty advent searches, with around 12,100 a month across the year and about 26,000 a month expected this Christmas. Searches for the 2026 calendar have jumped 4,050% since it launched, though interest overall is 24% below last October as beauty shoppers spread across more retailers.

Shop Charlotte Tilbury advent calendar on Amazon

Which Christmas gifts are rising, and which are fading

Gaming and collectables lead the risers, and they're big searches too: Lego sees around 823,000 UK searches a month and PS5 around 450,000. NeeDoh, now at 246,000 searches a month, has gone from niche to mainstream in a year.

At the other end, last year's viral hits are cooling. Labubu still averages 550,000 searches a month across the year, but October interest is down 89%, and Squishmallows, Sol de Janeiro and Stanley cups are all down. Jellycat holds steady at a very high level, with around 1 million searches a month.

What UK shoppers are searching for right now

Google Trends labels a search a "breakout" when it grows by more than 5,000% over a recent period. These are the gift searches surging across the UK in the past 1 to 3 months as the season gets going. A breakout shows momentum now; the year-on-year figures elsewhere in this post compare October with last October, so a product can be breaking out this month and still sit below last year.

Kids: parents search by exact age

The biggest shift in kids' gifting is precision. Parents aren't searching "toys", they're searching "christmas gifts for 9 year old girl", "8 year old boy" and "12 year old girls", all breakouts. Teen girl gift searches are up 350%, "2 year old christmas gifts" up 250% and broader boys' and girls' gift searches up 200 to 250%. The same pattern runs through stocking fillers, with breakouts for 7 year old boys, 11 year old boys and toddlers.

For retailers, that means gift guides, ad groups and landing pages organised by age will match demand far better than broad category pages.

Beauty and fragrance: brand-led and premium

"Best perfume gifts for christmas" and Lush are both breakouts. Within perfume gift sets, Billie Eilish fragrance is a breakout, YSL Libre and Lookfantastic are up 200%, Sol de Janeiro is up 140%, Charlotte Tilbury up 130% and its gift sets have doubled. Prada Paradoxe (up 90%) and Kayali (up 80%) gift sets are rising too.

These are named-brand searches: shoppers know what they want and are looking for where to buy it.

Budget toys: the supermarkets move in

Supermarket toy ranges are surging: Lidl wooden toys up 550%, Aldi wooden toys up 300%, Sainsbury's toys up 250% and Aldi toys up 180%. Smyths' free Lego polybag offer is a breakout. Value is clearly on shoppers' minds.

Stocking fillers: funny and specific

"Funny stocking fillers" is a breakout, along with stocking fillers for boyfriends, teenage boys, 18 year old boys and golfers. Shoppers want small gifts that feel personal, not generic.

Gadgets: for men, and for the home

"New gadgets for men" and "geeky gadgets" are breakouts, and "mens toys gadgets uk" is up 4,300%. Gadgets for boys are up 300%, electronic gadgets up 250% and office gadgets up 130%. Home heating gadgets are climbing too, with searches for Aldi's October heating range up 1,150%, a reminder that energy costs still shape what people buy.

Advent calendars: the breakout gift of 2026

Advent calendar searches overall are up 12% on last October, averaging 60,500 UK searches a month across the year. But the growth is concentrated in kids' and character calendars, while beauty and novelty calendars are cooling.

The winners are kids' brands. NeeDoh's advent calendar was searched 13 times more in October than a year ago, Primark's around 10 times more and Jellycat's around 7 times more. Pokémon calendars are up 63% and Boots up 42%. Lego is flat on last year but still one of the biggest, with around 12,100 searches a month. "Kids advent calendar fillers", "toy advent calendar" and "squishy advent calendar" are all breakouts.

Beauty is spreading out. Beauty advent calendar searches are down 17% on last October, and Charlotte Tilbury's down 24%, yet beauty still has some of the biggest volumes, with around 18,100 searches a month. Shoppers are shopping around: M&S, Sephora, ASOS, Lookfantastic, Next, Rituals and Korean beauty calendars are all breakouts for 2026.

Novelty calendars have peaked. Crisp calendars, a viral hit last year, are down 45%. Red Bull (around 14,800 searches a month) and Lindt are slightly below last year, though both are surging now as the season starts.

The new niches. Breakout 2026 searches include advent calendars from tool brands Makita and Milwaukee, plus F1, golf, dog, Aldi, The Body Shop, MAC and L'Oréal calendars, and "advent calendar 2026 women". There's an advent calendar for almost every hobby now.

Timing matters. Most advent calendars peak in November, but beauty buyers start early: Cult Beauty calendar searches peak in September and Liberty's run strongly from August. By December, it's too late for all of them.

When UK shoppers start buying Christmas gifts

Gift searches start earlier than most campaigns do. Almost a quarter of gift searches happen before November, while food and fashion are still largely last-minute.

Category	Before November	November	December
Days out and travel	28%	32%	23%
Gifts	24%	38%	33%
Home and decorations	22%	35%	33%
Fashion	18%	32%	47%
Food and drink	13%	29%	52%
Sales events	11%	70%	15%

Share of each category's searches across last year's season (August 2025 to July 2026), based on 36 seasonal search terms. Remaining searches fall in January to July.

The key dates for Christmas 2026

1. Now to mid-November: research peak for gifts, advent calendars and decorations. Shoppers are browsing and comparing.
2. Friday 27 November, Black Friday: "black friday" draws 83% of its yearly searches in November, making this the busiest single week of the season.
3. Monday 30 November, Cyber Monday: the last big deal moment before full-price Christmas buying.
4. Early to mid-December: Secret Santa, stocking fillers, Christmas jumpers and cards all peak. Watch your last delivery dates.
5. The week before Christmas: food, hampers and last-minute gifts take over. Click and collect and gift cards come into their own.
6. Saturday 26 December, Boxing Day: almost every "boxing day sales" search happens in December, in the days before it.

What it means for retailers and advertisers

Don't plan around last year's bestsellers. Labubu, Squishmallows and Stanley cups all drove huge demand in 2025. All 3 are now well down. Check this year's search trends before you commit stock, budget and creative.

Build campaigns around age and recipient. Shoppers are searching "gifts for 9 year old girl", not "toys". Ad groups, landing pages and gift guides organised by age and recipient will match how people actually search.

Lean into collectables and gaming. Pokémon cards, Lego, Nintendo Switch 2 and PS5 are all up on last year. Expect competition, and higher click costs, to rise with them.

Get advent calendars and gift sets live now. They peak in November, and brand-name searches dominate. If you sell them, your Shopping feed and brand campaigns should already be running.

Price matters. Supermarket toys, "cheap christmas gifts for teens" and home heating gadgets are all rising. Value messaging will land with a lot of shoppers this year.

Protect your brand terms. Big brands like Charlotte Tilbury and Lush see search spikes in December. If you sell them, competitors will be bidding on those names too.

Most popular Christmas gifts 2026: your questions answered

What is the most popular Christmas gift in the UK in 2026?

Jellycat, which is heading for around 1.5 million UK searches a month this Christmas, with Lego (also about 1.5 million) and the PS5 (about 1.1 million) next. By growth, NeeDoh, whose October searches were 18 times higher than a year ago.

What are the top toys for Christmas 2026?

Lego, NeeDoh, Pokémon cards and Jellycat lead the toy searches, with the Nintendo Switch 2 and PS5 topping the gaming list. Last year's crazes, Labubu and Squishmallows, are both well down, and supermarket toy ranges from Lidl, Aldi and Sainsbury's are the surprise risers.

What are the best Christmas gifts for kids by age?

Parents are searching by exact age rather than by toy: "christmas gifts for 9 year old girl", "8 year old boy" and "12 year old girls" are all breakout searches, teen girl gift searches are up 350% and "2 year old christmas gifts" up 250%. Gift guides organised by age match that demand far better than a broad toys page.

When do people start Christmas shopping in the UK?

Earlier than most campaigns assume. Almost a quarter of gift searches happen before November, gifts and advent calendars peak in November around Black Friday (Friday 27 November) and Cyber Monday (Monday 30 November), and food, hampers and last-minute gifts take over in the final week.

How do you predict the most popular Christmas gifts?

From search evidence. Each gift's UK Google searches in November and December 2025 (Semrush) give the size of last Christmas, and the change in Google Trends interest between October 2025 and October 2026 gives the direction since. Multiplying the 2 gives the expected searches a month this Christmas, which is what the list is ranked on.

Which 2025 Christmas gifts are no longer popular?

Labubu (down 89% on last October), Squishmallows (down 47%), Ray-Ban Meta glasses (down 33%), Sol de Janeiro (down 27%) and the Stanley cup (down 16%) have all cooled. Crisp advent calendars, a viral hit last year, are down 45%.

Make this Christmas count

Search data shows you what shoppers want before they buy it. At Clicky, we use it to plan paid search, Shopping and social campaigns that meet demand at exactly the right moment. If you'd like help with your Christmas campaigns, get in touch.

How we did it

• Year-on-year change: Google Trends UK interest for each brand or product, comparing average weekly interest in October 2026 with October 2025. Each term was measured separately, so the figures show change over time, not relative popularity between brands.
• Breakout and rising searches: Google Trends UK related queries for gift-related searches over the past 1 to 3 months, as of 1 November 2026.
• Expected Christmas searches and ranking: each gift's UK monthly searches in November and December 2025 (Semrush UK database, monthly trend data), multiplied by its change in Google Trends interest between October 2025 and October 2026. GTA 6 has no like-for-like last Christmas, so its current 3-month run rate is used. Figures are rounded to 2 significant figures. Search volumes and timing: Semrush UK average monthly search volumes and monthly trend data for 36 seasonal terms across August 2025 to July 2026.

Sources

• Google Trends
• Semrush Keyword Overview, UK database