The holiday season leading up to Thanksgiving and Christmas can be joyful, but chaotic and stressful. The pressure to make the holidays special can weigh heavily on consumers.

According to a new Instacart survey of over 2,000 US adults conducted online by The Harris Poll, “the endless to-do list” is at the top the list of things Americans say is their least favorite parts about prepping for the holidays (30 percent).

Instacart’s 2023 holiday data report identifies what food and beverages customers are buying at the last minute and the top holiday desserts, among other findings.

According to Instacart purchase data from 2022, the day before Thanksgiving had the highest number of orders out of the entire year.

Items items such as whipped cream and pumpkin pie were in a higher share of carts than they were at any other point in the year. Similarly, December 23, 2022 was a peak day for orders that month as customers stocked up on last minute holiday items.

Below are some interesting findings on both Thanksgiving and Christmas shopping.

Last-minute Thanksgiving foods listSource: Instacart

Thanksgiving

  • 85 percent of Americans are planning to celebrate Thanksgiving this year.
  • Of those who plan to celebrate Thanksgiving, 38 percent say it’s likely they will wait until the last minute to complete their shopping for the holiday.
  • One in four of those who are likely to wait until the last minute to complete their shopping for Thanksgiving (25 percent) say it’s because they’re really busy and don’t have the opportunity to shop earlier.
  • Next to desserts (60 percent), ingredients for dinner or side dishes (59 percent), beverages (55 percent) and pre-made dinner or side dish items (33 percent) top the list of last minute items those who are likely to wait until the last minute to complete their shopping for Thanksgiving will be shopping for.
screenshot of Instacart app with search for "store-bought pies that look homeade"Source: Instacart

“The top foods that have their most popular day of the year the day before Thanksgiving are overwhelmingly related to desserts – whether that’s pre-made pies or ingredients to bake from scratch,” says Laurentia Romaniuk, Instacart’s trends expert.

“According to our survey, desserts top the list of last minute items those who are likely to wait until the last minute to complete their shopping for Thanksgiving will be shopping for. With two sources citing a similar notion, it’s clear that dessert is top-of-mind during last minute shops, whether it’s because they’re more of an afterthought when it comes to planning the holiday meal or because they’re the easiest items for guests to bring to dinner.”

Christmas

  • 87 percent of Americans plan to celebrate Christmas this year.
  • Of those who plan to celebrate Christmas, 37 percent say it’s likely they will wait until the last minute to complete their shopping for the holiday.
  • One in four of those who are likely to wait until the last minute to complete their shopping for Christmas (25 percent) say it’s because they dislike shopping so much, they tend to procrastinate.

Much like Thanksgiving, an overwhelming majority of the top items ordered on Christmas Eve are desserts, with cookie dough, hot cocoa and cheesecake topping the list.