Family and Traditions: This is How Austria Celebrates Christmas

For the majority of Austrians, Christmas remains a family celebration. According to a recent survey by ImmoScout24.at, 76 percent of respondents celebrate with family – only a minority spend the evening with friends or alone.

Christmas Remains a Family Celebration

Two-thirds (66%) spend Christmas Eve with their immediate family. Another 10 percent also invite grandparents, aunts, and cousins. 18 percent prefer a quiet celebration – alone or as a couple. Only 5 percent opt for a Christmas celebration with friends. Celebrating with neighbors or in a community plays practically no role. 1 percent state they travel during the holidays.

Younger People Focus on Atmosphere and Rituals

The younger respondents between 18 and 29 years old place special emphasis on a Christmas atmosphere: 73 percent want to make their home cozy during the holidays. Across all age groups, it is 67 percent. Women pay more attention to mood, scents, and lights than men.

Almost half (49%) of respondents adhere to traditional rituals. These include baking cookies together, decorating the Christmas tree, or having a festive dinner. These customs are particularly important for the age group 30 to 39 years (59%) and for women (54%). The smell of pine branches, vanilla crescents, or candles is also part of Christmas for many (47%) – for women, it is even 57 percent.

Traditions Lose Importance with Age

With increasing age, the need for traditions decreases. In the 50-plus generation, only 40 percent attach great importance to family rituals. 9 percent of this age group state they have no expectations for the celebration – on average, this value is 6 percent.

For the survey, Innofact AG surveyed around 500 Austrians aged 18 to 65 online in November 2025, representative of the Austrian population, for ImmoScout24.

(Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.