Gift givers have already spent on average $1,034 on gifts for holidays and occasions through July, a nearly 20% rise over the same period last year, Unity Marketing reported. The firm's Gift Tracker quarterly study of gift-giving habits found that if the trend continues, gift spending could top more than $2,250 this year-a 12% rise over average spending in 2005.

Some 25% of gifters have spent on average $169 buying Christmas gifts to date, the study said, while only 20% made early Christmas gift purchases last year. Projecting their current level of spending through the rest of the year, Unity expects the average amount spent on Christmas gifts to exceed $1,000.

“Early Christmas shopping may well lead to more gift purchases and spending,” said Pam Danziger, president of Unity Marketing. “Last year nearly 40% of gifters went over their budget for holiday gift purchases. We expect the same pattern to emerge this year.”

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