Britons appear to have held back on Christmas presents in favour of buying themselves holidays and entertainment as falling inflation led to increasing consumer confidence, figures suggest.

Holiday bookings, Christmas parties, Glastonbury ticket sales and cinema releases such as Wonka all spurred spending in December while the Christmas shopping frenzy “fizzled”, according to Barclays spending figures.

Consumer card spending was just 2.3% higher than the previous December, well below November’s growth of 2.9%, as grocery and retail did not see the increases expected during the height of the festive season.

Spending on essential items slowed from November’s 3.3% uplift to 1.8%, driven by a 12.5% fall in fuel spending due to falling prices, while slowing food inflation meant supermarket shopping saw a 2.8% year-on-year increase, its lowest since September 2022.

On the other hand, specialist food and drink stores including butchers and delicatessens enjoyed a 5.1% uptick as consumers chose to invest in premium, seasonal ingredients and support their local businesses in the run-up to Christmas.

Both clothing and department stores fell back into decline – down 2% and 0.2% respectively – after a spike in November, likely due to retailers starting their festive promotional activity earlier in November rather than December.

In contrast, spending on entertainment and travel soared by 12.3% and 14.1% as consumers booked experiences and getaways for 2024.

Christmas parties and gatherings fuelled a 7.9% increase in spending at pubs, bars and clubs, while restaurants – although still 8.8% down on last December – had their best month since August.

A survey by Barclays found 15% of Britons plan to take more holidays in 2024 than in recent years, 11% have been saving up to afford a bigger holiday and 10% will be taking advantage of deals in the January sales.

However the January 1 energy price cap increase has left 87% concerned about the impact of rising household bills on their personal finances, with 35% planning to switch on their lights and heating less frequently and 28% prioritising wearing more layers and using hot water bottles to keep warm this winter.

Despite this, 67% of consumers are feeling confident about their household finances and 73% say they are confident in their ability to live within their means each month – the highest level since November 2021.

Karen Johnson, head of retail at Barclays, said: “Hospitality and leisure businesses will be encouraged by December’s strong growth, particularly in the entertainment category, which saw growing demand for live shows, new films and TV series.

“Meanwhile, grocery and retail spending didn’t see as much of an increase as we might have expected during the height of the festive season. This is likely due to many retailers and supermarkets starting discounts and promotional activity earlier than usual, meaning that many Britons had been making the most of these deals and completed most of their Christmas shopping by December.

“While the upcoming energy price cap is weighing on Britons’ minds, the falling rate of inflation offers a glimmer of positivity and it’s encouraging to see the nation’s optimism increase slightly as we head into a new year.”