Rising tariffs and higher import costs are pushing Christmas toy prices up across Georgia, leaving many families stretched thin just days before the holiday. Even as inflation eases, the price of joy under the tree has gone the other way.
Outside one Atlanta school this week, the strain — and the hope — were easy to spot.
Long lines, small miracles at an Atlanta giveaway
Outside Cristo Rey Atlanta Jesuit High School, a line wrapped around the block early Tuesday morning. Parents, grandparents, and kids waited for hours at the annual “Gifts From Heaven” giveaway, a holiday event that supports hundreds of families across the city.
Children bounced on their toes, trying to peek ahead. Adults stood quietly, checking phones, clutching paperwork, doing the mental math we all know too well this time of year.
For many families, this wasn’t about extras. It was about basics. Toys had slipped from “small splurge” into “maybe not this year.”
Volunteers said turnout was heavier than last December. Not dramatically so, but noticeably. The mood before the doors opened felt tense, hopeful, and tired all at once.
Then the doors opened, cheers broke out, and kids ran through a tunnel into a room stacked with toys. For a moment, money worries took a back seat.
Tariffs are quietly reshaping the holiday bill
Behind those lines and cheers sits a colder set of numbers.
A recent analysis from The Century Foundation found that tariffs are driving up the price of nearly every common holiday gift. According to the report, about 90% of clothing items, 80% of toys, and 70% of electronics are affected.
The result is simple math. Popular holiday gifts now cost about 26% more than in past years, adding roughly $130 per shopper this season.
That increase lands hardest on families already juggling rent, groceries, and utilities. Inflation may be cooling overall, but Christmas doesn’t wait for economic charts to catch up.
Here’s how the tariff impact breaks down, according to the analysis:
| Gift Category | Share Affected by Tariffs |
|---|---|
| Toys | ~80% |
| Clothing | ~90% |
| Electronics | ~70% |
Those numbers help explain why toy aisles feel more expensive even when store signs promise “holiday deals.”
Why toys are taking the biggest hit
There’s a reason toys are standing out this year.
Professor Tom Smith of Emory University Goizueta Business School says tariffs on Chinese imports are a major factor behind the price hikes.
“Most of these products are made in China,” Smith said in an interview. “With significant tariffs in place, those costs don’t disappear. They show up at checkout.”
Toys, electronics, and seasonal items tend to rely heavily on overseas manufacturing. That makes them especially sensitive to trade policy shifts.
Retailers have tried to soften the blow with early sales and smaller discounts spread out over the season. Still, many parents report spending more for fewer items, or switching brands entirely.
Some families are downsizing expectations. One gift instead of three. Books instead of electronics. Or, in some cases, relying on giveaways like the one in Atlanta.
It’s not dramatic. It’s quiet adjustment. And it’s happening across Georgia.
Choosing between tradition and the bills
For parents, the pressure is emotional as much as financial.
Christmas carries expectations, especially for younger kids who don’t follow tariff policy or shipping costs. Parents do their best to shield them from adult worries, but the strain leaks through.
Advocates say this year has brought more first-time visitors to holiday assistance programs. Families who usually manage on their own are asking for help, sometimes reluctantly.
Organizers at the Atlanta giveaway said many parents apologized for being there, as if needing help was something to explain away.
Once inside, though, the mood shifted. Laughter replaced nervous silence. Kids hugged stuffed animals. Parents exhaled.
One volunteer described it as “watching stress melt off people’s shoulders, just a little.”
Cooling inflation, stubborn holiday prices
Economists point out that inflation slowing doesn’t mean prices fall back to where they were. It just means they’re rising more slowly.
Holiday goods, especially imported ones, operate on different timelines. Tariffs, shipping contracts, and supply decisions are locked in months ahead of December.
That lag means families feel the impact even when broader economic headlines sound more optimistic.
Retail analysts say some relief could come next year if trade policies shift or sourcing changes. But for now, the 2025 holiday season is already priced in.
For Georgia families standing in long lines or scanning toy shelves with calculators in their heads, that future relief feels far away.
What matters is this week. This morning. This Christmas.
And in moments like the rush through a toy-filled room at Cristo Rey, the numbers fade, just for a bit, replaced by something harder to measure but deeply real.
