Yet it wasn’t the absolute disaster that some doomsayers suggested. Retail sales in December grew 2.4%, equating to a season spend of more than £40 billion. In addition, Black Friday continues to grow year on year, boosting spending in November. Figures show that 27% of Christmas gift buyers purchased an early present during last year’s Black Friday sales.

Thanks to Black Friday, 34% of people now start buying gifts in November, making it the most popular month to start Christmas shopping.

So what does this mean for Christmas 2019?

Brexit continues to dampen consumer confidence, as we don’t yet know what the outcome will be and how it will impact the UK economy. Despite this uncertainty, market research firm Mintel reports that consumers are doing “pretty well financially”, with 82% thinking “they should be fine”.

Even if consumers do have concerns, most believe that “it’s still important to put on a good Christmas,” and they’ll achieve this through “savvy shopping [and] cutting back in some areas to indulge in others.”

As usual, in-home food and drink will dominate spending, but when it comes to gifting, clothing, beauty and personal care products and books are likely to remain the most popular product sectors.