Americans will spend more on Christmas this year.

According to a Conference Board survey, the nation’s nearly 87 million households will spend more than $27 billion on gifts, or about $315 per household--5% to 6% more than in 1984, despite this year’s shorter Christmas season. New England families are expected to spend the most on holiday gifts, averaging $369 per household, the research group said. In the Pacific region, each household is expected to spend an average of $312. The board said it based the finding on a nationwide survey of 5,000 households.