Figuratively Speaking

Percentage increase in online dating registration triggered annually by the holiday season, according to Match.com: 55

Percentage increase in traffic during the period of Thanksgiving weekend through New Year's Day: 350

Percentage of all single people whose goal it is to find love in the New Year, according to a Cosmopolitan survey: 64

Source: Match.com.

Ranks of gaming consoles, handheld educational devices, portable music players and handheld gaming devices on the list of the most popular electronics parents are willing to consider buying for their children, according to to RetailMeNot's Black Friday Tech Report: 1, 2, 3 (tie)

Percentage more likely fathers are than mothers to consider buying a gaming console for their child: 68 vs. 57

Source: RetailMeNot.com.

Percentage of people who spend more than half of all the time spent shopping on those who are difficult to buy for, according to a survey commissioned by Staples: 60

Source: Staples Foundation For Learning.

Date when the first full day of Hanukkah last fell on Thanksgiving, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1888

Projected number of years before the next time Hanukkah and Thanksgiving coincide in this fashion: 76,000

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of people who say relatives overstay their welcome after a day or less, according to a survey by HomeAway Vacation Rental: 22

Percentage who say their relatives never wear out their welcome: 33

Ranks of leaving their belongings all over the place, not helping with the cooking/cleaning and wanting to be entertained constantly on the list of the most annoying habits of houseguests: 1, 2, 3

Source: HomeAway.

Percentage of workers who expect to spend some time at work shopping online for the holidays, according to a survey conducted by Harris Interactive: 54

Percentage of workers who will spend between one and three hours browsing Internet deals from the office over the course of the holiday season: 20

Percentage who will spend three hours or more: 10

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Percentage of Americans who plan to spend less on gifts this year, according to the Pew Research Daily Number: 37

Amount this year's average Christmas shopper plans on spending, down from the $770 they planned to spend around this time last year, according to Gallup: $704

Source: Pew Research Center for the People and the Press.

Average amount that companies giving gifts plan to spend for employees, according to an Advertising Specialty Institute survey: $44.98

Average amount they plan to spend for clients and prospects this holiday season: $33.92

Ranks of gift cards, cash bonuses, food and beverages and apparel on the list of the top gifts responding companies plan to give in 2013: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: Advertising Specialty Institute.

Of the 25 percent of shoppers who responded in a Price Grabber survey that they were aiming to reduce their holiday budget this year, percentage who said they would spend less because of an increase in prices on basic necessities: 45

Percentage who will reduce their holiday budget because they are making less money this year: 42

Source: PriceGrabber.com.

Percentage of Americans who say they look forward to holiday shopping, according to a CBS News poll: 42

Percentage who say they dread it: 50

Source: CBS Television Network.

Idle Thought

"The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently." -- Friedrich Nietzsche, philosopher

(Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre(at)bwr.eastlink.ca.)

Percentage of shoppers who say that finding gifts for everyone on their list is stressful, according to a survey commissioned by Staples: 66

Percentage of respondents who say there is at least one person on their list who, for at least a few moments, appears practically "ungiftable": 89

On average, number of difficult gift recipients who shoppers have on their lists -- typically includes significant others (59 percent), children (57 percent), mothers (56 percent) and fathers (42 percent): 4

Source: Staples Foundation For Learning.

Of the winter holiday gift givers who typically set a budget for presents, percentage who say they will go over it -- by an average of $148, according to a survey by Coinstar: 67

Percentage of Americans who can name at least one thing they'd be willing to do or give up in order to buy holiday gifts for everyone on their list this holiday: 76

Source: Coinstar.

Percentage of event planners who said that holiday parties help improve office friendships, according to a study by BizBash: 75

Percentage who cited improved team dynamics as a direct result of office holiday get-togethers: 67

Percentage who say they contribute to increased productivity: 18

Source: BizBash.

Whether trimming a Christmas tree, wrapping gifts or preparing a festive meal to share with friends, percentage of Americans who report that they can't celebrate the holiday season properly without the right music, according to a survey by Pandora: 90

In picking the perfect music to accompany their get-togethers, percentage of people who admit they prefer classic holiday tunes from artists such as Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra or Nat King Cole: 75

Source: Pandora.

Percentage of marketers who feel that their organization has the necessary customer intelligence systems to deliver relevant, real-time information to their sales department, according to a report from the CMO Council: 9

Source: CMO Council.

Ranks of children's apparel, accessories and toys on the list of items that shoppers say they expect to spend more on this year, according to a survey by Forest City Enterprises Inc.: 1, 2, 3

Ranks of fine jewelry, mobile phones and holiday decor on the list of items that shoppers say they expect to spend less on this year: 1, 2, 3

Source: Forest City Enterprises Inc.

Percentage of executives who say they are working in a field different than the one they anticipated when they began their undergraduate studies, according to a Korn/Ferry executive survey: 68

Percentage who believe a majority of the 2013 freshman class will end up in jobs that don't yet exist: 40

Percentage of executives who believe students would benefit more by learning leadership skills rather than focusing on specific academic disciplines: 66

Source: Korn/Ferry International.

When asked to rank the best features of in-store shopping, percentage of consumers who ranked immediate gratification and instant ownership as a top factor in influencing how they shop, according to a study by WD Partners: 79

Percentage of respondents who said stores offer a sensory experience and immersion into the product that online retailers cannot: 75

Source: Gallagher Consulting Group.

Most common value of gift cards, both given and received, according to Bankrate.com research: between $25 and $50.

Percentage that can be delivered electronically: 56

Percentage of gift card issuers who will replace the card and/or funds in the event of loss or theft: 69

Source: Bankrate Inc.

Percentage more people who are planning to travel by plane during the 2013 holiday season compared with last year, according to a survey conducted by The GO Group, LLC: 58

Percentage of respondents who said they will fly out of town to celebrate at least one holiday this year, which compares to 36 percent last year: 57

Percentage who reported they will spend Christmas away from home, where just 23 percent did so last year: 33

Source: GO Group LLC.

Idle Thought

"Ultimately, the only power to which man should aspire is that which he exercises over himself." -- Elie Wiesel, writer, Nobel laureate

(Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre(at)bwr.eastlink.ca.)

Percentage of shoppers who feel retailers will offer better prices and discounts this year due to the current state of the economy, according to a Price Grabber survey: 66

Percentage of shoppers who said they started saving money before June to financially prepare for the gift-giving season: 21

Percentage who said it was acceptable to spend less on gifts because of the economy: 28

Source: PriceGrabber.com.

Number of billionaires in the United States, according to the inaugural Wealth-X and UBS Billionaire Census 2013: 515

Estimated net worth of these billionaires: $2 trillion

Ranks of New York (96 billionaires), Los Angeles (22), Chicago (21), San Francisco (20) and Houston (14) on the list of the super rich hotspots in the United States: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: Wealth-X.

From 2007 to 2009 and 2010 to 2012, of the 50 largest U.S. metropolitan areas, number where median home values fell, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 39

Of the metro areas with the largest declines (in dollar terms), number that were in California: 6

Number that were in Florida: 2

Of the 11 metro areas where median home values actually increased, number that were in Texas: 4

Source: Pew Research Center's Social & Demographic Trends.

Percentage of consumers who admitted they have items in their closets that are still in shopping bags or have price tags, according to a poll by CreditDonkey.com: 24

Percentage who said they have frequent arguments over money: 18

Percentage who said their main reason for using credit cards is to pay for items when they don't have enough money: 19

Source: CreditDonkey.com.

Percentage of American workers who would rather receive a great holiday gift than have an office party -- an increase of 12 percent from last year, according to a survey conducted by Lands' End Business Outfitters: 78

Of the employees who give their boss a gift, percentage who give a group gift: 36

Source: Lands' End.

Of the U.S. employers who are hiring seasonal workers, percentage who plan to transition some into full-time, permanent staff -- up 10 percentage points over last year, according to CareerBuilder's annual survey: 49

Ranks of retail, information technology, leisure and hospitality, and financial services on the list of employers who also plan to hire seasonal staff : 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Percentage of people in 24 countries who agree (give a rating of four or five on a five-point agreement scale) that they "care what efforts brands are making to help the environment," according to findings in a poll conducted by Ipsos OTX: 52

Ranks of Argentina (70 percent), Mexico (68 percent), Indonesia (66 percent), South Africa (62 percent) and Germany (60 percent) on the list of countries most likely to agree they care about the efforts of brands to help the environment: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Rank of the United States on the list (51 percent): 14

Source: Ipsos Open Thinking.

Percentage of brand-specific gift cards that charge purchase fees, versus 100 percent of general-purpose gift cards, according to research released by Bankrate.com: 11

Of the 55 widely held brand-specific cards that include retailers, restaurants, airlines and gas stations, number that charge a purchase fee to all customers: 3

Source: Bankrate Inc.

Percentage of households in America that have damaged a laptop, phone, camera or tablet during the holidays, according to SquareTrade's holiday survey: 12.5

Percentage of damages during the holiday season that are attributed to holiday activities -- traveling (22 percent), shopping (12 percent), cooking (10 percent) and decorating (7 percent): 51

Source: SquareTrade.

Percentage of Americans who will make traditional phone calls as the preferred way to communicate with family and friends this holiday season, according to a Cricket Wireless national survey: 46

Percentage who will use digital messaging: 45

Percentage of Americans who agree that electronic messaging has replaced traditional acknowledgments using pen and paper: 85

Source: Sentient.

Idle Thought

"Half of the harm that is done in this world is due to people who want to feel important. They don't mean to do harm but the harm does not interest them." -- T.S. Eliot

(Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre(at)bwr.eastlink.ca.)