Figuratively Speaking

Percentage of Americans who say they celebrate Christmas, according to a Pew Research Center survey: 90

Percentage of respondents who say they went caroling when they were young: 36

Percentage who do so today: 16

Percentage who say they put up a Christmas tree as children: 92

Percentage who do so today: 79

Source: Pew Internet and American Life Project.

Ranks of crowds and long lines, bad traffic, and aggressive or thoughtless driving in store parking lots on the list of the biggest holiday dreads, according to a Consumer Reports poll: 1, 2, 3

When asked what their go-to gift was for someone they didn't know particularly well or someone they hadn't planned to give a gift originally, percentage who said gift cards: 29

Percentage who cited wine/other alcohol: 16

Source: Consumer Reports.

Percentage of CFOs who said the top reason good employees quit is inadequate salary and benefits, according to research from Robert Half: 28

Percentage of employees who cited poor compensation as the primary reason they would leave their jobs: 38

Percentage of CFOs who cited limited opportunities for advancement as the reason employees would leave their job: 22

Percentage of employees who said the same: 20

Source: Robert Half.

Percentage of U.S. adults who set a budget on their holiday gift shopping, according to a poll conducted for Offers.com: 60

Percentage of U.S. adults who make holiday gift lists: 53

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Year of the first written record of a decorated Christmas tree -- in Riga, Latvia -- according to History.com: 1510

Year that trees were sold in the marketplace and brought home and set up undecorated, according to a record from Alsace, France (then German territory), where laws limited the size to "8 shoe lengths" (slightly over 4 feet): 1530

Period it became common in Germany to decorate Christmas trees with apples: 1600s

Source: History.com's Christmas Section.

Amount of money the average U.S. family will spend on gifts this year, an increase of $66 per household, according to a survey published by Time Inc. and YouGov: $736

Amount this equates to for total U.S. holiday gift spending: $77.5 billion

Source: YouGov.

Percentage of companies that have holiday parties, according to Hornblower Cruises & Events: 86

Percentage of employees who believe that hosting a holiday party can have an improvement on office morale: 67

Source: Hornblower Cruises.

Percentage of American adults nationally who think people should say, "Merry Christmas," according to the Knights of Columbus-Marist Poll: 64

Percentage who believe the appropriate greeting is "Happy Holidays": 31

Source: Knights of Columbus/Marist Poll.

Percentage of Americans who expected to take a trip this holiday season, according to the 2013/2014 AAA year-end forecast: 29.7

Projected number of Americans who will journey 50 miles or more from home during the year-end holiday season: 94.5 million

Source: AAA.

Percentage of cat owners who go the extra mile this time of year to buy their cat the perfect present to put under the tree, according to a survey conducted by Temptations Treats for Cats: 46

Percentage of women who are more likely than men to consider their cat when buying gifts during the holidays: 49

For those cats lucky enough to have made the shopping list, percentage of their owners who will be purchasing toys for their feline friends, despite the fact that owners believe their cats prefer treats in their stockings: 85

Source: Temptations.

Idle Thought

"Don't be seduced into thinking that that which does not make a profit is without value." -- Arthur Miller, playwright and essayist

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

Of Americans who will travel this holiday season, ranks of visiting with friends and family, dining and shopping on the list of what will be the most popular activities, according to the 2013/2014 AAA year-end forecast: 1, 2, 3

Source: AAA.

Date that the first Thanksgiving service known to be held by Europeans in North America occurred in Newfoundland, although earlier church-type services were probably held by Spaniards in La Florida, according to data prepared by the Division of Cultural History, National Museum of American History, in cooperation with Public Inquiry Services, Smithsonian Institution: May 27, 1578

For British New England, year that some historians believe the Popham Colony in Maine conducted a Thanksgiving service: 1607

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of their work hours that actually go to their primary job duties as stated by enterprise workers, according to a survey commissioned by AtTask, the leader in Enterprise Work Management and conducted online by Harris Poll: 45

Percentage of workers citing excessive email as a leading factor to stymied productivity: 43

Source: AtTask.

Percentage of U.S. adults who say celebrity gossip/scandal stories are over-covered in U.S. news media today, according to the results of The Harris Poll: 76

Percentage who feel U.S. elections are over-covered in U.S. news media: 33

Source: Harris Interactive.

Percentage of shoppers who said getting ahead of the deals motivated them to incorporate shopping into their traditional Thanksgiving festivities, according to an Alliance Data Retail Services survey: 49

Percentage of respondents who waited until after the pumpkin pie had been polished off -- 5 p.m. or later -- to hit the stores: 36

Source: Alliance Data Retail Services.

Percentage of Americans who believe that relationships formed through online dating sites are just as likely to succeed as relationships formed elsewhere, according to a survey by YouGov: 36

Of those respondents who indicated that they have ever used online dating sites or apps, percentage who have felt that someone they saw on an online dating site or app was misrepresenting themselves: 44

Source: YouGov.

Percentage of people worldwide who say that vacations make them feel happier, better rested, closer to their family, less stressed and more relaxed, according to the results of the 2014 Vacation Deprivation study, an annual study of vacation habits among employed adults across 24 countries in Asia-Pacific, Europe, North America and South America by Expedia: 80 to 90

Percentage of Americans who feel "very" or "somewhat" vacation deprived: 54

Source: Expedia.

Among 2014 college graduates currently working, percentage who said their job is related to their college major: 51

Percentage of the grads who say "making a lot of money" is more important in their job than "making a difference" who are in a full-time position, compared to 28 percent of those who think the reverse: 51

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Based on bookings, ranks of Cancun, Rome, London and Paris on the list of international destinations chosen by ASTA's (American Society of Travel Agents) 2014 Hot Spots for Winter survey: 1, 2, 3, 4

When asked about the top country/region destinations, ranks of Mexico, Italy and the Caribbean on the list of hot spots: 1, 2, 3

Source: American Society of Travel Agents.

Idle Thought

"There is only one way to achieve happiness on this terrestrial ball, and that is to have either a clear conscience or none at all." -- Ogden Nash

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

Percentage of U.S. public school teachers who react positively to the primary goal of the Common Core -- to have all states use the same set of academic standards for reading, writing and math in grades K-12, according to a Gallup survey: 76

Percentage who react positively to using computerized tests to measure students' performance and progress: 27

Percentage who react positively to linking those test scores to teacher evaluations: 9

Source: Gallup.

Percentage of frequent fliers (four flights a year or more) who would be very likely to choose price over comfort, according to an Omnibus Research survey: 21

Of those Americans who have flown, percentage who say that lack of space is one of the things they dislike about flying: 50

Percentage who often or always check sites like SeatGuru or Seatplans.com for additional information about seating layout and sizing: 20

Source: YouGov.

Percentage of Americans who believe their personal data is not secure, according to a survey from PKWARE: 61

Percentage of respondents who said theft of financial and banking data (including credit cards) caused them the most concern: 57

Percentage who cited Social Security numbers as the leading data at risk: 55

Source: PKWARE.

Percentage of Americans who estimate they could entertain only up to four guests with their current dinnerware, according to a survey conducted by Wakefield Research on behalf of Corelle: 29

Percentage who are embarrassed to invite new friends over to their home for dinner with their current dinnerware set: 50

Source: Wakefield Research.

Percentage of U.S. adults who made charitable donations of money within the past two to three years, according to a Harris poll: 66

Percentage who gave used clothing: 73

Percentage who gave food: 53

Source: Harris Interactive.

Percentage of Internet users who say that they have personally used an online dating site such as Match.com, eHarmony or OK Cupid, according to a national survey by the Pew Research Center's Internet Project: 11 (figure also represents 9 percent of the entire adult population)

Percentage of cellphone app users who say that they have used a dating app on their cellphone: 7 (figure also represents 3 percent of the entire adult population)

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

Percentage of Americans who expected to take a trip this holiday season, according to the 2013/2014 AAA year-end forecast: 29.7

Projected number of Americans who will journey 50 miles or more from home during the year-end holiday season: 94.5 million

Percentage of travelers or 85.8 million who are expected to travel by automobile: 91

Source: American Automobile Association.

Rank of the United States among 14 nations queried with a "perceptions vs. facts" test about knowledge of social-demographic aspects in a test-taker's own country, according to an Ipsos global survey highlighting public ignorance about the makeup of their own populations: 13

Americans' guesstimate of the percentage of the U.S. population that is over 65: 35.9 percent

Actual percentage over 65: 14 percent

Americans' guesstimate of the percentage of the country who identify themselves as Christian: 55.7

Actual percentage identifying as Christian: 78

Source: Ipsos Mori.

Percentage of teenagers aged 11 to 16 years old who say they regret posting something online, according to Digital Diaries research: 28

Percentage who have had to ask someone to remove content posted online about them: 32

Source: Digital Diaries.

Percentage of American adults (about 140 million) who could be recommended for behavioral weight-loss treatment, according to the Obesity Society: 65

Source: The Obesity Society.

Idle Thought

"It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends." -- J.K. Rowling, author

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