Figuratively Speaking

Date of the probable first flight of Santa's sleigh, a versatile, all-weather, multi-purpose, vertical short-take-off and landing vehicle capable of traveling vast distances without refueling and deployed, as far as we know, only on Christmas Eve (and briefly for a test flight about a month before Christmas), according to NORAD: Dec. 24, 343 A.D.

Length of the sleigh, built by Kringle & Elves Inc. and homebased at the North Pole: 75 cc (candy canes)/150 lps (lollipops)

Weight at takeoff: 75,000 gd (gumdrops)

Propulsion: 9 rp (reindeer power)

Armament: Antlers (purely defensive)

Climbing speed: One "T" (Twinkle of an eye)

Max speed: Faster than starlight

Source: NORAD.

Percentage of people who agreed that Christmas is about spending time with family and friends, according to a survey conducted by ComRes on behalf of Theos: 83

Percentage who agreed that Christmas is a time when we should be generous to people less fortunate than ourselves: 62

Source: ComRes.

Current price tag if one were to buy all of the gifts in the holiday classic "The Twelve Days of Christmas," up just $280.04 over last year, according to PNC Wealth Management: $ 27,673.21

Cost of one partridge in a pear tree: $207.68

Cost of two turtle doves: $125.00

Of nine ladies dancing: $7,552.84

Source: PNC Wealth Management.

Percentage of parents who say their kids are growing up too quickly, according to a poll, commissioned by BullGuard and conducted by Harris: 80

Source: BullGuard.

Percentage of Americans who indicate that they'll be "giving back" in some way this holiday season, whether it be in the form of money or goods, volunteering or both, according to an Ipsos Public Affairs survey conducted on behalf of PlanG: 70

Percentage of Americans who say that "they would shop more often at a brand or store that gives back": 72

Percentage who say that "knowing a business gives back in some way impacts their purchase decision": 69

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Estimated percentage of households that still put up and decorate a real tree each year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 20

Estimated percentage of U.S. households that now use artificial trees to decorate for the holidays: 50

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of travelers who say airport security personnel should be on Santa's "naughty" list, according to a survey by HomeAway: 33

Source: HomeAway.

Height of a Christmas tree made made of LEGO and Duplo bricks in Sydney, Australia, (taller than an average two-story house and wider than a car) according to The Daily American: 32 feet

Length of time it took a team of five people to build the tree, including the basketball-sized baubles, a Christmas koala, a pile of gifts and a reindeer: 1,200 hours

Source: The Daily American.

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

Source: Consumer Reports.

Percentage of Americans who anticipate that the holiday season will be a time of joy for themselves and their loved ones: 75

Source: YouGov.

Idle Thought

"The most important scientific revolutions all include, as their only common feature, the dethronement of human arrogance from one pedestal after another of previous convictions about our centrality in the cosmos." -- Stephen Jay Gould, paleontologist, biologist, author

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

Rank of gift cards on the list of the top five holiday gifts for 2014, according to a survey published by Time Inc. and YouGov: 1

Percentage of holiday shoppers who expect to indulge themselves with a personal purchase: 45

Source: YouGov.

Percentage of U.S. adults who will wait until Christmas Eve to do most of their shopping, according to a poll conducted for Offers.com: 1

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Based on a Consumer Reports poll, estimated number of Americans who will soon be presented with an awful gift: 49 million

Percentage of respondents who said they've received lousy gifts: 20

Percentage who identified mothers- and fathers-in-law as the parties who gave the worst gifts: 11

Percentage who pass along the misery by regifting: 15

Source: Consumer Reports.

Percentage of travelers who enjoy staying with friends and family during the holidays, according to a HomeAway report: 36

Percentage who aren't overly thrilled: 64

Percentage who feel the worst part of staying with family and friends over the holidays is the lack of personal space: 29

Source: HomeAway.

Estimated amount that the U.S. retail industry generated during the holidays in 2013, according to Statista, the statistics portal: $3.19 trillion

Percentage of the retail industry's total 2013 sales that were accounted for by holiday-period transactions: 19.2

As a result, estimated number of extra employees who were hired to compensate for the holiday rush: 768,000

Source: Statista.

Percentage of shoppers who said they did no holiday shopping online, according to consumer survey information conducted by Kelton Research, RetailMeNot data and other third-party research: 14.5

Source: RetailMeNot.com.

Percentage of companies hosting Christmas parties that have an open bar, according to the results of the Holiday Parties and Office Morale survey, conducted by BizBash and Seamless: 45

Percentage that have a cash bar: 7

Percentage that do not serve alcohol: 21

Source: BizBash.

Percentage of Americans who have made an impulse purchase, according to a CreditCards.com report: 75

Percentage who have spent $100 or more on an impulse purchase: 33

Number of times more likely that men are than women to spend $1,000 or more on an impulse buy: 3

Rank of "excited" on the list of most common emotions at the time of the impulse purchase: 1

Source: Creditcards.com.

Percentage of major retailers that offer financing options to their customers, according to research by CardHub: 69

Of the major retailers that provide financing, percentage that currently offer a deferred interest plan: 50

Source: CardHub.

When asked if they would prefer to give a gift with a $25 value, a gift certificate with a $25 value or simply $25 in cash, percentage of respondents who chose the gift certificate, according to a survey by Saint Leo University Polling Institute: 39

When it comes to receiving a gift, percentage of people who would prefer receiving $25 in cash: 41

Source: Saint Leo University Polling Institute.

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@bwr.eastlink.ca.)

Percentage of office partygoers who said they've kissed or had a sexual encounter of some kind with a boss or co-worker at an office party, according to a poll by The Salonniere: 20

Percentage who admitted to flirting with a boss, co-worker or a co-worker's significant other: 36

Source: The Salonniere.

Percentage of Americans who admit they shop online while at work, according to a survey by FindLaw.com: 35

Percentage who said they do so to keep purchases a surprise or secret from other family members: 28

Percentage who said they do it because there is not enough time to shop outside of work: 24

Source: FindLaw.com.

Year that the first Christmas tree debuted at Rockefeller Center, erected by construction workers eager to receive a day's pay in the depths of the Depression and decorated with tin cans and scrap paper: 1931

Height of the 1931 tree: 20 feet

Height of the 2014 Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, a Norway spruce from central Pennsylvania: 85 feet

Weight: 13 tons

Source: NBC New York/Bloomberg.

Percentage of people who say relatives overstay their welcome after a day or less, with some saying their family members wear out their welcome as soon as they arrive, according to a HomeAway Vacation report: 22

Percentage who say relatives overstay their welcome after just a few days: 29

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

Source: Home Away.

Percentage of women who say they're not going to shop at all this holiday season, according to Nielsen Wire: 10

Percentage of men who say the same: 18

Source: Nielsen Analytics.

Percentage of senior managers who said their employees are less productive the week before a major holiday, according to a survey by Accountemps: 34

Source: Accountemps.

Percentage of people with a diagnosed mental illness who find that the holidays make their condition "a lot worse," according to a survey by the National Alliance on Mental Illness: 24

Percentage of respondents who reported that the holidays contribute to feeling sad or dissatisfied and financially strained: 68

Percentage who say they experience loneliness: 66

Source: NAMI.

Ranks of electronics, computers and tablets, and phones on the list of product categories Wall Street professionals believe will perform best versus last year: 1, 2, 3

Average amount these professionals say they will spend on gifts for their spouses or significant others: $900

Source: Convergex.

Percentage of gift recipients who would enjoy receiving a food gift, according to a study of holiday food gift trends conducted by Omaha Steaks: 86

Ranks of chocolate, smoked meats and/or cheese basket, and wine on the list of top choices: 1, 2, 3

Source: Omaha Steaks.

Because retail data breaches have raised consumer awareness of identity protection during the busy holiday shopping season, percentage of consumers shopping in stores who noted that they plan to stay aware of their surroundings when shopping, according to a survey from Experian's ProtectMyID: 70

Source: Experian Consumer Direct.

Idle Thought

"Of all the preposterous assumptions of humanity over humanity, nothing exceeds most of the criticisms made on the habits of the poor by the well-housed, well-warmed and well-fed." -- Herman Melville

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