Figuratively Speaking

Ranks of Orlando, Cancun and New York as the top New Year's destinations for Americans, according to a survey by Orbitz Worldwide: 1, 2, 3

Busiest day for New Year's travel: December 30

Source: Orbitz Worldwide.

Percentage of people who say they have three or more varieties of pie during the holidays, according to a survey commissioned by Fleischmann's Yeast and Karo Syrup brands: 48

Percentage who enjoy the last piece of pie for breakfast the next morning: 34

Percentage who sneak the last piece while everyone is in bed: 23

Source: MSL Group.

Year that the New Year's Eve Ball made its maiden descent from the flagpole atop One Times Square, according to a survey commissioned by Fleischmann's Yeast and Karo Syrup brands: 1907

Number of versions of the ball that have been designed to signal the new year: 7

Number of 25-watt light bulbs that adorned the first New Year's Eve Ball, made of iron and wood: 100

Weight of the ball, which was 5 feet in diameter: 700 pounds

Source: Times Square Visitors Center.

Ranks of Christmas, Thanksgiving, Halloween and the Fourth of July on the list of America's most loved holidays, according to a Harris Poll: 1, 2, 3, 4

Ranks of turkey, stuffing, ham, pie, sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes on the list of the one food or dish Americans most look forward to eating each year during this holiday season: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (tie)

Source: The Harris Poll.

Percentage of workers who will work at least part of the week of Dec. 28, according to research by Robert Half: 59

Percentage who plan to take the entire week off for vacation: 28

Percentage who will take time off but will check in with the office: 60

Source: Robert Half.

Amount of extra waste generated in the holiday period between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day, according to the the Environmental Protection Agency and the American Chemistry Council: 1 million tons

Source: Plastics Make It Possible.

Percentage of consumers who returned a holiday gift after telling the person who gave it to them that they loved it, according to a study by the Centre for Generational Kinetics and Gift Card Impressions: 53

Percentage of people aged 18 to 34 who say they have posted online a picture of a ridiculous gift they have received: 30

Percentage of people who have watched someone open a gift they gave them, realized they didn't like it, yet witnessed the person lie and say they liked it: 80

Source: Center for Generational Kinetics.

Percentage of women who plan to improve their look in 2016, according to a survey by SKOUT: 82

Percentage of men who plan to improve their look in 2016: 71

Source: SKOUT.

While most people say they would prefer to host the holidays at their house, when asked to name the relative for whom they'd most like to find separate accommodations, percentage who said they'd send their sibling packing, according to a HomeAway report: 29

Percentage who said their grown child could stay elsewhere: 22

Source: HomeAway.

Ranks of holiday celebrations, watching TV/movies, cooking, reading and enjoying fireplace fires on the list of favorite winter activities, according to an Ipsos poll: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Idle Thought

"I know what I have given you. I do not know what you have received." -- Antonio Porchia, poet

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

Date of the probable first flight of Santa's sleigh, a versatile, all-weather, multipurpose, 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.

Home base: North Pole

Length of the sleigh, built by K. Kringle & Elves Inc.: 75 cc (candy canes)/150 lp (lollipops)

Weight at takeoff: 75,000 gd (gumdrops)

Propulsion: Nine (9) rp (reindeer power)

Max speed: Faster than starlight� Source: NORAD.

Period during which the Christmas tree was introduced in the United States by German settlers, rapidly growing from tabletop size to floor-to-ceiling: 1800s

Year that Christmas trees began to be sold commercially in the United States: 1850

Year Franklin Pierce is credited with bringing the first Christmas tree to the White House: 1853

Estimated year that Sears, Roebuck & Co. began offering the first artificial Christmas trees -- 33 limbs for 50 cents and 55 limbs for $1: 1883

Year the first Christmas tree farm was started when W.V. McGalliard planted 25,000 Norway spruce on his farm in New Jersey: 1901

Source: History.com.

Estimated number of visitors who are drawn to the Christmas tree area around Rockefeller Center every day the tree is lit: 750,000

Number who visit on a non-Christmas tree day: 350,000

Source: Bloomberg.

Average number of minutes that parents across the U.S., U.K., France, Canada, Australia, Brazil and Mexico say they spend each night trying to get their children to bed, according to a study conducted on behalf of Netflix: 17.5

Percentage of parents who report that their children have come up with some creative stall tactics to try and delay bedtime: 61

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Year Barbie debuted at the annual Toy Fair in New York, according to research by Convergex: 1959

Since her birthday on March 9, 1959, estimated number of careers she has had: 150

Rank of the 1992 Totally Hair Barbie, which wore hair down to its feet, according to Mattel's website on the list of the best-selling Barbie of all time: 1

Source: Convergex.

Percentage of people who spend two to six hours preparing their holiday meal, according to a survey by Omaha Steaks: 56

Percentage of people who spend more than six hours: 29

Source: Omaha Steaks.

Percentage of adults who admit they have plugged too many Christmas lights into one outlet, according to a study by insuranceQuotes.com and Allstate Insurance: 50

Percentage who have let a real Christmas tree go without water for more than three days: 29

Source: insuranceQuotes.com.

Percentage of consumers who typically wait until the week of Christmas to do the majority of their holiday shopping, according to RetailMeNot: 30

Percentage of Americans who have bought last-minute gifts during the holidays: 91

Source: RetailMeNot.com.

Percentage of parents of children 9 or under who are likely to make toy purchases, more than those who are parents of tweens (ages 10 to 12) or full-blown teenagers (ages 13 to 17): 92

Ranks of children's books, arts and crafts supplies, dolls and console video games as the most-purchased gifts: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: The Harris Poll.

Percentage of Americans who plan to holiday tip this year, according to a survey from Care.com: 70

Percentage who prioritize tips for baby sitters, nannies and day care workers: 60

Percentage who tip those who regularly interact with their children, such as coaches, tutors, teachers, etc.: 42

Percentage who tip personal care contacts, such as hairstylists, manicurists, personal trainers, etc.: 47

Source: Care.com.

Idle Thought

"A thing of beauty is a joy forever: its loveliness increases; it will never pass into nothingness." -- John Keats

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

581-7323

In 2015, percentage increase in the price index of the the holiday classic "The Twelve Days of Christmas," according to PNC Wealth Management: 0.6

Total cost to a very thoughtful true love who buys every item, from a single partridge to 12 drummers drumming, from each verse (that's 364 separate pieces of Christmas joy): $155,407.00

Cost of each individual partridge in a pear tree: $215.00

Cost of five golden rings: $750.00

Cost of seven swans a-swimming: $13,125.00

Source: PNC Wealth Management.

Percentage of pet "parents" who say they plan on buying presents for their pets this holiday, according to a Petco survey: 82

Percentage who plan on buying special treats for their pets: 87

Source: Petco.

When dining with family only, percentage of Americans who say they have a no cellphone policy at the table, according to findings from the Toluna Quicksurveys annual Naughty and Nice behaviors survey: 51

Percentage who say they have blocked family or a friend on social media without them knowing: 36

Source: Toluna QuickSurveys.

Percentage of workers who don't plan to take any paid days off around the holidays, according to a survey by Spherion survey: 19

Of those workers who have paid time off, percentage who will lose at least two paid days off because they are unable to take them before the end of the year: 30

Percentage who will lose more than five days: 6

Source: Spherion.

Rank of crowds and long lines (61 percent) on the list of the biggest holiday dreads, according to a Consumer Reports poll: 1

Ranks of bad traffic, aggressive or thoughtless driving in store parking lots, and gaining weight on the list: 2, 3, 4

Source: Consumer Reports.

Among those who typically use credit cards for any of their holiday spending, percentage who say they pay it off either right away or within a month, according to a Harris poll: 62

Percentage who say they pay it off within three months: 15

Percentage who say six months: 8

Percentage who say it takes them longer than six months to pay off the debt: 8

Source: The Harris Poll.

Percentage of neckties sold annually that are Christmas gifts, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 20

Estimated value of the necktie-making business in the United States per year: $390 million

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of Americans who are concerned about getting sick from family/friends or other travelers during the holiday travel season, yet continue to put others at risk by engaging in regular holiday activities while sick, according to a survey conducted on behalf of Merck Manuals: 28

Percentage who admit that they do not take any extra precautions to stay healthy between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day: 25

Source: Merck Manuals.

Number of Americans who have had packages stolen from their doorsteps before they could open them, according to a report by insuranceQuotes.com: 23 million

Number who have had a guest injured in their home during the holidays: 7 million

Number who have had fires caused by Christmas trees and other decorations: 2 million

Source: insuranceQuotes.com.

Percentage of all annual retail sales that take place during the holiday period, according to the National Retail Federation: 19.2

Source: LexisNexis.

Idle Thought

"Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see." -- Mark Twain

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