Figuratively Speaking

Ranks of enjoy life to the fullest, live a healthier lifestyle, lose weight, spend more time with family and friends, save more, spend less and pay down debt on the list of New Year's resolutions in a survey by GO Banking Rates: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Percentage of respondents who decided that making one resolution was enough: 55

Percentage of Americans who are setting a money goal: 58

Source: GoBankingRates.com.

When asked what one food or dish they most look forward to eating each year during this holiday season, percentage who cited turkey, according to a Harris Poll: 32

Ranks of stuffing (9 percent), ham (8 percent), pie (7 percent), sweet potatoes/yams (3 percent) and mashed potatoes (3 percent) on the list: 2, 3, 4, 5 (tie)

Percentage of adults who like to wash that holiday meal down with wine: 64

Source: The Harris Poll.

Amount of credit card debt racked up by U.S. consumers during the third quarter of 2016, which is the seventh-largest third-quarter accumulation in the last 30 years, according to WalletHub's 2016 Credit Card Debt Study: $21.9 billion

Projected net increase in credit card debt in 2016: $80 billion

Source: WalletHub.

Ranks of Sophia, Emma, Olivia, Ava, Mia and Isabella on the list of the most popular baby names for girls in 2016, according to babycenter.com: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Ranks of Jackson, Aiden, Lucas, Liam, Noah and Ethan on the list of the most popular baby names for boys in 2016: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Source: BabyCenter.

Percentage of working Americans who are leaving some of their company-paid vacation time on the table this year, according to a new study by Bankrate.com: 52

Percentage of younger millennials who say they'll use none of their paid vacation days for 2016: 25

Source: Bankrate.com.

Number of people who will lose their lives on the roadways during the Christmas holiday period, according to National Safety Council estimates: 314

Estimated number of fatalities expected during the three-day New Year's holiday period: 364

Estimated number who may be seriously injured on the roads during the Christmas holiday: 37,200

Estimated number who may be seriously injured on the roads during the New Year's holiday: 41,900

Source: National Safety Council.

Percentage of Americans who have "flaked" on a first date they made through an online dating site, according to the Naughty and Nice behaviors survey by Toluna: 15

Percentage who have ghosted someone (to "ghost" someone is to go on more than one date or be involved with someone, and then stop communication completely with no explanation or warning): 21

Source: Toluna QuickSurveys.

Percentage of Americans who earned some money from an online "gig" platform in the last year, according to the PEW Internet and American Life Project: 8

Percentage who earned money selling something online this year: 18

Source: PEW Internet and American Life Project.

Ranks of the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Singapore on the list of nations with the best non-native English speakers in the world, according to the EF English Proficiency Index (EF EPI) released by EF Education First: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Source: EF Education First. Contact Sir/Madam at.

Percentage of men who flat out refuse to dance, according to a survey by yougov.com: 34

Percentage of men who think they are bad or terrible dancers: 47

Source: Yougov.com.

Idle Thought

"The real index of civilization is when people are kinder than they need to be." -- Louis de Bernieres, novelist

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

Percentage of adults who plan to go carolling, according to a Pew Research Center poll: 16

Percentage who will attend religious services Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, a drop from 69 percent when they were children: 54

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

Percentage of Americans who say they most look forward to spending time with friends and family during the holiday season, according to a Harris Poll: 52

Ranks of holiday dinners and parties, finding and giving presents, and putting up holiday decorations on the list of holiday events they most enjoy: 2 (tie), 4

Percentage of Americans who say the one thing they dislike most about the holidays is spending too much money: 27

Source: The Harris Poll.

Estimated number of children (under the age of 18) in the world, according to a study from the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life and cited in the column "Santa Science: The Straight Facts on Father Christmas" by Zachary Sniderman: 2 billion

At a rate of, say, 3.5 children per household, number of homes Santa will visit: 91.8 million

Number of hours of Christmas that Santa has to work with, thanks to the different time zones and the rotation of the Earth, assuming he travels east to west: 31

Number of visits he must make per second: 822.6

Speed at which Santa's sleigh must travel: 650 miles per second (3,000 times the speed of sound)

Source: Santa Science.

Percentage of respondents to the marriage proposal survey by Chilisauce who chose Christmas Eve as the best time to pop the question: 31

Percentage of proposals that are expected to happen around Christmas: 40

Ranks of Valentine's Day, New Year's Eve and birthday on the list of the best times for a marriage proposal: 2, 3, 4

Source: Chilisauce Ltd.

Weight of the 9.5-foot Swarovski crystal star that was placed on top of Rockefeller Center's iconic Christmas tree to officially mark the start of the holiday season in New York City, according to NBC New York: 550 pounds

Number of Swarovski crystals comprising the star: 25,000

Total number of facets (plane surfaces) on the star: 1 million

Source: NBC News.

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

Year Barbie's beau, Ken, was introduced: 1961

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

Year that Entrepreneur Barbie was introduced to celebrate women in business: 2014

Source: Good Housekeeping.

Estimated number of Americans who have had deliveries swiped from their doorsteps, according to a study conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International: 20 million

Percentage of homeowners who frequently allow delivered packages to be left out on their porch or stoop: 40

Source: Allstate Insurance Company.

Percentage of people who said the holiday party is very important to office morale and company success, according to a BizzBash and Seamless survey: 72

Percentage who reported an improved office culture: 71

Percentage who saw team dynamic improve: 67

Percentage who reported increased productivity: 18

Source: BizBash.

Percentage more that shoppers are projected to have spent this holiday season, an average of $1,121 each, according to PwC's 2016 Holiday Outlook: 10

Percentage of retailers who indicated they will provide both free shipping and free returns this holiday season: 60

Percentage of pet owners -- almost half of all households nationwide -- who are expected to buy gifts for their animal companions: 50

Source: PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Ranks of crowds and long lines, aggressive or thoughtless driving in shopping centers, bad traffic and weight gain on the list of holiday dreads as cited by Americans, according to Consumer Reports: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: Consumer Reports.

Idle Thought

"A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees." -- Amelia Earhart

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

In 2016, percentage increase in the price index in the whimsical economic analysis by PNC Wealth Management based on the prices of gifts in the holiday classic, "The Twelve Days of Christmas": 0.7

According to this year's survey, current price tag for all 78 gifts (i.e., 12 drummers drumming, 11 pipers piping, 10 lords a-leaping, etc.), up just $232 over last year's total: $34,363

Cost to a very thoughtful true love to buy the whole shebang from each day and verse -- 364 separate pieces of Christmas joy (i.e., one gift on the first day of Christmas, three gifts on day two, six gifts on day three, etc.) : $156,507.88

Source: PNC Wealth Management.

When asked what their go-to gift was for someone they didn't know particularly well or someone that they hadn't planned to give a gift originally, percentage of respondents who said gift cards, according to a survey by Consumer Reports: 29

Percentage who cited wine/other alcohol: 16

Percentage who said chocolates/desserts/candy: 15

Source: Consumer Reports.

Average amount that companies giving gifts plan to spend for employees, according to Advertising Specialty Institute: $45

Average amount companies plan to spend thanking clients: $49

Ranks of cash bonuses, gift cards, food and beverages, and apparel on the list of leading employee gifts: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: Advertising Specialty Institute.

Percentage of executives who said they look forward to Christmas celebrations, according to an executive survey by Korn/Ferry International: 56

Percentage who said they attend them when they can: 38

Percentage who said they generally do not attend or have little interest: 6

Source: Korn/Ferry International.

Year that Franklin Pierce, the 14th president of the United States, placed a Christmas tree in the White House for the first time, according to PolitiFact.com and the National Christmas Tree Association: 1856

Year that President Calvin Coolidge started the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on the White House lawn: 1923

Year that the National Christmas Tree was not lit until Dec. 22, because of a national 30-day period of mourning following the assassination of President Kennedy: 1963

Year that the National Christmas Tree Association began giving a Christmas tree to the president and first family for display in the Blue Room: 1966

Source: University of Illinois Extension Master Gardeners.

Percentage of drivers who make phone calls while driving through a parking lot, according to a National Safety Council poll: 66

Percentage who text: 56

Percentage who program their GPS: 63

On average, estimated number of crashes that occur in parking lots and parking garages annually, resulting in 500 or more deaths and more than 60,000 injuries: 50,000

Source: National Safety Council.

Percentage of Americans planning to travel between Thanksgiving and New Year's in 2016, according to a survey by Orbitz Worldwide: 72

Average price for a Christmas airfare: $435

Average daily hotel costs for the 10 busiest locations: $180

Source: Orbitz Worldwide.

Percentage of women who say they or another female is primarily responsible for their household's holiday shopping, according to a survey conducted on behalf of CreditCards.com: 68

Percentage of men who believe that a woman is in charge of holiday shopping: 30

Percentage of women who say a female does most of their household's shopping for clothes and shoes (just 23 percent of men agree): 73

Source: creditcards.com.

Percentage of American workers who don't plan to give gifts to their co-workers, according to a survey by Spherion: 56

Percentage who don't plan to give a gift to their boss: 59

Source: Spherion.

Estimated percentage of homes that still put up and decorate a real Christmas 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

Value of artificial Christmas trees imported into the U.S. from China during the first nine months of last year: $80 million

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Idle Thought

"Remember, when the judgment's weak, the prejudice is strong." -- Kane O'Hara, composer and playwright

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