Figuratively Speaking

Percentage of U.S. and U.K. adults between the ages of 18 and 25 who think a modernized Santa should swap his heavy boots for sneakers, according to a survey from GraphicSpring: 25

Percentage who think he should ditch the sleigh for a flying car: 22

Percentage who would change Santa's delivery method, opting for his use of the Amazon Prime delivery service: 23

Source: GraphicSpring.

Year 2020 price tag for purchasing all presents from the beloved song "The 12 Days of Christmas," according to PNC Bank: $16,168.10

Decrease from last year's cost, with a third of the items literally not available for purchase this year because of COVID-19: $22,825.45 (58.5%)

If True Love is looking for a little sparkle this holiday season, amount that will have to be paid for five golden rings ($120 more for this index item than in 2019): $945.00

Largest price increase in this year's index, represented by the total cost of birds of a feather flocking together (a 36.4% increase from 2019): $328.50

Source: PNC Financial Services Group.

When asked what they would like most from their employer this holiday season, percentage of respondents who said a bonus, according to research from iSolved: 37

Percentage who said job security: 35

Percentage who said a merit raise: 21

Source: iSolved.

Percentage of American parents who think Mrs. Claus deserves more credit than she gets throughout the holiday season, according to a survey by Zulily: 68

Percentage who feel Mrs. Claus is the real brains behind the North Pole gift-giving operation: 57

Percentage of American moms who say their role in the family is primarily that of the "giver" when it comes to this magical time of the year: 88

Source: Zulily.

Ranks of phone, doll, Roblox, Lego and tablet on the girls' top 5 wish list, according to stats based on real wish lists entered into the RoosterMoney app by kids themselves over the last few months: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Ranks of Lego, Fortnite, computer, Nintendo Switch and Pokemon on the boys' top 5 wish list: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: RoosterMoney.

Percentage of adults who say their at-home children believe in Santa Claus, according to a new Pew Research Center poll: 19

Percentage of children who plan to "pretend" that St. Nick will visit their house on Christmas Eve: 70

Percentage of parents who said that Santa "visited" their homes with presents as kids years ago: 72

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

Percentage of dog owners (and 71% of cat owners) who get special gifts or treats for their pets during the Christmas/winter holiday season, according to research by Packaged Facts: 77

Percentage of dog owners who say, "I consider my pets to be part of the family": 95

Percentage of cat owners who agree: 94

Source: Packaged Facts.

Each year, average number of fires that are sparked by dried-out Christmas trees, resulting in $9 million in property damage, according to Consumer Product Safety Commission reports released this year: 100

Source: Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Percentage of shoppers who plan on using one credit card while shopping this holiday season, according to findings of Generali Global Assistance in conjunction with Mastercard: 62

Percentage of consumers who plan to do their holiday shopping online, up 21% from last year: 86

Percentage who indicated they will also shop for the holidays in a brick-and-mortar store, down 15% from last year: 48

Source: Generali Global Assistance.

Percentage of companies that implemented salary/wage cuts during the pandemic and had fully reversed this action by September, according to research by the Conference Board: 25

Percentage of companies whose employees either already returned or are currently planning to return to the workplace by March 2021 -- dependent on the severity of the second COVID-19 surge: 60

Percentage who are awaiting a vaccine or noting other determining factors, such as trends in COVID-19 cases in the geographic area: 25

Source: The Conference Board.

Idle Thought

"There are years that ask questions and years that answer." -- Zora Neale Hurston, folklorist and writer

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

Percentage of holiday shoppers who worry more about having a package stolen from their doorstep than catching COVID-19, according to a study by 97th Floor: 48

Percentage who say they would rather step on a Lego than get stuck in a holiday store crowd this season: 30

Source: 97th Floor.

When life returns to travel, rank of Bethlehem, West Bank -- (for the real meaning of Christmas) -- on the Lonely Planet 1,000 Ultimate Experiences list of the best places in the world to experience the Yuletide spirit: 1

Ranks of Santa Claus Village, Finland, and New York City (with the world's tallest Christmas tree, ice skating below it, checking out the window displays in New York's largest department stores and the New York Ballet performance of "The Nutcracker") on the list: 2, 3

Source: Lonely Planet.

Ranks of a partner who doesn't brush/floss, a partner who drinks too much and a partner who smokes cigarettes on the list of the biggest "deal-breakers" for women when it comes to new romantic relationships, according to a survey conducted by sexual wellness brand Royal: 1, 2, 3

Ranks of a partner who doesn't shower daily, a partner who doesn't have a good relationship with family, a partner who doesn't live in the same city and a partner who makes less money than them: 4, 5, 6, 7

Source: Royal.

Percentage of children ages 5 through 10 who said they prefer a real Christmas tree, according to a survey by the Christmas Tree Promotion Board: 66

When asked what they think the big man himself prefers, percentage who believe Santa puts up a real tree for the holidays: 96

When asked "How long do you think people should have their Christmas tree up?" percentage who chose "for as long as they want": 47

Source: Christmas Tree Promotion Board.

Percentage of professionals who transitioned to a remote setup as a result of the pandemic who said they work on the weekend, according to a study by global staffing firm Robert Half: 68

Percentage of remote employees who reported regularly putting in more than eight hours a day: 45

Source: Robert Half Finance and Accounting

Whether shopping online or in-store, percent of consumers who cited a great price as the reason given for moving from a browser to a buyer, according to a survey by Oracle: 55

Percentage who said discounts: 49

Source: Oracle.

Percentage of U.S. workers who say if their employer asked them to, they'd be willing to relocate abroad in order to keep their job, according to a survey by Randstad: 51

Percentage who say they would consider emigrating if it would improve the work-life balance between their families and careers: 64

Ranks of the U.K., Canada and Australia on the list of the top-three destinations they'd prefer to relocate to if their job required it: 1, 2, 3

Source: Randstad US.

Percentage of employees who report their job was negatively impacted by the pandemic, according to research from iSolved: 54

Percentage who had to take a reduction in pay: 15

Percentage who had their hours cut: 14

Source: iSolved.

Percentage of organizations that have taken more than two employment actions due to the pandemic, the most prevalent by far was asking employees to work from home, reported by 92% of organizations, according to Salary.com: 64

Ranks of layoffs, furloughs and reduced hours on the list of actions taken: 2, 3, 4

Source: Salary.com.

Percentage of Americans who say that they will spend up to $500 on holiday expenses, according to a survey by Consolidated Credit: 40

Percentage who plan to spend up to $1,000 on holiday expenses: 16

Percentage who plan to spend a maximum of $2,000 on holiday expenses: 6.5

Source: Consolidated Credit.

Idle Thought

"You cannot hope to build a better world without improving the individuals. To that end, each of us must work for his own improvement, and at the same time share a general responsibility for all humanity, our particular duty being to aid those to whom we think we can be most useful." -- Marie Curie, scientist, Nobel laureate

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

Percentage of shoppers who are going into holiday shopping with some idea of what they want to buy, according to research by Tophatter Inc.: 43

Percentage who make a detailed list and stick to it: 16

When asked what gift categories they plan to buy the most of this year, percentage of respondents who cited toys and video games "because they're what all the kids in my life love most": 23

Percentage who say gift cards or cash "because it's easy and always welcome": 20

Source: Tophatter Inc.

Percentage of full-time employees who will not travel out of state over the holidays, according to research from the human capital management company iSolved, detailing the plans and priorities of employees this holiday season: 70

Percentage of staff who will be taking less paid time off this holiday season than ever before: 38

Percentage of employees who want a bonus most from their employer to end the year: 37

Source: iSolved.

Percentage of Americans who either have or are considering opting out of in-person holiday parties this year, according to a survey by Omaha Steaks: 63

Percentage who are contemplating a Zoom holiday instead: 36

Source: Omaha Steaks

Percentage of Americans who say they will spend the same amount of money this holiday season as last year, according to a survey by 5w Public Relations: 53

Percentage who say they would be spending less: 29

Percentage who plan to spend more: 18

Source: 5W Public Relations.

Percentage of mortgage holders who don't know their interest rate, according to a survey from Bankrate: 27

Percentage who have not refinanced this year despite record low rates: 80

Percentage of mortgage borrowers who have a rate of 4% or more, making them likely candidates to refinance at lower rates: 33

Source: Bankrate.com.

Percentage of full-time office employees who say they aren't sad to see office parties go, according to a survey by Molson Coors Beverage Co.: 50

Percentage who would choose time off from work over a holiday party: 70

Source: Molson Coors Beverage Co.

Percentage of shoppers who said out-of-stock merchandise topped their list for a bad shopping experience, according to an Oracle retail survey: 47

Percentage who said they weren't willing to wait for an item to be back in stock before trying another brand: 63

While in-store shopping, percentage who said it was important to see staff and other customers wearing masks: 79

Percentage who said it was important to see visible cleaning efforts: 82

Percentage who noted contactless checkout was important: 66

Source: Oracle.

Percentage of office workers in the U.S. who are OK with wearing a mask in the office, of which 51% said they will wear one as long as is necessary, according to a survey by VoiceNation: 81

Percentage who said they would find it too much to wear a mask all day: 15

Percentage who said they don't mind wearing a mask at work in the short term, but would be less happy if the policy was for the long term: 16

Source: VoiceNation,

Ranks of companionship, reduced stress or anxiety, reduced boredom and monotony, and reduced depression on the list of important benefits of having a pet during COVID-19, according to a report released by Mars Petcare: 1, 2, 3, 4

Percentage of pet owners who welcomed a new pet this year, with more than half doing so for companionship (58%): 30

Rank of spending more time with pets -- ahead of increased flexibility (46%), cost savings from lack of commute (47%) and more time with family (36%) -- as the primary benefit of working from home: 1

Percentage of pet owners who say they worry about the anxiety they may suffer once they have to return to work without their pet: 75

Source: Mars Petcare U.S.

Percentage of employees who have returned to working in offices who say they weren't given a choice, as their company made doing so mandatory, according to a survey by Lives Over Leases, a global movement to protect the health and safety of office building tenants and employees: 63

Percentage of all full-time employees who would like their employer to ensure regular and professional deep cleanings of office and building spaces to increase safety: 63

Percentage who would like limits on the number of people in the office at one time: 58.4

Source: Lives Over Leases.

Idle Thought

"It is not what we do, but also what we do not do, for which we are accountable." -- Moliere, actor and playwright (1622-1673)

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