Figuratively Speaking

Ranks of generous paid time off, flexible/remote working options and paid family leave on the list of perks workers want from their employers, according to research from Unum: 1, 2, 3

Percentage of companies that plan to expand paid leave benefits next year, according to an Unum survey: 44

Source: Unum.

Ranks of two weeks before Christmas and two weeks after Valentine's Day on the list of the most popular times for couples to break up, according to data analyzed from Facebook posts and statuses by Good Housekeeping: 1 tie

Rank of Christmas Day as the least favorite day for breakups: 1

Source: Good Housekeeping.

Percentage of Americans, representing 35.5 million people, who say they've been victims of package theft in the last 12 months, according to a survey by Finder: 14

Average value of items stolen: $156.82

Total amount that Americans lost in package thefts: $5.4 billion

Source: Finder.com.

Percentage of pharmacists who say they plan to be vaccinated with one of the COVID-19 vaccines, according to a survey conducted by the American Pharmacists Association: 75

Percentage who will be set up and ready to vaccinate patients as soon as the vaccine is available: 60

Source: American Pharmacists Association.

Percentage of American sports fans who are looking to go to a sporting event in the next six months, according to findings by Tappit: 27

In making a decision about whether to attend an event, percentage who claimed sitting too close to other spectators was a factor impacting their decision: 78

Percentage who stated that long lines at concession stands would have an impact on their decision to return: 52

Source: Tappit.

Rank of the desire for a home with a dedicated office on the list of reasons why Americans working from home say they would consider a move, if they were to continue working remotely at least occasionally, according to a Willow survey: 1

As of November, percentage increase in the number of listings that mentioned "home office" or "Zoom room," compared to the same time last year: 49

Source: Zillow.

Percentage of employers that plan to return office-based employees to physical locations in the near term, according to a KPMG survey: 27

Percentage of companies that are letting employees decide when they feel safe and comfortable returning to the office: 82

Percentage mandating that employees return to the office by a certain date: 18

Source: KPMG.

Ranks of number of sexual partners, past sexual experiences and sexual preferences on the list of the most uncomfortable topics for people to talk about with their significant other, according to a OnePoll survey by LELO: 1, 2, 3

When it comes to sharing the number of past sexual partners, percentage who admitted to changing their digits: 32

Percentage who tried to match their number with the one of their significant other: 17

Source: LELO.

Percentage of RV owners who garnered more rental income in 2020 than in 2019, a quarter of whom have cited significantly higher income despite widespread shutdowns and travel restrictions, according to RVshare Owner Report: 75

This summer, percentage of owners who were able to pay for the entire cost of their RV with rental income: 35

Now, percentage of newly surveyed owners who credited rental income with their ability to pay for their RV's financing: 50

Source: RVshare.

Percentage of consumers who purchased food gifts for others in the last 12 months who have done so for the winter holidays (Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa), according to a survey by Packaged Facts: 45

Percentage of those who have purchased food gifts for themselves who have done so during this period: 25

Source: Packaged Facts.

Idle Thought

"There comes a point when a man must refuse to answer to his leader if he is also to answer to his own conscience." -- Hartley Shawcross, prosecutor at the Nuremberg War Crimes Tribunal

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

With resolution season fast approaching, percentage of Americans who say their New Year's resolutions will be influenced by COVID-19, according to a WalletHub survey: almost 60

Percentage who think New Year's resolutions will be harder to keep in 2021 than 2020: 62

Source: WalletHub.

Year the concept of "New Year's" was first celebrated, according to New Years Facts, History and Stats by Expanded Ramblings: 2000 B.C., in Mesopotamia

Year that Jan. 1was first recognized as the start of the new year: 1522, in Venice

Year that "Auld Lang Syne" was written: 1788

Year that the first New Year's Day college football game was played, featuring Michigan vs. Stanford: 1902

Year that the first ball dropped in Times Square: 1907

Source: Expanded Ramblings.

On a scale of 1 to 10, percentage of Americans who rated their personal 2020 as only a 1 or a 2, according to data from the Ipsos Coronavirus Consumer Tracker: 15

When asked to step back and rate 2020 for the entire nation, the average rating given: 3.4

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

When asked about the perception of those who wear ugly holiday sweaters, percentage who believe that the garment indicates a strong sense of humor, according to a survey by Dating.com: 52

Percentage who say a sense of humor is the most attractive quality in a partner: 70

Percentage of those who typically would not make the first move who claim they would be more willing to initiate conversation if a potential partner was wearing an ugly holiday sweater: 42

Percentage who believe non-participation in an ugly sweater-themed gathering (virtual or in person) reveals close-minded characteristics: 78

Source: Dating.com Group.

Estimated percentage of Americans who had to alter or cancel holiday travel plans due to COVID-19, according to a survey by Hotwire: 80

Percentage who dreaded breaking the news to loved ones and who procrastinated picking up the phone as long as possible: 28

Source: Hotwire.

For New Year's Eve in Times Square 2021, diameter of the New Year's Eve Ball design, a geodesic sphere, according to the Times Square official website: 12 feet

Weight of the ball: 11,875 pounds

Number of Waterford Crystal triangles that cover the ball, varying in size and ranging in length from 4 inches to 5 inches per side: 2,688

Number of Waterford Crystal triangles that will introduce the new Gift of Happiness design represented by a sunburst of bright cuts radiating outward like a beautiful sunny day: 192

Source: Times Square Visitors Center

Percentage of American adults (representing approximately 141 million people) who think that following through on their New Year's resolutions is well within the cards, according to a Finder survey: 55

Percentage of Americans adults who are rolling into 2021 without personal goals on the calendar: 26

Source: Finder.com.

In the midst of a year that includes a global pandemic, percentage of Americans who say that they definitely or probably will give more to nonprofits in 2020 than they did in 2019, according to research by Classy: 39

Percentage who said they had donated or planned to donate to social justice causes in 2020, with a majority of respondents noting that they are giving to these causes for the first time: 42

Source: Classy.

Percentage of Americans who are more concerned about their retirement today compared to a year ago, according to the Nov. 20 SimplyWise Index: 59 

Percentage of Social Security beneficiaries who now worry about outliving their savings in retirement: 43

Percentage of people in their 50s who now plan to work full time in retirement (up from 8% in May): 19

Source: SimplyWise.

Percentage of optimistic Americans -- those who believe the country's overall health situation will improve -- who plan to celebrate the winter holidays this year, according to a survey commissioned by NCSolutions: 94

Percentage of those optimistic Americans who say they plan to spend more this year than they did last year on food and in-home meals/celebrations, compared to 14% of those who feel the situation will stay the same and 17% who feel it will decline: 26

Source: NCSolutions

Idle Thought

"There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it." -- Edith Wharton, novelist

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

Using salary information of comparable jobs from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, calculated percentage raise in Santa's salary for 2020, according to insure.com: 2

For all his tasks -- from Rudolph's nose maintenance, running the workshop, reading letters, checking his list (twice) to taste-testing each delicious cookie (even the oatmeal raisin ones) -- amount Santa earned this year: $157,300

Source: insure.com

Percentage of people responding to a survey by Dating.com who believe that ugly holiday sweaters serve as an effective conversation starter: 96

When asked about the perception of those who wear ugly holiday sweaters, percentage who believe that the garment indicates a strong sense of humor: 52

Percentage who believe that the garment indicates an openness to meeting new people: 44

Source: Dating.com Group.

Percentage of Americans who said they had less disposable income available in 2020 than in 2019 as a result of COVID-19, according to a survey by L.E.K. Consulting and Civis Analytics: 44

Percentage who said they were concerned about their finances and future income security: 43

Percentage who said they were giving gifts to fewer people this year -- and radically change the way they shop: 48

Source: L.E.K. Consulting and Civis Analytics.

According to data provided by NORAD, which has confirmed it will again track jolly old St. Nicholas' Christmas Eve flight for 2020, designer and builder of Santa's sleigh: K. Kringle and Elves Inc.

Probable first flight: Dec. 24, 343 A.D.

Home base: North Pole

Length: 75 cc (candy canes) / 150 lp (lollipops)

Width: 40 cc / 80 lp

Height: 55 cc / 110 lp

Emissions: Classified

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

Source: NORAD.

Estimated number of children under age 18 in the world, according to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF): 2.106 billion

If we assume that each household has in average 2.5 children, number of stops Santa would have to make on Christmas Eve, traveling 221 million miles: 842 million

Given the different time zones, number of hours that Santa has to deliver gifts, with his average speed approximately 650 miles per second: 36

Source: UNICEF and Larry Silverberg

Date that two astronauts aboard Gemini 6 sent an odd report to Mission Control that they saw an "unidentified flying object" about to enter Earth's atmosphere, traveling in the polar orbit from north to south, with "a command module and eight smaller modules in front," according to an article by Christopher Klein: Dec. 16, 1965

Source: Christopher Klein.

Date of the first Christmas, according to research by DMR Stats and Fun Facts Pages: Dec. 25, 336 in Rome

Year the first Christmas card was sent: 1611

Years that Christmas was banned in England by the Puritans: 1647 to 1660

First time Christmas was a bank holiday: 1834 in England

Year Christmas became a U.S. federal holiday: 1870

Source: DMR Stats and Fun Facts Pages.

Amount of money that PayPal processed globally this Giving Tuesday, the largest amount raised on the platform for the global day of giving since its inception in 2012, according to PayPal Holdings Inc.: $185 million

Percentage increase in donations processed over 2019: 40

Number of PayPal customers who made donations, across 198 markets with over 2 million donations made in total: 1.75 million plus

Source: PayPal Holdings Inc.

During the winter holidays, including Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa and New Year's Eve, percentage of Americans who say they plan to celebrate at home, according to a survey commissioned by NCSolutions: 79

Percentage who plan to celebrate at home in smaller groups: 54

Looking ahead to 2021, percentage of consumers who indicated optimism that the nation's health and relevant living conditions will improve: 45

Percentage who think it will stay the same: 32

Source: NCSolutions.

Idle Thought

"Life becomes easier and more beautiful when we can see the good in other people." -- Roy T. Bennett

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