Percentage of Amazon sellers who raised their prices this holiday season due to China tariffs, according to a survey by Jungle Scout: 42
Percentage of Amazon sellers who will offer deals and discounts during the holiday season: 53
Source: Jungle Scout.
Of the millions of Americans who intend to travel home, percentage who will experience stress over having to stay with family or friends, typically due to crowding (hello, basement air mattress) and lack of privacy (how many cousins can share one bathroom?), according to a survey by Motel 6: 67
Percentage who say cost savings is a key factor in staying with their family over the holidays: 68
Percentage who would appreciate receiving a gift of a motel or hotel stay from their family: 82
Percentage who stated they would get along better with their family during the holidays if they didn't have to stay in the same place: 48
Source: Motel 6.
Estimated number of people who visit hospital emergency rooms each November and December from holiday-related decorating accidents, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission: 14,700
Ranks of falls, lacerations and back strains on the list of the most frequent holiday decorating incidents: 1, 2, 3
Estimated number of fires sparked by dried Christmas trees each year: 100
Estimated number of fires caused by candles during the holiday season: 1,100
Estimated number of deaths that result from these fires annually, along with 150 injuries and $50 million in property damage: 10
Source: Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day last year, estimated number of packages the U.S. Postal Service delivered -- in addition to 15 billion pieces of mail -- including gifts for faraway loved ones, heartfelt cards, letters to Santa and those dreaded credit card statements: 850 million
Source: U.S. Postal Service.
Thinking of the upcoming holiday season, percentage of Americans who say they would consider giving homemade gifts, according to a survey by bankrate.com: 34
Percentage who would be willing to skip gift-giving altogether: 13
Source: Bankrate Inc.
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 the Harris Poll: 32
Ranks of stuffing, ham, pie and sweet potatoes/yams on the list: 2, 3, 4, 5
Source: The Harris Poll.
Percentage of Americans who celebrate Christmas, according to Pew Research: 90
Percentage of U.S. adults who say they celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday, including 46% who see it as more of a religious holiday than a cultural holiday and 9% who celebrate Christmas as both a religious and a cultural occasion: 55
Percentage of those people who celebrate who also attend church on Christmas: 51
Source: PEW Internet and American Life Project.
Ranks of Treasure X Aliens Dissection Kit, Harry Potter Invisibility Cloak, Blume Doll, Fur Real Cubby Interactive Plush Toy, Klutz Lego -- Make Your Own Movie Kit and Nintendo Switch on the list of must-have toys for Christmas 2019, according to research by The Spruce: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Source: The Spruce.
Number of years that Butterball has staffed its Turkey Talk-Line with experts who are happy to answer all turkey-related questions throughout the holidays, according to research by Genesys: 35 plus
Source: Genesys.
Rank of Bethlehem, West Bank on the Lonely Planet's 1,000 Ultimate Experiences list of the best places in the world to experience the Yuletide spirit: 1
Ranks of Santa Claus Village, Finland; New York City; Bondi Beach, Australia; and Midnight Mass at the Vatican on the list: 2, 3, 4, 5
Source: The Lonely Planet.
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.
Length of the sleigh, built by Kringle and Elves Inc. and home based at the North Pole: 75 cc (candy canes)/150 lps (lollipops)
Weight at takeoff: 75,000 gd (gumdrops)
Propulsion: Nine (9) rp (reindeer power)
Armament: Antlers (purely defensive)
Climbing speed: One "T" (Twinkle of an eye)
Max speed: Faster than starlight
Source: NORAD. Stats supplied annually.
Idle Thought
"You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. I hope someday you'll join us. And the world will live as one." -- John Lennon
(Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre@bwr.eastlink.ca.)