Ranks of Milford Sound, New Zealand; Queenstown, New Zealand; Philipsburg, St. Maarten; Cayo Largo, Cuba; and Rhodes, Greece, on the list of top 2008 Travelers' Choice World Destinations, according to TripAdvisor's Destinations Awards: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Ranks of Lake Tahoe, Calif.; Big Sur, Calif.; San Francisco, Calif.; Poipu, Hawaii; and Sedona, Ariz., on the list of 2008 Travelers' Choice U.S. Destinations: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: TripAdvisor.

Percentage of holiday shoppers who don't begin their holiday shopping until Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, according to data from Mediamark Research and Intelligence: 2.3

Percentage who shop after Christmas: 1.3

Source: Mediamark Research.

Percentage of consumers who made a holiday budget -- an increase of more than 17 percent from the year before, according to a Consumer Reports Holiday Shopping Poll: 59

Of the 39 percent of consumers who made a budget last year, percentage who stayed on it: 45

Percentage who went over-budget last year: 44

Percentage who went way over-budget: 3

Source: Consumer Reports.

Percentage of holiday shoppers who said that if they see something that would be "just perfect" for themselves, they'll probably buy that too, according to a survey by Taubman Centers: 73

Source: Taubman Centers Inc.

Percentage of in-home online activity that takes place while simultaneously watching TV, according to The Nielsen Company's new TV/Internet Convergence Panel: 30

Source: Nielsen Media Research.

Percentage of consumers who would remain loyal to a brand during a recession if it supports a good cause, according to findings from this year's global study of consumer attitudes released by Edelman: 68

Percentage who say that if two products are of the same quality and price, commitment to a social purpose trumps factors like design, innovation and brand loyalty when choosing one brand over the other: 42

Source: Edelman.

Percentage of respondents who said their perceptions of Christmas decorations have changed in comparison to last year, according to a study conducted by HCD Research: 35

Percentage who felt that elaborate decorations would be inappropriate in a time when the country faces serious national and international concerns (job-loss, economy crisis, war, etc.): 37

Source: HCD Research Inc.

Percentage of tweens and teens who expect to receive fewer holiday gifts this year than last, according to a survey conducted by youth opinion research company Node Research: 51

Average retail price of the average 10-year-olds' wish list: $794

Source: Node Research.

Percentage of businesses that will be conducting some type of holiday celebration this year, according to the findings of Battalia Winston's annual survey on corporate holiday celebrations: 81

Percentage of companies that say that their holiday party has been impacted by the economy (either canceled or scaled back): 37

Percentage that were affected last year: 19

Source: Battalia Winston.

Whether taking a break from holiday shopping or a brief respite from visiting relatives, percentage of Americans who say their favorite way to relax this season is watching a holiday movie: 70

Percentage who say it's taking a nap: 14.3

Source: Redbox.

Idle Thought

"A city that outdistances man's walking powers is a trap for man." -- Arnold Toynbee, historian (1889-1975)

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

Percentage of respondents who think travelers are ruder during the holidays, according to a survey by TripAdvisor: 24

Percentage who said air travelers have gotten ruder over the past 10 years: 83

Percentage who said oblivious parents are the most annoying air travelers: 59

Source: TripAdvisor

Percentage of the employees hired over the holidays that managers expect will continue to work for them into 2009, according to a SnagAJob.com survey: 46

Percentage of managers who agree the most important thing is "a positive attitude and eagerness to have a job": 34

Source: SnagAJob.com

Percentage of small businesses that sell goods online that report they have seen their annual shipping costs increase this year, according to an Endicia survey: 84

Percentage of these companies that have incurred a fuel surcharge from their shipping carrier: 40

Estimated percentage of shipping costs for ground service of private carriers that is accounted for by fuel surcharges: 8.25

Estimated percentage of shipping costs for air service of private carriers that is accounted for by fuel surcharges: 28.5

Source: Endicia.

Estimated amount of money American consumers will pour into the market across the six largest holiday spending occasions (Valentine's Day, Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Halloween and the winter holidays) in 2008, according to the Packaged Facts report "Holiday Spending in the U.S.": $134 billion

Source: Packaged Facts.

Percentage of tweens who agree that toys are necessary to have fun, according to a study by Harris Interactive's Youth Center of Excellence in collaboration with the founders of the Sandbox Summit: 62

When asked what they enjoyed most about playing with their favorite toy, ranks of fun (22 percent), variety of ways to play (22 percent), pretend role play (20 percent), creativity and building (16 percent), and imagination (13 percent) as the top responses: 1 (tie), 3, 4, 5

Source: Harris Interactive.

Among consumers scaling back on gifts, percentage of respondents who plan to cut back on gifts for their pets this season, according to a Consumer Reports holiday shopping poll: 23

Percentage who plan to cut back on buying for friends and families: 40

Source: Consumer Reports.

Percentage of holiday shoppers who stated they were more likely to make gifts this year versus last year, according to a poll conducted for Michaels Stores Inc.: 58

Percentage who said handmade gifts were the best use of their holiday shopping dollars this year: 41

Estimated number of U.S. households that craft for the November/December gift-giving season, according to the Craft and Hobby Association: 42 million

Source: Michaels Stores Inc. C

Percentage of Americans who say they plan to reduce holiday food costs by celebrating at home instead of in a restaurant, according to a survey by Allrecipes.com: 48

Source: Allrecipes.com.

Percentage of online shoppers who would be likely to make an impulse shopping decision if they saw something online that is perfect for someone they know, according to a survey conducted on behalf of GSI: 59

Percentage of women who are likely to make an impulse purchase online in response to limited-time offers: 60

Percentage of men who are likely to do the same: 4

Source: GSI Commerce Inc.

Percentage of respondents who are planning to stay at or close to home to save money over the holidays, according to Microsoft's "Xbox 360 Holiday Entertainment Survey": 60

Percentage who are looking for one gift to bring the family together: 71

Percentage of adults in households with children who are looking for gifts that provide entertainment while staying home this year: 81

Source: Microsoft.

Idle Thought

"You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you." -- John Wooden, basketball coach

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

Average amount of money that can be saved per person per day by brown-bagging a lunch, according to statistics from the Oscar Mayer "Brown Bag Barometer": $3

Estimated amount that can be saved per month for a family of four: $260

Rank of sandwiches (41 percent) and leftovers (32 percent) as the most popular items in the bag: 1, 2

Source: Weber Shandwick.

Percentage of Americans who think people give gifts as a way to make subtle suggestions about what someone wears or how they look, according to a survey by Remington products and conducted by Zoomerang: 68

Percentage who admit that's why they've picked particular products: 41

Source: Zoomerang.

Percentage of consumers who cite convenience as a reason to buy online, according to a Nielsen Online pre-holiday survey: 76

Percentage of consumers who cite price as a reason to buy online: 53

Source: Nielsen Online.

Percentage of employees who have felt excluded during annual holiday celebrations in the workplace, according to a national telephone survey by Novations Group: 10.7

Source: Novations Group Inc.

Percentage of consumers who will purchase more "eco-friendly" products this holiday season than in the past, according to the "23rd Annual Holiday Survey" of retail spending and trends commissioned by Deloitte: 20

Percentage who will shop at more "green" retailers: 18

Percentage of consumers who said they will use fewer plastic bags from supermarkets and other stores this holiday season: 38

Percentage who will consider not wrapping holiday gifts in order to conserve paper: 21

Source: Deloitte.

Percentage difference in the one-year performance improvement in operating income between companies with highly engaged employees -- those who believe in the values of their company, are proud of their work for the company, and are committed to their employer -- compared to companies with low engagement, according to a survey by ISR: 52

Percentage improvement in net income growth over a one-year period at companies with high employee engagement: 13

Percentage improvement in EPS (earnings per share) growth in companies with high employee engagement: 28

Source: Towers Perrin.

Percentage of video gamers who are married, according to research by IGN Entertainment and Ipsos MediaCT: 55

Percentage who have children: 48

Average age of new gamers -- those who have started playing videogames in the past two years: 32

Source: Ipsos Media.

Percentage of holiday shoppers who say they begin shopping before Thanksgiving, according to data from Mediamark Research and Intelligence: 35.1

Percentage of holiday shoppers who say they begin shopping between Thanksgiving and Dec. 15: 35.8

Percentage who start their shopping between Dec. 16 and Dec. 23: 25.6

Source: Mediamark Research.

Projected amount Americans will spend on gift cards this holiday season, according to an Archstone Consulting survey: $25 billion

Percentage of consumers who told the National Retail Federation they want to receive gift cards this holiday season -- more than any other type of gift: 55

Percentage of card recipients who tend to redeem them on necessities: 33

Source: Bankrate Inc.

Percentage of Americans who initially say that they support existing policies aimed at promoting the use of corn to produce ethanol, according to an Ipsos poll conducted for members of the "Food Before Fuel" campaign: 55

When informed of USDA data linking ethanol to food price increases, percentage who become less likely to support these policies: 49

Estimated annual tax subsidy to fuel blenders for adding ethanol into the fuel supply: $4 billion

Source: Ipsos North America.

Idle Thought

"Alas, after a certain age every man is responsible for his face." -- Albert Camus, writer and philosopher

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