Percentage of cat owners who go the extra mile this time of year to buy their cat the perfect present to put under the tree, according to a survey conducted by Temptations Treats for Cats: 46

Percentage of female owners who consider their cat when buying gifts during the holidays: 49

Percentage of men who do the same: 43

Source: Temptations.

Estimated percentage of homes that still put up and decorate a real tree each year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 20

Percentage of U.S. households that now use artificial trees to decorate for the holidays: 50

Percentage of homes that do not use a tree for the holidays: 30

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Number of children (under the age of 18) in the world, according to Santa statistics from Funs.co.uk: 2 billion

At a rate of, say, 3.5 children per household with at least one good kid in each, number of homes Santa calls on: 91.8 million

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

Source: Fun.co.uk.

Percentage of attendees at the office Christmas party who kissed a colleague, according to a poll by TGI Friday's: 23

Percentage who made a fool of themselves: 19

Percentage who shared a personal secret they wished they hadn't: 10

Source: TGI Friday's.

Compared to last year, 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": 7.7

Current price tag for these gifts, up from $25,431.18 last year: $27,393.19

Cost to a very thoughtful true love wishing to buy the whole shebang from a single partridge to 12 drummers drumming for each verse (that's 364 separate pieces of Christmas joy): $114,651.18

Source: PNC Financial Services Group.

Year of the first written record of a decorated Christmas tree (Riga, Latvia), according to History.com's Christmas Section: 1510

Year there is a record from Alsace, France (then a German territory), that trees were sold in the marketplace and brought home and set up undecorated and limited by law to the size of "8 shoe lengths" (slightly over 4 feet): 1530

Period it became common in Germany to decorate Christmas trees with apples: 1600s

Period during which the Christmas tree was introduced in the U.S. by German settlers, rapidly growing from tabletop size to floor-to-ceiling: 1800s

Year that Christmas trees began to be sold commercially in the United States: 1851

Year that Franklin Pierce is credited with bringing the first Christmas tree to the White House: 1853

Source: History.com's Christmas Section.

Percentage of Americans who indicate that they'll be "giving back" in some way this holiday season, whether it be in the form of money or goods, volunteering or both, according to a survey conducted on behalf of PlanG: 70

Percentage who say that "knowing a business gives back in some way impacts their purchase decision": 69

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Number of cases of wine consumed in the U.S. annually, according to the Wine Institute, Department of Commerce Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau: 330 million

Number of cases of wine consumed in France annually: 320.6 million

Average amount of wine consumed annually per U.S. adult: 267 ounces

Source: Wine Institute.

Percentage of Americans who will travel this holiday season, according to a TripAdvisor survey: 45

Percentage of travelers who will stay with family or friends: 49

Percentage who will stay in a hotel: 45

Percentage who will stay in a vacation rental: 9

Source: TripAdvisor.

Idle Thought

"Every saint has a past and every sinner a future." -- Oscar Wilde

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

Percentage increase in online dating registration triggered annually by the holiday season, according to Match.com: 55

Percentage increase in traffic during the period of Thanksgiving weekend through New Year's Day: 350

Percentage of all single people whose goal it is to find love in the New Year, according to a Cosmopolitan survey: 64

Source: Match.com.

Ranks of gaming consoles, handheld educational devices, portable music players and handheld gaming devices on the list of the most popular electronics parents are willing to consider buying for their children, according to to RetailMeNot's Black Friday Tech Report: 1, 2, 3 (tie)

Percentage more likely fathers are than mothers to consider buying a gaming console for their child: 68 vs. 57

Source: RetailMeNot.com.

Percentage of people who spend more than half of all the time spent shopping on those who are difficult to buy for, according to a survey commissioned by Staples: 60

Source: Staples Foundation For Learning.

Date when the first full day of Hanukkah last fell on Thanksgiving, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1888

Projected number of years before the next time Hanukkah and Thanksgiving coincide in this fashion: 76,000

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of people who say relatives overstay their welcome after a day or less, according to a survey by HomeAway Vacation Rental: 22

Percentage who say their relatives never wear out their welcome: 33

Ranks of leaving their belongings all over the place, not helping with the cooking/cleaning and wanting to be entertained constantly on the list of the most annoying habits of houseguests: 1, 2, 3

Source: HomeAway.

Percentage of workers who expect to spend some time at work shopping online for the holidays, according to a survey conducted by Harris Interactive: 54

Percentage of workers who will spend between one and three hours browsing Internet deals from the office over the course of the holiday season: 20

Percentage who will spend three hours or more: 10

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Percentage of Americans who plan to spend less on gifts this year, according to the Pew Research Daily Number: 37

Amount this year's average Christmas shopper plans on spending, down from the $770 they planned to spend around this time last year, according to Gallup: $704

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

Average amount that companies giving gifts plan to spend for employees, according to an Advertising Specialty Institute survey: $44.98

Average amount they plan to spend for clients and prospects this holiday season: $33.92

Ranks of gift cards, cash bonuses, food and beverages and apparel on the list of the top gifts responding companies plan to give in 2013: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: Advertising Specialty Institute.

Of the 25 percent of shoppers who responded in a Price Grabber survey that they were aiming to reduce their holiday budget this year, percentage who said they would spend less because of an increase in prices on basic necessities: 45

Percentage who will reduce their holiday budget because they are making less money this year: 42

Source: PriceGrabber.com.

Percentage of Americans who say they look forward to holiday shopping, according to a CBS News poll: 42

Percentage who say they dread it: 50

Source: CBS Television Network.

Idle Thought

"The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently." -- Friedrich Nietzsche, philosopher

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

Percentage of shoppers who say that finding gifts for everyone on their list is stressful, according to a survey commissioned by Staples: 66

Percentage of respondents who say there is at least one person on their list who, for at least a few moments, appears practically "ungiftable": 89

On average, number of difficult gift recipients who shoppers have on their lists -- typically includes significant others (59 percent), children (57 percent), mothers (56 percent) and fathers (42 percent): 4

Source: Staples Foundation For Learning.

Of the winter holiday gift givers who typically set a budget for presents, percentage who say they will go over it -- by an average of $148, according to a survey by Coinstar: 67

Percentage of Americans who can name at least one thing they'd be willing to do or give up in order to buy holiday gifts for everyone on their list this holiday: 76

Source: Coinstar.

Percentage of event planners who said that holiday parties help improve office friendships, according to a study by BizBash: 75

Percentage who cited improved team dynamics as a direct result of office holiday get-togethers: 67

Percentage who say they contribute to increased productivity: 18

Source: BizBash.

Whether trimming a Christmas tree, wrapping gifts or preparing a festive meal to share with friends, percentage of Americans who report that they can't celebrate the holiday season properly without the right music, according to a survey by Pandora: 90

In picking the perfect music to accompany their get-togethers, percentage of people who admit they prefer classic holiday tunes from artists such as Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra or Nat King Cole: 75

Source: Pandora.

Percentage of marketers who feel that their organization has the necessary customer intelligence systems to deliver relevant, real-time information to their sales department, according to a report from the CMO Council: 9

Source: CMO Council.

Ranks of children's apparel, accessories and toys on the list of items that shoppers say they expect to spend more on this year, according to a survey by Forest City Enterprises Inc.: 1, 2, 3

Ranks of fine jewelry, mobile phones and holiday decor on the list of items that shoppers say they expect to spend less on this year: 1, 2, 3

Source: Forest City Enterprises Inc.

Percentage of executives who say they are working in a field different than the one they anticipated when they began their undergraduate studies, according to a Korn/Ferry executive survey: 68

Percentage who believe a majority of the 2013 freshman class will end up in jobs that don't yet exist: 40

Percentage of executives who believe students would benefit more by learning leadership skills rather than focusing on specific academic disciplines: 66

Source: Korn/Ferry International.

When asked to rank the best features of in-store shopping, percentage of consumers who ranked immediate gratification and instant ownership as a top factor in influencing how they shop, according to a study by WD Partners: 79

Percentage of respondents who said stores offer a sensory experience and immersion into the product that online retailers cannot: 75

Source: Gallagher Consulting Group.

Most common value of gift cards, both given and received, according to Bankrate.com research: between $25 and $50.

Percentage that can be delivered electronically: 56

Percentage of gift card issuers who will replace the card and/or funds in the event of loss or theft: 69

Source: Bankrate Inc.

Percentage more people who are planning to travel by plane during the 2013 holiday season compared with last year, according to a survey conducted by The GO Group, LLC: 58

Percentage of respondents who said they will fly out of town to celebrate at least one holiday this year, which compares to 36 percent last year: 57

Percentage who reported they will spend Christmas away from home, where just 23 percent did so last year: 33

Source: GO Group LLC.

Idle Thought

"Ultimately, the only power to which man should aspire is that which he exercises over himself." -- Elie Wiesel, writer, Nobel laureate

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