Holiday sales by U.S. department stores in December 2014, according to the U.S Census Bureau: $24.5 billion

Percentage jump that is from the previous month: 41.2

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of employers who say they've fired someone for holiday shopping online while at work, according to a CareerBuilder survey: 12

Percentage of employers who say they block employee access to some websites from work: 56

Percentage of employees who use their own personal devices to shop online while at work: 42

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Percentage of employees who said their favorite work-related holiday celebration is an office party, according to an Office Team study: 52

Percentage who said they'd rather not celebrate the holidays at work: 4

Source: OfficeTeam.

Percentage of shoppers who described their mood as happy after holiday shopping, according to an Ipsos study: 68

Percentage of shoppers who said they were buying something for themselves: 57

Source: Ipsos Data.

When asked what their go-to gift was for someone they didn't know particularly well or someone they hadn't planned to give a gift originally, percentage who said gift cards, according to a survey by Consumer Reports: 29

Percentage who cited wine/other alcohol: 16

Percentage who said chocolate/dessert/candy: 15

Source: Consumer Reports.

Average amount that companies giving gifts plan to spend for employees, up nearly 16 percent from 2014, according to an Advertising Specialty Institute survey: $44

Percentage of all companies giving gifts to employees that say they will spend more than $100 on each employee gift this year: 25

Average amount that companies plan to spend thanking clients: $48

Percentage of all responding companies who report that 100 percent of the gifts they give out this season -- to employees, customers and prospects -- will have the company's logo on them: 46

Source: Advertising Specialty Institute.

Percentage of American workers who don't plan to give gifts to their co-workers, according to a survey by Spherion survey: 56

Percentage who don't plan to give a gift to their boss: 59

Percentage of workers who aren't planning to buy gifts for anyone at work for reasons other than money who say they don't want to because they feel they would have to buy something for everyone, and they consider that to be "too much": 43

Source: Spherion.

Percentage of Americans who have given someone a gift card, according to a Bankrate.com report: 76

Percentage who have received a gift card: 83

Most common value range given (true across all income levels): $25 to $50

Source: Bankrate Inc.

Percentage of Americans who are planning to purchase toys as gifts this holiday season, according to a Harris Poll: 58

Ranks of children's books, arts and crafts supplies, dolls, console video games and board games on the list of planned purchases this year: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: The Harris Poll.

Busiest day for Christmas travel, according to a survey by Orbitz Worldwide: December 23

Average price of airfare in 2015: $493

Source: Orbitz Worldwide.

Idle Thought

"To the artist there is never anything ugly in nature." -- Auguste Rodin, sculptor

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

Percentage of U.S. adults who agree having a fridge full of leftovers is the best thing about hosting Thanksgiving, according to the results of a Harris poll: 79

Ranks of turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce on the list of traditional dishes Americans most look forward to at Thanksgiving: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Source: The Harris Poll.

Percentage of Americans planning to travel between Thanksgiving and New Year's in 2015, according to a survey Orbitz Worldwide: 71

Average amount that Americans plan to spend on holiday trips this year: $2,195

Source: Orbitz Worldwide.

Percentage of employees who say they are more productive the week before a holiday, according to a survey by Accountemps and Robert Half International: 32

Percentage who admit their productivity wanes: 22

Source: Robert Half International.

Average number of connected computing and entertainment devices per U.S. broadband households, according to Parks Associates: 7.5

Source: Parks Associates.

Percentage of all U.S. adults (62 million) who consider themselves gift splurgers, according to a Nielsen survey: 26

Ranks of Miami and Tampa on the list of markets that fall into this generous group: 1, 2

Source: Nielsen Insights.

Percentage of Americans who enjoy a cocktail at least occasionally and who chose wine as their cocktail of choice, according to an Ipsos Omnibus survey: 56

Percentage of respondents who say the taste preference of a drinker is most important when buying wine as a gift: 27

Percentage of Americans who say price is the No. 1 factor when selecting wine in a restaurant: 27

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Year that Edward Brooke became the nation's first African-American to win election to the U.S. Senate by popular vote, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1966

Since his defeat in a bid for a third term in 1978, number of African-Americans the chamber has seated (one of whom cut his term short to become president): 6

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of Americans who feel pressure to spend more than they can afford during the holidays, according to a survey conducted for SunTrust Banks: 46

Percentage of adults who expect this holiday shopping season to be more financially stressful than last year: 29

Source: SunTrust Banks Inc.

Among those U.S. adults who have been sick during the holiday season, percentage who have gone shopping while ill, according to a survey conducted on behalf of Merck Manuals: 51

Percentage who confessed to going to work or school while sick: 65

Source: Merck Manuals.

Percentage of gift cards that now offer the ability to add a security code, according to a Bankrate.com report: 50

Percentage of cards that have some form of loss and theft protection: 72

Source: Bankrate Inc.

Idle Thought

"Happiness is when what you think, what you say and what you do are in harmony." -- Mahatma Gandhi

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

Maximum number of days the U.S. Department of Agriculture suggests keeping a fresh turkey before cooking it, according to a National Turkey Federation survey: 2

Number of hours it takes to thaw a frozen 22- to 24-pound turkey in cold water: 11 to 12

Number of days it takes to thaw it in the refrigerator: 5.5 to 6

Number of hours it takes to cook a stuffed 22- to 24-pound turkey in an oven set to 325 degrees Fahrenheit: 5 to 5.5

Source: CNN Money.

Percentage of consumers who say their biggest holiday stress is the cost of gifts, according to a survey by RetailMeNot: 64

Percentage of consumers who are likely to do their winter holiday shopping in-store: 73

Source: RetailMeNot.com.

Ranks of Minnesota, North Carolina and Arkansas on the list of U.S. states that produce the most turkeys, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1, 2, 3

Ranks of Wisconsin, Massachusetts and New Jersey on the list of states that grow the most cranberries: 1, 2, 3

Ranks of North Carolina, California and Mississippi on the list of states that produce the most sweet potatoes: 1, 2, 3

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Number of ultra-high net-worth individuals globally -- defined as those with $30 million and above in net assets -- according to a study by Wealth-X and the Sotheby's International Realty brand: 211,000

Percentage of them who own two or more residences: 79

Ranks of the United States, the United Kingdom and Switzerland on the list of the most popular locations for second homes among the ultra wealthy: 1, 2, 3

Source: Wealth-X.

Percentage of Americans who report that they loathe sharing the road with bad drivers -- more than cyclists, buses, taxis, joggers and walkers combined -- according to the Expedia 2015 Road Rage Report: 51

Percentage of all Americans who rate themselves as "careful" drivers, but feel that only 29 percent of fellow drivers merit the description: 97

Source: Expedia.

Estimated amount the average consumer is expected to spend this holiday season, according to the 2015 Deferred Interest Report by CardHub: $834

Projected net rise in credit card debt by the end of the year: $60 billion

Percentage of major retailers who offer financing options to their customers: 73

Source: CardHub.

Even though many financial advisers, friends and family members will tell you owning a home is not all it's cracked up to be, percentage of Americans who believe it's truly the great American dream, according to the Ipsos survey: 81

Percentage who believe it's important to keep the house updated and looking fresh: 88

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Ranks of the Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots and Denver Broncos on the list of America's favorite football teams, according to the results of a Harris Poll: 1, 2 (tie), 4

Percentage of Americans who believe the worst part of Super Bowl Sunday is having to get up the next morning to go to work or school: 54

Source: The Harris Poll.

Estimated number of Americans who choose to rent rather than buy a home, according to research by Credit Donkey: 105 million

Average rent in the U.S. in 2015: $1,200.

Estimated percentage of American households that spend more than 30 percent of their income to keep a roof over their heads: 41

Percentage of renters who spend more than half their pay on rent: 25

Source: CreditDonkey.com.

When it comes to expenditures in retirement, percentage of millennials (ages 20 to 37) who think they will spend less than $36,000 per year -- 30 percent less than the current national average, $46,757, for those aged 65 to 74: 70

Percentage who believe they will not be able to retire when they want to, with half this group thinking they will never be able to fully retire: 56

Source: Insured Retirement Institute.

Idle Thought

"Too many people spend money they haven't earned, to buy things they don't want, to impress people they don't like." -- Will Rogers, humorist

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