Percentage of U.S. workers who say they are happier on the job during the holidays, even though 35 percent admit to being more stressed this time of year, according to a survey from Accountemps: 51

Rank of balancing holiday events with work obligations as the most stressful part of the holiday season cited by workers: 1

Source: Accountemps.

Percentage of Americans who say the thing they most look forward to during the holiday season is spending time with friends and family, according to a Harris Poll: 52

Ranks of holiday dinners and parties, finding and giving presents, putting up holiday decorations, watching television specials or hearing holiday songs on the radio on the list of holiday events they most enjoy: 2 (tie), 4, 5

Percentage of Americans who say the one thing they dislike most about the holidays is spending too much money: 27

Source: The Harris Poll.

Percentage of Americans who celebrate Christmas, according to Pew research: 92

Percentage of Christians who celebrate: 96

Percentage of non-Christians who celebrate: 81

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

Average amount that companies are spending to thank each employee this holiday season, according to Advertising Specialty Institute survey: $79

Percentage that report they will spend over $100 on each: 23

Average amount that employers will spend to thank customers or prospects for their business: $46

Source: Advertising Specialty Institute.

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 chocolates/dessert/candy: 15

Source: Consumer Reports.

Percentage of parents who try to get everything on their kids' wish lists, according to a T. Rowe Price survey: 58

Percentage of kids who expect them to buy everything on their lists: 66

Source: T. Rowe Price.

Percentage of Americans who plan to spend time with family and friends this holiday season, according to a nationwide survey by C Spire: 80

Percentage who plan to give or open gifts: 63

Percentage who plan to make a special meal or festive treats: 50

Percentage who plan to attend a church service: 31

Source: C Spire.

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

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

Value of artificial Christmas trees imported into the U.S. from China during the first nine months of last year: $80 million

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of women who will buy a little something for themselves while shopping for others at Christmas, according to a Marshalls survey: 91

Percentage who say their significant other gives them the most thoughtful or surprising gifts: 50

Ranks of parents, significant others and siblings on the list of the toughest people to buy for: 1, 2, 3

Source: Marshalls.

Percentage of Americans who would skip exchanging gifts if their family and friends agreed to it, according to a survey conducted on behalf of SunTrust Bank: 69

Percentage of respondents who said they would use that money on activities with friends and family: 25

Source: Nielsen Online.

Idle Thought

"No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted." -- Aesop

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

Percentage of parents who save for the holidays, according to a T. Rowe Price survey: 73

Percentage of holiday-savers who start to put money away right after the previous year's holiday season: 48

Source: T. Rowe Price.

Percentage of U.S. adults who will buy a gift that costs at least $50 this holiday season, according to a CreditCards.com report: 53

Percentage who will fork over $100 or more on a single item: 27

Percentage who won't buy any gifts at all: 12

Source: CreditCards.com.

Percentage of people who would pay extra for some peace and quiet this holiday season (topping "no Trump tweets" 24 percent), according to a survey by WalletHub: 41

Source: WalletHub.

Percentage of Americans who said they didn't have a set budget for holiday shopping this year, down from 56 percent last year: 45

Percentage of people who don't expect their spouse or significant other to spend anything on them during the holidays: 23

Percentage who said they don't plan to spend anything on their spouse or significant other: 10

Source: Lending Tree.

Percentage of workers who admitted to shopping on a company device during work hours, according to a Robert Half survey: 75

Percentage who said they spent one hour or more shopping on the job during last year's Cyber Monday: 41

This year, percentage of all respondents who said they plan to spend even more time on online bargain hunting while at the office: 23

Source: Robert Half Technology.

Percentage of Americans who say Christian symbols such as nativity scenes should be allowed on government property, according to Pew research: 44

Percentage who say Christian displays should be permitted only with symbols from other religions: 28

Percentage who say Christian symbols shouldn't be allowed on government property at all: 20

Source: Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.

Percentage of American women who would forgo gifts for themselves this year if they could guarantee everyone on their list was delighted with what they received, according to a Marshalls survey: 90

Percentage of American women who believe the best holiday gifts are the ones least expected: 94

Yet, percentage who shop based on lists, leaving little room for surprise under the tree: 33

Source: Marshalls.

Percentage of consumers who plan to visit a physical store in the month of December, according to a survey by RetailMeNot Inc.: 87

Average number of store visits these consumers plan to make: 7

Percentage who are likely to make a purchase at a special in-store event, such as pop-up shops, new brand collaborations or celebrity guest appearances: 63

Source: RetailMeNot.com.

Percentage of 18- to 35-year-olds who consider keeping fit one of the most important parts of their holiday experience, according to a survey by Hotels.com: 80

Ranks of top-notch hotel fitness facilities, proximity of good restaurants and nightlife on the list of the most important vacation considerations: 1, 2, 3

Source: Hotels.com.

Ranks of online, department store, discount store, grocery store/supermarket, clothing or accessories store and electronics store on the list of the most popular shopping destinations this year, according to a survey for the National Retail Federation: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Source: NRF.

Idle Thought

"Do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world." -- Desmond Tutu

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

Percentage of employees who admit to being late every day, according to a survey by Accountemps: 7

Percentage who admint to a few times a month: 15

Percentage who say never: 34

Source: Accountemps.

Percentage of professionals who describe holiday parties as entertaining, according to a survey from OfficeTeam: 36

Percentage who give these events a thumbs down: 35

Percentage who feel pressure to attend, saying their holiday parties are obligatory: 28

Source: OfficeTeam.

Percentage of "successful savers" (working adults and retirees) with investable assets of at least $50,000 (under age 44) or at least $100,000 (above age 44), not including funds in 401(k) retirement accounts, who listed living comfortably as a top goal for retirement, according a PNC survey: 77

Percentage who selected spending more time with family as top on their list: 56

Percentage who mentioned travel: 70

Of those surveyed, percentage who are confident they will achieve these goals: 72

Source: PNC Financial Services Group.

Percentage of men who indicate they do most of the outside Christmas decorating, according to a survey by Christmas Lights Etc: 82

Percentage of women who say they do most of the decorating inside: 79

Percentage of Americans who say the hardest part of Christmas decorating is taking it all back down: 63

Source: Christmas Lights Etc.

Projected percentage of their holiday shopping consumers will have completed by Sunday, Dec. 3, according to a Salesforce.com survey: 50

Percentage completed by Friday, Dec. 15: 80

Source: Salesforce.com.

Percentage increase in a teen driver's risk by having just one teen passenger, according to research by the National Safety Council: 44

Percentage of teen driver crashes that occur because the teen made a critical error due to inexperience: 75

Percentage of teens killed in crashes who are unbelted: 52

Source: National Safety Council.

Of the early holiday shoppers, percentage who say they are trying to spread out their budgets, according to a survey for the National Retail Federation: 65

Percentage who do not want the stress of last-minute shopping: 49

Source: NRF.

Percentage of Americans who are concerned that their sleep habits have an impact on their physical health, according to a National Safety Council probability-based survey: 70

Percentage who are worried about the effects on their mental well-being: 67

Percentage of respondents who say they "frequently" get enough sleep to feel at their best the next day: 43

Percentage who say they "rarely or never" worry about getting enough sleep: 39

Source: National Sleep Foundation.

Percentage of people who say gift cards are what they want most this holiday season, continuing a decade-plus trend of gift cards topping the list of the most popular holiday presents, according to WalletHub's report on 2017's best gift cards: 41

Ranks of iTunes, Starbucks, Walmart, Victoria's Secret and Amazon on the list of the best gift cards: 1, 2 (tie), 4 (tie)

Ranks of Netflix ($86.11), Best Buy ($85.30), Walmart ($84.92), Apple Store ($84.25) and Applebees ($83.40) on the list of cards with the highest resale values of a $100 gift card: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: WalletHub.

Idle Thought

"It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not." -- Andre Gide, writer

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