Percentage of parents with kids under 18 who say they are worried about disappointing their kids this holiday season, according to a survey by Lending Tree: 69

Percentage of millennials who feel pressured to purchase gifts: 71

Percentage who lose sleep over holiday spending worries: 50

Source: Lending Tree.

Percentage of people who said the holiday party is very important to office morale and company success, according to a BizBash and Seamless survey: 72

Percentage who reported better office friendships as a result of past holiday parties: 75

Percentage who reported an improved office culture: 71

Source: BizBash.

Percentage of U.S. adults who use the services of a mail carrier who never tip them at the end of the year, according to a CreditCards.com report: 60

Percentage who never tip their trash/recycling collector: 70

Percentage who never tip their childcare provider or teacher: 47 for each

Source: Bankrate.com.

No matter how miserable or difficult you consider your journey to work to be, there's one man whose commute is as ambitious as it is crucial to the happiness of others -- Santa Claus. To wit: Number of children he must visit in a matter of hours, according to the Ministry of Fun: 2.1 billion

Number of stops he must make (assuming the global average of 2.5 children per household applies): 842 million

Time spent at each stop (not enough to enjoy a nice glass of sherry): 1 millisecond

Source: Ministry of Fun.

Percentage of workers who exchange presents during the holiday season, according to a FitSmallBusiness.com survey: 58

Rank of alcohol on the list of Secret Santa gifts: 1

Percentage of respondents who believe that a funny item is the best Secret Santa gift: 47

Source: Fit Small Business.

Century that artificial Christmas trees -- made using goose feathers that were dyed green and attached to wire branches -- were developed in Germany, according to the University of Illinois Extension Master Gardeners: 19th

Year the U.S.-based Addis Brush Company created the first artificial Christmas tree made from brush bristles, using the same machinery that it used to manufacture toilet brushes, but they were dyed green: 1930

Source: University of Illinois Extension Master Gardeners.

Percentage of senior managers who said their company offers year-end bonuses, according to research conducted by global staffing firm Robert Half: 76

Percentage of organizations that plan to increase their bonuses: 48

Percentage that plan to keep them the same: 48

Rank of putting it toward long-term savings, a vacation in the new year, holiday shopping and paying off debt on the list of ways workers plan to use their bonuses: 1, 2, 3 (tie)

Source: Robert Half Management Resources.

Percentage increase in travel to Europe since 2018, according to a survey by Allianz Global Assistance: 25

Rank of London, Paris, Rome, Amsterdam, Madrid and Barcelona on the list of Americans' preferred holiday destinations this year: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Source: Allianz Global Assistance USA.

Date Radio City Music Hall opened with a troupe known as the Roxyettes, according to Radio City Music Hall data: Dec. 27, 1932

Year they officially became the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes: 1934

Since the Christmas Spectacular's opening night, number of women who have shared in the legacy by performing as a Rockette: 3,000-plus

Number of people who have seen the Christmas Spectacular since the New York holiday tradition officially began: 75 million-plus

Source: Radio City Music Hall.

Number of people who will apply for a new credit card for holiday shopping, according to WalletHub: 42 million

Percentage of credit cards that have price protection, which can get cardholders a refund if there's a price drop after the holidays: 41

Source: WalletHub.

Idle Thought

"You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

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

Year that President Coolidge started the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on the White House lawn, according to PolitiFact.com and the National Christmas Tree Association: 1923

Year that the National Christmas Tree Association began giving a Christmas tree to the president and first family for display in the Blue Room: 1966

Source: University of Illinois Extension Master Gardeners.

Percentage of Americans who would give up extraordinary things to eat pizza as much as they want without feeling guilty, according to a survey by Caulipower: 63

Percentage who would have a social media detox for one year in exchange for guiltless pizza consumption: 37

Percentage who would throw their smartphones away for one month: 17

Percentage who would give up sex for a year: 16

Source: Caulipower.

Percentage of retirees who say they always pay their credit card balances in full when due, compared to 39% of current workers, according to a study by T. Rowe Price: 72

Percentage who say they always stick to their monthly budget if they have one, compared to 26% of current workers: 52

Percentage who say they never have problems paying their bills on time, compared to 58% of workers: 89

Source: T. Rowe Price.

Amount that Americans who shopped at independent retailers and restaurants on Small Business Saturday (Nov. 30), according to the 2019 Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey from American Express and the National Federation of Independent Business: $19.6 billion

Percentage of American adults who are aware of Small Business Saturday, which always falls two days after Thanksgiving: 70

Source: Genesys.

Percentage of families who committed to an unplugged vacation who had enjoyed themselves more, according to research from Alamo Rent A Car: 41

Percentage who had better conversations: 40

Percentage who felt more relaxed: 38

Percentage who felt closer as a family: 36

Source: Alamo Rent A Car.

Amount the average December holiday air traveler will spend, according to a CreditCards.com report: $1,033

Among those planning to stay in hotels or short-term rentals, average expected expense for the December holidays: $673

Percentage of millennials who will fly or stay in a hotel over the December holidays, versus 12% of those age 39 and older: 35

Source: CreditCards.com.

Globally, percentage of respondents who said they have tried a diet to lose weight, according to a Global Advisor survey by Ipsos: 51

Percentage who said they were content with their weight: 55

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Percentage of households that are "high spenders" -- spending more than $2,100 during the holidays -- accounting for 60% of total holiday spending, according to Deloitte: 20

Percentage of dollars spent on holiday travel, restaurants and hotels that are accounted for by high spenders: 70

Source: Deloitte.

Number of pieces of mail the U.S. Postal Service handles every day, according to a report from Clutch: 484.4 million

Number of packages handled each day by FedEx: 6.2 million

Number of packages and documents UPS handles daily: 20.7 million

Source: Clutch.

Estimated cash gifts children expect to receive this Christmas, according to the Kids' Allowance Report by Rooster Money: $58

Source: RoosterMoney.

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.)

In 2019, 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": 0.2

According to this year's survey, current price tag for these gifts: $38,993.59

Cost to a very thoughtful true love to buy the whole shebang from a single partridge to 12 drummers drumming for each verse (that's 364 separate pieces of Christmas joy): $170,298.03

Cost for nine ladies dancing: $7,552.84

Cost for 10 lords a-leaping: $10,000

Source: PNC Wealth Management.

Ranks of different environment, unfamiliar noises and working late on the list of the biggest causes of a restless night's sleep for those traveling, according to a global study commissioned by IHG Hotels and Resorts: 1, 2, 3

Percentage who stated they feel more tired when they are away from home: 67

To aid sleep, percentage who try listening to music: 48

Percentage who watch TV: 45

Source: IHG Hotels and Resorts.

Percentage of Americans who said they'd rather pay someone else to do jobs that cause them grief than do them themselves -- tasks like last-minute gift shopping -- according to the results of a survey by TaskRabbit, conducted in partnership with Wakefield Research: 29

Percentage who would hire somebody to untangle Christmas lights or jewelry: 27

Percentage who would hire somebody to wait in a long line, such as for a table at a popular restaurant: 35

Source: TaskRabbit.

Amount that shoppers expect to spend per household this holiday season, with the bulk of that going toward experiences and celebrations, according to Deloitte's 34th annual holiday survey of consumer spending intentions and trends: $1,496

Average amount per household that will go to experiences and celebrations -- including entertaining at home, traveling and eating at restaurants: $596

Amount that will go to gifts: $511

Source: Deloitte.

Number of Americans who still have debt from last holiday season, according to a study by WalletHub: 35 million

Percentage of consumers who say they will spend less on holiday shopping this year than last year: 27

Source: WalletHub.

Percentage of Americans who say they are willing to regift this holiday season, according to a survey by Bankrate.com: 24

Percentage who would buy used or secondhand items: 19

Source: Bankrate Inc.

Percentage who have toys or games on their holiday shopping lists, according to a survey commissioned by Splitit Payments Ltd: 39

Percentage who will stuff their stockings with small electronics or gadgets: 38

When asked how they prefer to do their holiday shopping, percentage of consumers who said they prefer to shop both online and in-store: 63

Source: Splitit.

Percentage of Americans who say they begin their holiday shopping in September or earlier, according to research by RetailMeNot: 20

Percentage who say they have more budget for holiday season promotions than they did in 2018: 73

Ranks of big-box stores (e.g., Target, Walmart), e-commerce-focused retailers and department stores (e.g., Macy's, Kohl's) on the list of the top three places consumers plan to make a purchase this season: 1, 2, 3

Source: RetailMeNot.

When asked about preferences, should an airline offer a one-time loyal customer perk, percentage of travelers who selected an upgrade to first class as their first choice, according to research by GO Group LLC: 35

Percentage who selected the option for a discount on a future flight: 33

Ranks of more legroom, priority boarding and access to the airport lounge on the list of choices: 3, 4, 5

Source: GO Group LLC.

Percentage of consumers who want store associates to carry handheld mobile devices to provide customer service, according to iVend Retail: 84

Percentage increase over last year in "buy online, pickup in store" as a shipping selection: 30

Ranks of saving money on shipping charges and saving time on the list of the main motivators for this trend: 1, 2

Source: iVend Retail.

Percentage of online shoppers who often or always compare what they find on a brand or retail website to what's available on Amazon, according to Episerver: 68

Source: Episerver.

Idle Thought

"If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world." -- J.R.R. Tolkien

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