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.)