$457.4 billion – 2006 holiday sales
$435.6 billion – 2005 holiday sales
$93.2 billion – donations given to religious organizations, the top recipient of aid
$38.6 billion – donated to education, the second largest sector
$1.2 billion – value of Christmas ornaments imported from China
842 million mph – speed Santa traveled to visit all 842,000,000 houses on his route
$485 million – US farmers’ Christmas tree sales revenue in 2005.
51.7 million – people who shopped online from work for holiday gifts in 2005
46 million – households with an artificial Christmas tree this year
36 million- estimated number of real Christmas trees sold in 2006
22 million – households without a Christmas tree this year
$791 – amount each consumer is expected to spend this year
$451.34 – will be spent on family
$99.22 – spent on himself or herself
87% – Americans who believe holidays should be more about family and caring for others, not giving and receiving gifts
$85.60 – spent on friends
79% – do not believe it’s necessary to spend a lot of money in order to have a fulfilling and enjoyable holiday
47% – people who say they’d toss a holiday fruitcake in the trash without delay
47% – consumers predicted to shop online this holiday season
$44.52 – spent on people like clergy, teachers, and baby sitters
$30.57 – spent on greeting cards and postage
25 – number of years that fruitcakes can age and still be enjoyed, as long as they have the right preservatives and are stored in tightly closed tins
$22.40 – spent on co-workers
17 – number of decorated trees in the White House
12 – number of drinks required to create a hangover like this one
11% – people who say they would make time to re-gift a fruitcake
4% – Americans who don’t celebrate Christmas at all
1:1 – ratio of the density of the average fruitcake to the density of mahogany
Sources: Center for a New American Dream, BIGResearch, St. Paul Pioneer Press, Harper’s Index, The Joy of Cooking, Department of Defense, Unity Marketing, National Christmas Tree Association, USDA Economic Research Service, US Census, US Department of Commerce, Charity Navigator, Giving Institute, The White House, Gallup, US Postal Service.
Counting on Christmas Statistics [Christmas Spirit]
