Did You Know? Holiday Facts

Mail
12 million:
Number of packages delivered by the U.S. Postal Service every day during the holiday season last year through Christmas Eve. The busiest delivery day: Dec. 20. Source: U.S. Postal Service

20 billion:
Number of letters, packages and cards that the U.S. Postal Service delivered between Thanksgiving and Christmas in 2006. The busiest mailing day last year was Dec. 18, with more than twice as many cards and letters being processed as the average on any given day. Source: U.S. Postal Service

Shopping
$31.4 billion:
Retail sales by the nation’s department stores (including leased departments) in December 2006. This represented a 44 percent jump from the previous month (when retail sales, many holiday-related, registered $21.8 billion). No other month-to-month increase in department store sales last year was as large.

14 percent:
The proportion of total 2006 sales for department stores (including leased departments) in December. For jewelry stores, the percentage was 22 percent. Source: Service Sector Statistics.

1.7 million:
The number of people employed at department stores in December 2006. Retail employment typically swells during the holiday season, last year rising by an estimated 40,600 from November and 174,700 from October. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

15,924:
The number of electronic shopping and mail-order houses in business in 2005. These businesses, which employed 253,677 workers, are a popular source of holiday gifts. Their sales: $162 billion, of which 40.5 percent were attributable to e-commerce. California led the nation in the number of these establishments and their employees, with 2,383 and 30,800, respectively. Source: County Business Patterns

48,695:
The number of malls and shopping centers dotting the U.S. landscape as of 2005, a total that increased by approximately 12,000 since 1990. Source: Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2007, Table 1035

Christmas Trees and Decorations
$512 million:
The gross earnings of Christmas tree farmers in 2006, with North Carolina ($134 million) as the top producer. Oregon was next at $121 million in sales. Source: USDA Economic Research Service

$249 million:
Christmas tree sales of the 17 surveyed states in 2006, with Oregon as the top seller. Source: USDA Floriculture and Nursery Corps Yearbook

$142.6 million:
The value of U.S. imports of Christmas tree ornaments from China between January and June 2007. China was the leading country of origin for such items. Similarly, China was the leading foreign source of artificial Christmas trees shipped to the United States ($13.4 million worth) during the same period.?Source: Foreign Trade Statistics

Toys
104:
Number of establishments around the country that primarily manufactured dolls and stuffed toys in 2005; they employed 2,480 people. California led the nation with 18 locations. Source: County Business Patterns

707:
The number of locations that primarily produced games, toys and children’s vehicles in 2005; they employed 15,381 workers. California led the nation with 115 establishments. Source: County Business Patterns

$3.3 billion:
Total value of shipments for dolls, toys and games by manufacturers in 2005. Source: Annual Survey of Manufacturers?

$3.3 billion:
The value of U.S. toy imports including stuffed toys (excluding dolls), puzzles and electric trains from China between January and June 2007. China was the leading country of origin for stuffed toys coming into this country, as well as for a number of other popular holiday gifts. These include roller skates ($79 million), sports footwear ($193 million), golf equipment ($36 million) and basketballs ($23 million). China leads Canada as the leading supplier of ice skates ($6.6 million versus $3.8 million), with Thailand ranking third ($2.8 million). Source: Foreign Trade Statistics

Holiday Place Names
Places whose names are associated with the holiday season include North Pole, Alaska (population 1,828 in 2006); Santa Claus, Ind. (2,324); Santa Claus, Ga. (245); Noel, Mo. (1,555); and — if you know about reindeer — the village of Rudolph, Wis. (419) and Dasher, Ga. (803). There is Snowflake, Ariz. (5,157) and a dozen places named Holly, including Holly Springs, Miss., and Mount Holly, N.C. Source: Population estimates

Hanukkah and Kwanzaa
Nearly one-half:
Proportion of the nation’s spuds produced in Idaho and Washington in 2006. Potato latkes are always a crowd pleaser during Hanukkah. Source: National Agriculture Statistics Service

$1.3 billion:
The value of product shipments of candles in 2002 by the nation’s manufacturers. Many of these candles are lit during Hanukkah and Kwanzaa celebrations. Source: 2002 Economic Census

$161 million:
The value of product shipments of candles in 2002 by manufacturers in Texas. The Lone Star State led the country in candle shipments.?Source: 2002 Economic Census

New Year’s Eve and Day
73,685:
The estimated July 1, 2006, population of Champaign, Ill., a place whose name alone may get you into a celebratory mood. Source: Population Estimates

$475 million:
U.S. manufacturers shipments of effervescent wines (including sparkling wines, such as champagne) in 2002. Source: 2002 Economic Census

More than 303 million:
The nation’s projected population as we ring in the New Year. This compares with fewer than 175 million 50 years earlier (1958) and less than 90 million a century earlier (1908). Source: National estimates