It’s the most wonderful time of the year, not just for families, but businesses as well. Find out how much the holiday shopping season is expected to boost the economy, along with fun and surprising facts behind our favorite holidays.

91.7%
Percentage of U.S. adults planning to celebrate at least one of the winter holidays — Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa — this year
Source: National Retail Federation’s (NRF) 2010 Holiday Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey

GOOD NEWS TRAVELS FAST

97 Million
Number of customers who visit the post office during the holiday season
Source: United States Postal Service (USPS)

15.8 Billion
Number of letters, cards and packages expected to be delivered by the U.S. Postal Service between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve
Ibid.

801 Million
Number of letters, cards and packages expected to be processed on Dec. 20, the busiest mailing day of the year, compared with 559 million on an average day of the year
Ibid.

30 Million
In pounds, the amount of mail the U.S. Postal Service will process for shipping to military personnel overseas, including those in Iraq and Afghanistan
Ibid.

186,200
Number of vehicles used this year by the U.S. Postal Service to transport holiday mail
Ibid.

16 Million
Number of shipments FedEx expects to make on Dec. 13, the company’s busiest day of the year, up from 14.2 million on the busiest day last year
Source: FedEx Corp.

233 Million
Number of shipments FedEx expects to move in its global networks between Thanksgiving and Christmas, a year-over-year increase of 11 percent
Ibid.

A SEASON OF SPENDING

$447.1 Billion
Projected total value of retail sales this holiday season, up from the previous year’s total of $437.6 billion
Source: NRF’s 2010 Holiday Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey

$688.87
Average amount consumers are expected to spend on holiday-related shopping this year, up from $681.83 in 2009
Ibid.

$107.50
Average amount spent by holiday shoppers on themselves this year, up from $101.37 in 2009
Ibid.

19.1%
Percent of total retail industry sales attributed to holiday spending in 2009
Source: NRF’s 2010 Holiday FAQ

$3.68 Billion
Amount projected to be lost by retailers this holiday season due to return fraud, up from $2.74 billion last year
Source: NRF’s Annual Return Fraud Survey

61.7%
Percentage of consumers who say the economy will affect their holiday spending this year, down from 65.3 percent in 2009
Source: NRF’s 2010 Holiday Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey

$30 Billion
Value of retail sales done through electronic shopping and mail-order companies in December 2009, the highest total for any month last year
Source: U.S. Census Bureau’s Service Sector Statistics

21,895
The number of electronic shopping and mail-order businesses in the U.S. in 2008, employing 332,405 workers
U.S. Census Bureau’s County Business Patterns

$23,439
The amount it would cost to actually purchase the items in the “Twelve Days of Christmas” this year, up $1,974 from the total last year and representing the largest percentage increase since 2003 (Seven swans-a-swimming alone cost $5,600)
Source: PNC Wealth Management’s 2010 Christmas Price Index

FINDING EXTRA WORK

40%
Percentage of employers hiring seasonal workers this year who said they will likely transition some of them into full-time employment, up from 31 percent in 2009
Source: CareerBuilder.com’s Top Areas for Seasonal Jobs

33%
Percentage of seasonal workers being hired for retail jobs this year, followed by customer service (31 percent), administrative support (17 percent), shipping and delivery (12 percent) and hospitality (10 percent)
Ibid.

48%
Percentage of managers planning to pay their seasonal workers $10 or more per hour, while 9 percent expect to pay $16 or more per hour
Ibid.

31%
Percentage of managers who said that providing great customer service is the surest way for a seasonal worker to become a permanent employee
Ibid.

453,600
Number of additional workers hired by retailers during the holiday season last year, nearly double the 231,000 hired in 2008
Source: NRF’s 2010 Holiday FAQ

TOY EXTRAVAGANZA

41.9%
Percentage of consumers planning to buy toys as gifts this holiday season, slightly down from 42.2 percent last year
Source: NRF’s 2010 Top Toys Survey

24.3%
Percentage of girls who put Barbie at the top of their gift lists, followed by other dolls, Dora the Explorer, video games and Disney princess
Ibid.

11.2%
Percentage of boys who put video games at the top of their gift lists, followed by LEGO bricks, toy cars, Toy Story-related products and Hot Wheels
Ibid.

98
Number of establishments in the U.S. that primarily produced dolls and stuffed toys in 2008
Source: U.S. Census Bureau’s County Business Patterns

614
Number of establishments in the U.S. that primarily manufactured games, toys and children’s vehicles in 2008, employing 9,163 workers
Ibid.

$5.1 Billion
Total value of U.S. toy imports from China — the leading country of origin for many holiday favorites — between January and August 2010
Ibid.

46
Number of toys that have been inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame, including this year’s inductees: playing cards and The Game of Life
Source: National Toy Hall of Fame

DECORATIONS AND TRADITIONS

28.2 Million
Number of real Christmas trees purchased by U.S. consumers in 2009, compared with 11.7 million artificial trees bought
Source: National Christmas Tree Association’s (NCTA) Consumer Survey Results

$1.15 Billion
Total retail value of real Christmas trees sold in the U.S. last year, compared with $901 million for artificial trees
Source: NCTA’s Quick Tree Facts

350 Million
Total number of Christmas trees currently growing on tree farms in the U.S.
Ibid.

18.5 Ft.
Height of the official White House Christmas tree, which is the same size each year so it can reach the ceiling of the Blue Room from which the lighting power source descends
Ibid.

$62.90
Average amount a consumer will spend this year on holiday decorations, including trees, lights and candles
Source: NRF’s 2010 Holiday Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey

$488.5 Million
Value of U.S. imports of Christmas tree ornaments from China between January and August 2010, including $28.2 million worth of artificial trees
Source: U.S. Census Bureau’s Foreign Trade Statistics

2,226
Population of North Pole, Alaska in 2009, one of several towns with holiday-themed names, including Santa Claus, Ind.; Noel, Mo.; Rudolph, Wis.; and Snowflake, Ariz.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau’s population estimates

50.9%
Proportion of the nation’s potatoes, many of which end up in potato latkes during Hanukkah, grown in Idaho and Washington in 2009
Ibid.

618
Number of people who participated in the world’s largest dreidel-spinning event at Yeshiva University in New York this year
Source: The Jewish Week

$1.2 Billion
Total value of candle shipments in the U.S. in 2008, many of which were lit for Hanukkah and Kwanzaa celebrations
Source: U.S. Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Manufacturers

Enjoy your weekend, folks!