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Facts for Features

A product of the U.S. Census Bureau's Public Information Office

CB00-FF.15 December 6, 2000

The Holiday Season

Christmas Trees

-- The $460 million the nation's farmers received from Christmas tree
sales in 1998 was 4 percent greater than in 1997.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-238.html

-- The nation's Christmas trees and their accompanying ornaments and
lights are not all made in the U.S.A., however. China was the leading
country of origin of imported Christmas tree ornaments, with
$535.0 million between January and August, 2000. Similarly, China
was the leading foreign source of artificial Christmas trees, shipping
$78.2 million worth to the United States over the period, and
of lighting sets used for Christmas trees, of which it shipped
$210.5 million worth to this country.
http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/www/

Holiday Names

-- There are quite a few places around the nation whose names are
associated with the holiday season. Among them are North Pole,
Alaska, with an estimated population of 1,735 in 1999; Santa
Claus, Ind. (population, 1,648); and Santa Claus, Ga. (population,
156). http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-178.html

-- Prefer to travel overseas for the holidays? Then consider visiting
Christmas Island, an Australian territory in the Pacific Ocean
south of Hawaii. Between January and August, 2000, the United States
imported $197,239 worth of goods from this island, while exporting
$545,899 in goods to it. No doubt a few of these could have been
"Christmas gifts from Christmas Island."
http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/balance/c6024.html

Holiday Shopping -- The December Rush

-- The holiday season is critical for retailers. How critical? Here are
some examples using the Census Bureau's most recent data. Note that the
estimates that follow have not been adjusted to account for
seasonal variations.

-- Retail sales by the nation's department stores (including leased
departments) totaled $44.2 billion in December 1999, a 50 percent jump
from November (when retail sales registered $29.4 billion). No other
month-to-month increase last year came anywhere near that.
http://www.census.gov/mrts/www/mrts.html

-- Other U.S. retailers with sizable jumps in sales between November and
December 1999 included apparel and accessory stores (46 percent);
jewelry stores (179 percent); book stores (84 percent); sporting goods
stores and bicycle shops (76 percent); radio, TV and electronics
stores (65 percent) and variety stores (49 percent).
http://www.census.gov/mrts/www/mrts.html

-- Mail-order sales totaled $11.5 billion in December 1999, 26 percent
higher than in November ($9.2 billion).
http://www.census.gov/mrts/www/mrts.html

-- For many of us, online shopping is now an option. E-commerce sales
totaled $5.2 billion between October and December, 1999 -- 0.6 percent
of total retail sales over the period.
http://www.census.gov/mrts/www/current.html

-- For department stores (including leased departments), December sales
made up about one-seventh of 1999's total sales ($44.2 billion of
$302.4 billion). For jewelry stores, the proportion was even
higher -- one-fourth ($6.1 billion of $23.9 billion).
http://www.census.gov/mrts/www/mrts.html

-- One side of the retail sales coin is what's sold; the other is what's
left when the holiday hordes disappear. The nation's department stores
(excluding leased departments) built up retail inventories by 23 percent
from the end of August to the end of November 1999 then saw the
inventories drop by 22 percent in the last month of the year.
http://www.census.gov/mrts/www/mrts.html

Where are the Gifts Made?

-- Answer: Perhaps in the United States. For example, there were
242 establishments around the country that manufactured dolls and
stuffed toys in 1998; they shipped $307 million worth of these
goods. Similarly, there were 778 locations that produced games,
toys and children's vehicles; their total shipments: $4.3 billion.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-116.html for
establishments. http://www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/industry.html
for value of industry shipments.

-- Part two of the answer: Or maybe the gifts were produced overseas and
imported into the United States. China was the leading country of
origin for a number of popular holiday gifts, including dolls
($638.7 million in exports to the United States from January through
August, 2000); stuffed toys, excluding dolls ($754.9 million); electric
trains ($31.9 million); puzzles ($20.7 million); ice and roller skates
($79.4 million); sports footwear ($153.3 million); golf equipment
($15.5 million); tennis rackets ($37.0 million); and basketballs ($29.2
million). http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/www/

Where Can You Buy Those Holiday Gifts?

-- Virtually anywhere. The nation had 9,779 catalog and mail-order
houses; 122,431 apparel and accessory stores; 10,526 department
stores; 10,921 hobby, toy and game shops; 36,603 gift, novelty and
souvenir shops; 24,138 sporting goods and bicycle shops; and
28,090 jewelry stores in 1998.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-116.html

-- You could find many of these specialty businesses in 1999 in one of the
44,426 malls and shopping centers across the nation, a total that is up
almost 8,000 from 1990. California had the highest number of shopping
centers (5,972), followed by Florida (3,365), Texas (3,018) and
Illinois (2,146).
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-238.html

Winter Wonderland

-- Winter sports bring out millions of athletes and athletic
wannabes. About 8.9 million Americans reported they downhill-ski;
7.9 million ice- or figure-skate; 2.5 million cross country-ski;
1.9 million play ice hockey; and 2.5 million snowboarded more than
once a year, all as of 1997. Some good places to partake in some of
these activities during the holidays would be Mt. Washington,
N.H.; Blue Canyon, Calif.; Sault Sainte Marie, Mich.; and
Syracuse, N.Y., all of which receive an average of more than two feet of
snow each December.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-238.html

Christmas Cards

-- The nation's greeting card publishers shipped $571 million worth of
Christmas cards in 1997, more than twice as many as any other type of
seasonal greeting card. This total is up 21 percent from 1992.
http://www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/97ecmani.html

-- Of the Christmas cards shipped, counter cards totaled $255 million
worth and packaged cards, $316 million.
http://www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/97ecmani.html

The preceding facts come from population estimates; U.S. import and export
trade reports; Monthly Retail Trade Sales and Inventory estimates; County
Business Patterns; the Annual Survey of Manufactures; the Statistical
Abstract of the United States; and the 1997 Economic Census. The data are
subject to sampling variability and other sources of error. Previous
Census Bureau Facts for Features this year: African American History Month
(February), Valentine's Day (Feb. 14), Women's History Month (March),
Census Day, 2000 (April 1), Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (May),
Mother's Day (May 14), Father's Day (June 18), the Fourth of July, Back to
School (August), Grandparents Day (Sept. 10), Hispanic Heritage Month
(Sept. 15-Oct. 15), Election Day (Nov. 7), American Indian Heritage Month
(November) and Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 23). Questions or comments should be
directed to the Census Bureau's Public Information Office (Tel: 301-457-3030;
Fax: 301-457-3670; E-mail: p...@census.gov).