Holiday fun facts 2012

Candy makers produce more than 1.8 billion candy canes annually for the U.S. holiday season, according to the National Confectioners Association.

Candy canes made in the flavors of Jelly Belly jelly beans, Smarties candy tablets, and Starburst Fruit Chews have become a popular trend in recent years, spokeswoman Susan Whiteside said.

At left, candy canes stand on display for sale at the Christmas market at Gendarmenmarkt square on the market's opening day Nov. 21, 2011, in Berlin.

Dairies sold 127 million pounds of eggnog in the United States in 2010, the most recent year for which figures are available, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service. (Preliminary numbers indicate the same amount was sold in 2011.)

In 2010, Americans consumed 0.06 pounds of eggnog per capita, most of which was around the holidays, USDA spokesman Mike Illenberg said.

At left, two glasses of double-whipped eggnog are displayed in Concord, N.H., Nov. 5, 2012.

Americans gain an average of 0.8 pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day, according to a 2000 National Institutes of Health study.

Less than 10 percent of the study's 195 participants gained more than the 5 pounds that are commonly associated with holiday indulgence. That prompted the study's co-authors to suggest that the holidays may pose risks to overweight people, who were more likely to gain the extra weight.

At left, a stand displays "Lebkuchen" gingerbread cakes for sale at the traditional Christmas Market in Nuremberg, Germany, Nov. 30, 2012.

More companies are throwing holiday parties than in 2011, two non-scientific surveys found.

New York-based executive recruiting firm Battalia Winston found that 91 percent of companies it polled planned to host a party, an increase from 74 percent in 2011. Challenger, Gray and Christmas Inc., a Chicago consulting firm, said 83 percent of companies it asked had holiday party plans, up from 68 percent.

As for whether alcohol would be served at the parties, 79 percent of Battalia's respondents said yes. Only 48 percent of Challenger's respondents planned to serve their employees adult beverages.

At left, DJ Afrojack performs at Paris Hilton's Paris Electric Christmas holiday party Dec. 7, 2011, in Los Angeles.

The Radio City Rockettes, the dance company seen in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and the stars of the "Radio City Christmas Spectacular," celebrate their 85th anniversary of performing in New York in 2012.

At left, from left to right, Rockettes Amy Klingler, Dani Betchel, Elizabeth Bork and Katie Walker of the "Radio City Christmas Spectacular" light the Empire State Building Nov. 13, 2012, in honor of the group's 85th anniversary of performing in New York City.

Between January and September, the United States imported from China $1.03 billion worth of Christmas tree ornaments, which is more than the value of ornaments imported from any other country, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

China also topped other countries for shipping artificial Christmas trees to the United States, sending $139.9 million worth during the same period.

At left, ornaments on a Christmas tree are seen during a preview of the 2012 White House holiday decorations Nov. 28, 2012, at the White House in Washington.

America's economy included 73 businesses in 2010 that primarily made dolls and stuffed toys, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Ten of those businesses called California home, which is more than any other state.

At left, Caroline and Fred Dutton of Silver Spring, Md., shop for gifts at Tugooh Toys in Washington's Georgetown neighborhood Dec. 23, 2010.

One in five Americans dread gift shopping the most about the holiday season, according to Consumer Reports' annual holiday poll.

But that doesn't stop Americans from turning out at department stores, which reported retail sales of $27 billion in December 2011, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

At left, shoppers are seen inside a Best Buy store that began its Black Friday sale at midnight Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 22, 2012, in Rockville, Md.

Americans give an average of 4.7 percent of their annual income to charity for a median contribution of $2,564, according to a study by The Chronicle of Philanthropy. It analyzed tax records for 2008, the most recent year for which data were available.

Americans earning between $50,000 and $99,999 donated an average of 6 percent of their income for an average gift of $2,047, the study found. Those who earned $200,000 or more gave an average of 4.2 percent of their income for an average donation of $14,088.

At left, Salvation Army bell ringer volunteers William Schmidt, who is on his 20th year volunteering, and grandson Bubba Wellens ring their bells as a donation is made into a kettle outside a Giant grocery store Nov. 24, 2012, in Clifton, Va.

The U.S. Postal Service expects to deliver nearly 18 billion cards, letters and packages between Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve. The 365 million packages expected to be delivered by lettercarriers during the holidays make for a 20 percent increase from 2011.

Gift-givers who want their parcels to arrive by Christmas have until Thursday, Dec. 20, to send items via first-class mail. The deadline for Priority Mail is Friday, Dec. 21. Express Mail packages must be sent by Saturday, Dec. 22.

At left, people wait on line to mail packages ahead of the Christmas holiday at the James A. Farley Post Office in Manhattan Dec. 20, 2010, in New York City.

American manufacturers shipped $1.38 billion worth of candles in 2011, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Observers of Hanukkah and Kwanzaa light candles during their holiday celebrations.

At left, Utah Lt. Gov. Greg Bell tries his hand at spinning the dreidel during the menorah lighting ceremony at the Governor's Mansion in Salt Lake City on the fourth night of Hanukkah Dec. 11, 2012.

The U.S. Census Bureau projects the nation's population will be more than 315 million when the country rings in 2013 at midnight on New Year's Eve.

At left, thousands gather in New York's Times Square to celebrate the ball drop at the annual New Year's Eve celebration Dec. 31, 2011, in New York City.

French winemakers shipped more than 19.2 million bottles of Champagne to the United States in 2011, according to the U.S. Champagne Bureau, a trade association.

It's the highest number of bottles to make the trip across the Atlantic since the economic downturn of 2008. In 2007, more than 21.7 million bottles were shipped from the French region of Champagne, the sole source of the wine that bears its name.

Forty percent of all Champagne sent to the United States is sold in the last three months of the year, bureau director Sam Heitner said.

At left, Champagne bottles line the shelves of a supermarket in the northern French city of Bailleul Feb. 15, 2012.