Business & Tech

Merry Christmas from Patch!

Here's a by-the-numbers look at the holiday.

We know Christmas is a big time for retailers, but how big?

And just where did all those toys under the nation's trees this morning come from?

Here is a by-the-numbers look at Christmas, courtesy of U.S. Census Bureau.

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Rush to the Stores

$27.2 billion: Retail sales by the nation’s department stores, including leased departments, for last December. This was a 44 percent jump from the previous month.

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Other U.S. retailers with sizable jumps in sales during that time were clothing stores (33 percent); electronics stores (44 percent); sporting goods stores (58 percent); bookstores (92 percent); and jewelry stores (113 percent).

14 percent: The percentage of total 2010 sales for those department stores in December. The percentage was 20 percent for jewelry stores.

$34 billion: The value of retail sales by electronic shopping and mail-order houses last December. That was the highest total for any month.

Decking the Halls

$983 million: The value of U.S. imports of Christmas tree ornaments from China between January and September 2011. Similarly, China was the leading foreign source of artificial Christmas trees shipped to the United States ($79.7 million worth) during the same time.

Where the Toys are ... Made

579: The number of locations that primarily produced games and children's toys in 2009. Those businesses employed 7,858 workers.

$2.5 billion: The value of U.S. toy imports from China between January and September 2011. China was the top country for stuffed toys coming into the U.S.

Holiday Names  

Some places associated with the season include North Pole, AK; Santa Claus, IN; Santa Claus, GA; Noel, MO; Rudolph, WI; Dasher, GA and Snowflake, AZ. There's also a dozen places named Holly, including Holly Springs, MS and Mount Holly, NC.

A Look at Christmas in Brecksville


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