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• What country manufactures most of our toys and Christmas decorations?

• Where are most Christmas trees grown in the U.S.?

• How many towns in America are called "Holly"?

....plus more holiday trivia as we survey top fun facts of the season celebrating Christmas by the numbers:

It’s in the Mail ...

20,000,000,000
Yes, that's 20 BILLION pieces of mail the U.S. Postal Service expects to deliver between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year. The busiest mailing day is set for December 17.

Rush to the Stores

$31.4 billion
The total sales enjoyed by the nation’s department stores in December 2006.

Other U.S. retailers with sizable jumps in sales between November and December 2006 were book stores (86 percent); clothing stores (49 percent); jewelry stores (155 percent); radio, TV and other electronics stores (60 percent); and sporting goods stores (65 percent).

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.

15,924
The number of online shopping and mail-order houses in business in 2005. These businesses, which employed 253,677 workers, are an increasingly popular source of holiday gifts. Their sales: $162 billion, of which 40.5 percent were attributable to e-commerce.

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.

Christmas Trees and Decorations

$512 million
The gross earnings of Christmas tree farmers with North Carolina ($134 million) winning out as the top producer. Oregon was next at $121 million in sales.

$142.6 million
The value of U.S. imports of Christmas tree ornaments & decorations 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 during the same period.

Where the Toys Are

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

$3.3 billion
The value of U.S. toy imports including stuffed toys, 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).

Holiday Names

Places whose names are associated with the holiday season include North Pole, Alaska (population 1,828 in 2006); Santa Claus, Indiana (2,324); Santa Claus, Georgia (245); Noel, Missouri. (1,555); and — if you know about reindeer — the village of Rudolph, Wisconsin (419) and Dasher, Georgia. (803).

There are also places in the U.S. named Holly - a dozen, in fact - including Holly Springs, Mississippi, and Mount Holly, North Carolina.

New Year’s Eve

73,685
The estimated population of Champaign, Illinois, a place whose name alone may get you into a celebratory mood.

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

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).

Happy New Year!

source: U.S. Census Bureau

also see -> Christmas in New York City | Christmas Around the World

Canadian Christmas Fun Facts