This holiday season, amount very generous "True Loves" will pay for all 364 gifts in the holiday classic "The Twelve Days of Christmas," a mere 0.9 percent increase compared to last year: $87,402.81

Percentage decrease in cost of a partridge in a pear tree this year: 27.3

GRATITUDE

Percentage of Americans who never express their gratitude for what they have or to the people in their lives, with men being more likely to fall in this category (13 percent vs. 6 percent of women), according to a survey commissioned by the Chinet brand: 10

Percentage of adults who said that feeling grateful inspires them to give to others: 90

ONLINE SHOPPING

Reported holiday season retail e-commerce spending for the first 27 days of the November-December 2009 holiday season, according to comScore, a leader in measuring the digital world: $10.57 billion

Percentage increase this represents versus the same time last year: 3

Dollar value in online sales on Black Friday (Nov. 27), making it the second heaviest online spending day to date in 2009 and representing an 11 percent increase versus Black Friday 2008: $595 million

FOR THE KIDS

Projected amount moms will spend on holiday gifts this year, according to a survey conducted by The Marketing to Moms Coalition: $672

Rank of toys, clothing, books, movies and video games on the list of hot gifts for young children: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Rank of video games, toys, books/clothing, movies and music on the list of gift choices for children aged 7 to 12: 1, 2, 3(tie), 5, 6

SHOPPING ON JOB

Percentage of professionals who said they are not planning to shop online while at work, according to an Accountemps survey: 77

Average hours a week those employees who will be hunting for holiday bargains during business hours say they are likely to spend (down from 2.7 hours in 2007): 1.9

SPECIAL SOMEONE

Percentage of men who believe they have a soul mate, according to an AskMen.com survey: 36

Percentage who say they have found her: 32

Percentage of men who said the top personality trait that makes a woman "relationship material" is a sense of loyalty: 30

Percentage who said intelligence: 20

IDLE THOUGHT

"The weak can never for-give. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong."

— Mohandas Gandhi

Reach John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre@bwr.eastlink.ca.