3 Facts, 3 Numbers, 3 Thoughts 

THE FACTS 

* Have you heard that the stress of the holidays causes suicide rates to surge during Christmastime? It’s not true. According to years of CDC data, suicides are usually at their lowest levels in December.

* The story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was created as a marketing gimmick in 1939 by Robert May, a copywriter working for the department store Montgomery Ward. Before deciding on Rudolph for the character’s name, he considered Reginald, Rodney, Romeo, and Rollo.

* Modern marketing is also behind the familiar image of Santa Claus with a big belly, white beard, and rosy cheeks. In 1931, illustrator Haddon Sundblom was commissioned to produce a series of “Santa” ads for Coca-Cola’s  “Thirst Knows No Season” campaign. Painting while looking into a mirror, he used himself as his model.

THE NUMBERS 

* 200 million ‒ the budget for the most expensive holiday movie ever made: Disney’s 2009 animated version of A Christmas Carol.

* 3.6 to 5.2 ‒ as a percentage, the increase in holiday sales that the National Retail Federation expects to see this year over last year. In 2019, consumers spent $729 billion. This year, the NRF predicts Christmas sales will range between $755 billion and $767 billion.

* 50 million ‒ the number of copies of Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas” that have been sold worldwide. According to The Guinness Book of World Records, that makes it not only the best-selling holiday single, but the best-selling single of all time.

THE THOUGHTS 

* “There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.” ‒ Edith Wharton

* “After 45 years of research and study, the best advice I can give to people is to be a little kinder to each other.” ‒ Aldous Huxley

* “We lose what we keep. We keep what we give away.” ‒ Michael Masterson