We made it.
Whoever developed the otherwise arbitrary religious calendars deserves a huge vote of gratitude. Landing the major holidays during the coldest, darkest days at the end of an inevitably exhausting year is about the only thing that makes it tolerable. Also, sports.
And what a sports weekend we (or at least I) have in store! The greatest franchise in pro football looks to win the AFC North over our hated rival Ravens today. Before that, my beloved adopted Nittany Lions square off against SMU in the inaugural 12-team NCAA playoffs. The finals of my new favorite sport – women’s college volleyball – is on Sunday, also featuring Penn State. Even my Penguins are on a hot streak after a rough start to the season, with a game against the division-leading Devils. Oh, and I’m in two fantasy football semi-finals. Needless to say, a lot of streaming sports and streaming beer are in my immediate future.
Amidst all that, the girls and I are going to A Musical Christmas Carol tonight, a yearly tradition as predictable as the tears I’ll shed at the end. From there, annual rites will abound until Noelle’s birthday on January 1st. Â
Then it’s back to the grind. A week later, I’ll be at CES in Vegas, followed by the first of many trips to New York, two junkets to Florida, a speaking gig in L.A., then Chicago, Minneapolis, and several impromptu flights in between – all before combing Noelle’s graduation trip to Europe with Cannes in June. Hit me up if you’ll be in any of those places.
Meanwhile, Tara’s starting a new job next month, as we begin waiting for (and stressing about) college acceptances. We’ll be official empty nesters by late August, juggling campus visitation weekends between Ann Arbor and who knows where else.
Before you know it, I’ll be writing about holiday retail again – mercifully, no election – and yet another reflection on Christmas traditions, end-of-year burnout, or both. I’ll undoubtedly find myself sprinting to the finish line while trying not to wish away the precious time, experiences, and relationships each day affords me. It’s so predictable and unpredictable at the same time.
For now, I’m happy to count my blessings with my entire family unit at home, a docket of exciting sports to watch, and having all of you hear my indulgent rants. I’ll be taking off the next two Saturdays.
Enjoy a lovely audio Christmas gift from Maddie while you read on.
Here’s what we’re seeing:
Consumer confidence is a two-part story right now. Our Economic Sentiment Index had its third consecutive, but tiny, negative reading this week. The relatively uneventful aggregate numbers mask unusual (and possibly unprecedented) nuances among the underlying metrics. Views on the job market surged, while confidence in the housing market, major purchases, and personal finances fell ever so slightly. The longer-term outlook for the U.S. economy, however, has been in a freefall since the week after the election, perhaps reflecting concerns over impending tariffs or other Trump promises/threats. Who knows? But I can’t recall ever seeing one metric diverge from the others to such a dramatic degree.
Sobriety is on the rise this holiday season, present company notwithstanding. The number of drinking-age U.S. adults who plan to imbibe alcohol over the holidays has fallen five percentage points since 2022, with cannabis consumption holding steady – but considerably smaller – over the same period. Beer remains the top inebriant of choice, followed very closely by wine and eggnog (gross). Americans aged 25-34 are the most likely to consume, overall. In the least shocking stat you’ll read all year, we see a high correlation between stress, particularly financial stress, and self-medicating. Same for liberals, versus conservatives. Also, not surprising.
People are creeped out by AI in advertising. In our 3 Things to Know this week, we learned that Americans – by over 2 to 1 – are less likely to choose a brand that uses artificial intelligence in their ad content (which presumes they can tell the difference). We also found that parents are big on purchasing clothes as gifts this Christmas, especially sweaters and hoodies. Finally, I guess the bird flu is a thing again because people are increasingly worried about it mutating and spreading among humans. Oh, joy.
The majority of American workers don’t give holiday gifts to their colleagues. Speaking of AI, we used it to run this analysis on our data about gift-giving in the workplace. The creepy machines determined that most people are scrooges in the office. There are clear demographic differences, however, as people with higher incomes and education levels are far more likely than others to swap presents with their coworkers. Not to infer causality here, but it also seems that people in stressful jobs are more likely to give gifts to their work friends. Conclude from that what you wish.
As a post-election gesture of self-care, people are planning marathon TV sessions over the holidays. In dire need of chillaxing, 60% of U.S. adults say they expect to binge-watch streaming content during holiday break, up from 53% last year – we’ll most certainly be doing a ton of it in our house. Interest in suspense, action, and sci-fi content is particularly higher than a year ago. People will also be watching across an increasing number of platforms – nearly 1/3rd of U.S. adults now subscribe to 4 or more subscription streaming services (I think we’re up to 8). I bet we use all of them before I write to you again.
More awesomeness from the InsightStore:
- The similarities and notable differences between Bluesky and Threads users;
- An early look at 2025 tax prep season;
- 5 key gifting trends as holiday retail draws to a close.
The most popular questions this week:
- Do you think it’s appropriate or inappropriate to work out in jeans?
- Do you personally support or oppose ending the practice of daylight saving time?
- Have you eaten a star fruit before?
- How do you feel about archaic Christmas carols (Good King Wenceslas, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, etc.)?
- Do you plan on eating ham on Christmas Day?
Answer Key: Inappropriate, no. Weird, yes; Adamantly support; Oddly, no, but I would; Love them; Absolutely – starting with breakfast.
Happy Holidays, my dear friends.
JD
