Serafin Power Poll: December 2023

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! We asked Serafin power pollers about their most favorite holiday movies, when they start getting ready for the holidays, and where they plan to spend the holiday season.

Offices are reopening and business professionals are returning to the downtown area at a steady rate, which means some holidays parties are also back in action. We asked pollers if work holiday parties still a thing, or if Covid has changed the way offices celebrate the holidays:

54% said Covid-19 has changed things

46% said no, work holiday celebrations are on their way back!

The December holiday season is a busy time for travel. According to CNN, “AAA is expecting 7.5 million air travelers, topping the previous record in 2019 of 7.3 million, according to the forecast released last week.”

Despite the forecast that “115 million Americans are expected to travel 50 miles or more from home this holiday season, making it the second busiest since 2000,” many Serafin Power Pollers are staying close to home.

We asked pollers where they plan to spend their holiday:

64% said they’re staying in the city

31% said they’re off to somewhere warm

6% said they’re going snow skiing

Everyone has a special tradition when it comes to holiday decorations. We asked pollers if they had a choice, would they support our local farmers with a live tree or stick with a fake one that’s less expensive and perhaps less of a headache:

44% said they prefer a live tree

40% said I prefer a fake tree – it’s less mess

16% said no tree at our place

Following the topic of traditions, we asked pollers what’s their favorite movie:

42% said It’s a Wonderful Life

25% said Other, many of them listing movies like Love Actually, The Best Man Holiday, or White Christmas in the comments

18% said Elf

8% said A Christmas Story

7% said How the Grinch Stole Christmas

According to the New York Times, the most recent Personal Consumption Expenditures inflation measure, released in late November, confirmed that consumer spending slowed in October.

The NYT acknowledges those consumers are showing signs of distress in other ways too, “Adobe, which tracks online spending over the Black Friday weekend, said purchases made with “buy now pay later” plans that let people buy on credit rose 42.5 percent from last year.”

As we wrap up our holiday themed poll, we asked pollers when they started planning their holiday season:

45% said right after Thanksgiving

41% said sometime in December

10% said I started planning and putting up my decorations after Halloween

3% said after Black Friday

Thank you for being a Power Poll member! Serafin wishes you all a safe and joyful holiday season. See you in January, 2024!

This month, we are proud to support The Salvation Army, a non-profit organization devoted to caring for those in need during the holiday season and throughout the year.