All Over Albany

What New Yorkers think about the holidays

A bunch of bits from a recent Siena poll of New Yorkers about the holidays:

+ 57 percent of people said they planned to spend the same amount this year on gifts as last year -- and 37 percent said less.

+ 64 percent of people said their gift budget this year was $600 or less. 23 percent said it was $1000 or more.

+ 26 percent of people said they were worse off this year than during last year's holidays. 17 percent said they were better off.

+ 59 percent said they try to buy holiday gifts at locally-owned and operated businesses.

+ 45 percent said they do no holiday shopping online -- 25 percent said they do half or more of their shopping online.

+ 74 percent said they normally do not shop on the day after Thanksgiving.

+ 77 percent said they'll be making a charitable donation to the needy this holiday season. 33 percent said they'll be volunteering.

+ 76 percent said the thing they enjoy most about the holidays is spending time with family and friends. 38 percent said the thing they enjoy least about the holidays is "the commercialization of the holiday."

+ 13 percent of people said they're "not at all excited" about the holidays

+ 62 percent said they agree the holiday season is "now just too long."

+ 23 percent said they agreed that "at this point I'm more Scrooge than Santa."

+ The split on the typical holiday greeting:
Merry Christmas - 53 percent | Happy Holidays - 38 percent
Merry Christmas was more popular upstate, Happy Holidays downstate

+ 74 percent say they put up a Christmas tree. Of those people, 58 percent say they use an artificial tree.

+ 30 percent of people say they believe in Santa Claus.