Merry Christmas … to me! Seems a whole lot of us are "self-gifting" while we’re out holiday shopping. A new survey found that 22 percent of Americans admit they buy themselves gifts over the holidays. (Market Watch)
Speaking of gift-giving … A recent Harris poll found that a whopping 7 out of 10 Americans said they would completely skip holiday gift-giving if their family and friends agreed. (CBS News)
Royal gifts … Guess what the Queen of England gives her entire staff for Christmas? If you guessed pudding, you would be right. Yep, according to the royal family's official website, the Queen pays for 1,500 Christmas puddings to be distributed to her staff in all the palaces. Each one comes with a note signed by Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip. (Insider)
Flipping for Christmas … Christmas in Australia looks a lot different than the winter wonderland that most people picture here in the states. That’s because December is in the heart of their summer. Well, one mall down under has decided to celebrate the season by creating a Christmas tree that’s over 26 feet tall … and made completely out of flip flops!. 1,651 sandals make up the tree that mall officials hope will break a world record. Retailer Cotton On donated all the flip flops, and shoppers are encouraged to take photos with the tree and post them to Instagram with the hashtag #BeDifferentBeDarwin. (NT News)
Parents are tracking their teens online … According to a new survey, 25 percent of parents track the online activity of their teenagers. You’d think most of the teens would be savvy enough to know that this is going on, but that's not the case. The survey also found that only 15 percent think their parents are doing any snooping. (USA Today)