the buzz log
Seeking the Merry Christmas Spirit
On this Christmas day, it's time for a festive drill-down on just who seek out a "merry christmas" on the web.
Merry Christmas Seekers
• Tends to be female (65% vs. 35%).
• Most eager subset: Preteen girls (14%)
• Also looks for "merry christmas pictures" and "merry christmas card."
As for which regions have expressed the most merry spirit, at least on the Web, Los Angeles barely edges out the good people thereabouts in Harlingen, Texas. When looking at states, California leads the nation in its Search capita of "merry christmas" tidings, followed by Louisiana and New York.
To those of you out there, always on the lookout for the holiday spirit, have a good Yuletide and see what other merry gentlemen (and women) share your happy greetings.
Top "Merry Christmas"-Seeking Regions on Yahoo!
- Los Angeles
- Harlingen-Weslaco-Burnsvlle (Texas)
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale
- Honolulu
- Raleigh-Durham
- San Francisco Bay Area
- New York
- Phoenix
- San Antonio
- San Diego
Top "Merry Christmas"-Seeking States on Yahoo!
- California
- Louisiana
- New York
- Hawaii
- Arkansas
- Arizona
- Alaska
- North Carolina
- Massachusetts
- Texas
Tunes for the Holiday Times
Rudolph, it would appear, just got stomped.
The tale (well, ok, the advertising gimmick) of the red-nosed outsider usually leads the annual Buzz Log holiday playlist. This year, though, searches for "The 12 Days of Christmas" have doubled those on Santa's favorite ungulate.
Has an especially troubling year increased yearnings for the classics (classic as in, 16th century carol versus a 1940s Montgomery Ward coloring book character)? Maybe: Some lookups may have been piqued by the annual "Christmas Price Index" report that Twelvetides' worth of gifts would cost $86,609, another sign o' the economic times.
While many can tell you the 12 days actually start on Dec. 25, why specifically partridges, pipers, maids, et al? Few are in agreement, but one theory claims the numbers could've actually operated as code for Catholics who, forbidden to celebrate their religion in England, wanted to pass their religion to kids on the sly. For instance, the partridge in the tree is Jesus Christ, four calling birds represent the four gospels, and 10 lords sub for the commandments. Other sources point out lots of holiday traditions, including the 12 days, actually predate Christmas itself, but the code theory at least has the makings of another conspiratorial Dan Brown yarn.
Don't let historical controversials get in the way of a good ditty: Christmas tunes make up most of the top "lyrics" searches in the past 30 days. Here are 20 of the most-searched, but feel free to weigh in on your favorite tune with a comment below.
Top Christmas Tunes on Yahoo!, Past 30 Days
- 12 Days of Christmas (1700s)
- Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1949)
- This Christmas (2007)
- Jingle Bells (1857)
- Silent Night (1816)
- All I Want for Christmas Is You (1994)
- Frosty the Snowman (1950)
- Winter Wonderland (1934)
- O Holy Night (1847)
- Jingle Bell Rock (1957)
- Santa Baby (1953)
- White Christmas (1940)
- Christmas Shoes (2000)
- Ave Maria (1825)
- Santa Claus Is Coming to Town (1934)
- Last Christmas (1984)
- Mary, Did You Know (1984)
- Joy to the World (1900s)
- Carol of the Bells (1916)
- I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas (1953)
'Tis the Season to Impeach
Folks are cutting back on gifts this holiday season, but the mighty Christmas tree remains a must-have for many. The White House recently received its tree, an impressive Fraser fir from North Carolina. Now little Republican elves must decorate it. Among the ornaments that were considered is one designed by Deborah Lawrence, a Bush opponent and Seattle artist. On the ornament, two rather alarming words: "Impeach Bush."
How did such a contrarian decoration come within a pine needle of hanging from the White House's official tree? According to Citizen Sugar, Ms. Lawrence's ornament is sponsored by Deborah's congressman, Jim McDermott. The ornament "highlight(s) Rep. McDermott's support of Bush's impeachment" and also features images that highlight Washington's 1919 labor strike and suffrage movement.
Originally, Laura Bush's press secretary said "there were no plans to reject the ornament and that Deborah is still invited to a White House reception for the artists." That's no longer the case. The Washington Post reports that the White House will no longer hang the ornament. A spokesperson for the First Lady said that "Mrs. Bush deemed it inappropriate for the holiday tree." However, Ms. Lawrence is still invited to the White House reception for the artists. Perhaps she can sneak her ornament on when nobody's looking.
Not all ornaments are so controversial. We tracked down the top ornament searches from the past week and found a mixture of Hallmark, homemade, and Disney. Democrats and Republicans, feel the love...
Filed under: Christmas
Do-It-Yourself Holiday
When times are tough, the tough get crafty. If Yahoo! Search is an indicator, you should expect lots of hand-knit socks, fruitcakes, and other homemade delights this season. Of course, who needs more store-bought stuff when we already have three iPods, seven TVs, and a garage full of unused gadgets from holidays past.
Sometimes something that says "made with love" is the best statement of all. And if you're cheap, even better. Check out some of the top "do it yourself" searches that are getting all kinds of creative juices going. Our favorite: "do it yourself caribou hunt." Hint, hint!
Filed under: Holidays, Art, Gift Ideas, Crafts, Christmas
Barack Your Holiday
Many Obama supporters can be forgiven for thinking that Christmas came on Election Day. But there's still the tree to trim, the gifts to wrap, and the parties to plan.
For the Obama supporter who is still thinking red and blue America, instead of red and green, consider celebrating democracy with some festive Obama décor. You can check out Trendhunter's slideshow of tree bling. Photos include a bauble with the images of Barack and Michelle Obama in matching Santa hats; a self-congratulatory ornament with the message "I helped elect Barack Obama" along with the President-elect's photo; and one snow-flaked themed Obama '08 ball.
Now that the tree's properly decked, you'll want to get your Obama fan the perfect gift. Wrap up a set of Obama nesting dolls that will surely make for a great conversation piece.
To add some spice to your party, set up an Obama, Hillary Clinton or Bush piñata. It's fun for all ages and political persuasions. Have a great holiday? Yes, we can.
Filed under: Christmas, Elections, Barack Obama
top movers
| Rank | Subject | 1-Day Move |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nidal Malik Hasan | Breakout! |
| 2 | Fort Hood Shooting | Breakout! |
| 3 | Tyrannosaurus Rex | Breakout! |
| 4 | Fort Hood | 43518% |
| 5 | Tropical Storm Ida | 4377% |
| 6 | Willie Aames | 3325% |
| 7 | Shannon Dedrick | 3299% |
| 8 | Gretchen Rossi | 2702% |
| 9 | Epic Mickey | 2583% |
| 10 | Lee Harvey Oswald | 1907% |
top leaders
| Rank | Subject | Move | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Danica Patrick | +194 | 207 |
| 2 | Fort Hood | +185 | 185 |
| 3 | Angelina Jolie | +114 | 164 |
| 4 | Rihanna | +39 | 157 |
| 5 | New York Yankees | +54 | 154 |
| 6 | Alicia Keys | +139 | 153 |
| 7 | +1 | 153 | |
| 8 | NFL | +6 | 138 |
what's the buzz?
A subject's buzz score is the percentage of Yahoo! users searching for that subject on a given day, multiplied by a constant to make the number easier to read. Weekly leaders are the subjects with the greatest average buzz score for a given week.
For more detailed information, visit our FAQ.