CHINESE CHRISTMAS IN AMERICA

You may think of the Christmas season as a Western and Christian celebration. But a land of Buddhist, and more recently Communist, ideology has prepared many of the props we use for our festivities. China provides more Christmas tree accouterments to the United States than any other country, according to Census Bureau figures. The land of official atheism can claim credit for many of the colored holiday lights. Red China exports an average $328.5 million worth of lighting sets for Christmas trees to this country, and an additional $4.9 million worth of tree lighting sets. And if your evergreen didn't grow in a domestic forest, it likely came from across the Pacific too. China provided $90.5 million worth of artificial Christmas trees. And even if you didn't light your tree, you still may have hung some of the $26.9 million worth of ornaments made in China. The figures only go through the month of September, so China probably contributed even more colored lights for our holiday cheer this fall.

SPIRIT OF GIVING DOUBLES SPENDING

The spirit of giving does soar this time of year -- either that or a lot of people spend year-end cash on themselves. The Census Bureau reports that U.S. department stores recorded a 46% increase in sales between November and December (58% if you don't count discount stores). Shoppers spent $36.7 billion at Bloomingdales, Lord & Taylor, and their competitors during the holiday rush of 1996. These stores practically double their business at holiday time. Of the $249 billion we spent in department stores, we forked over about 1/7 ($36.7 billion) during the last month of the year. Exclude K-Mart and the other discount stores, where we spent most of it, and the upscale department stores took in about 1/6 of their business ($15. 9 billion out of $97 billion). Department stores built up their inventory by 19% between August and November, then saw it fall faster than an early snow -- 22% in December.

Department stores, of course, aren't the only ones to profit from seasonal gift-giving. Gold chains and sapphire rings prove hits, as Christmastime jewelry store sales shone more brightly than any diamond, Christmas star, or any other retail category. Their income skyrocketed 144% between November and December of 1996. Jewelry boutiques reported going almost 25% of their business for the year in December ($4.5 billion of $20 billion.)

Many people think those on their shopping lists are literate, as book sales rose 76% in the month. Despite the weather, sporting good stores and bike shops saw a 66% increase in sales. Even if you can't categorize the merchandise, people buy it for Christmas or Hanukkah . Variety store sales increased 57%. Youngsters may feel disappointed when they get clothes instead of toys under the tree, but clothing and accessory stores saw a one-month 40% jump in sales from last November to December.

People must be having plenty of fun on computers. Television and computer stores reported a 44% increase. At no other time of the year did people increase their spending so rapidly in any category, with one exception: book sales rose 73% from July to August as students prepared for the coming academic year.

If you did your shopping at home by toll-free number, chances are good you spoke with somebody in the Minneapolis area. Minnesota employed more mail-order workers than any other state in 1995, 15,499, according to the bureau. And nearly half of the Minnesota mail order employees (7,227) worked in Hennepin County, which includes Minneapolis , the nation's capital of mail fulfillment.

CHANCES OF SNOW NOT GREATEST HERE

If you want to experience rather than just dream of a White Christmas, head to Alaska , upstate New York or the Michigan peninsula. Sault Sainte Marie , MI leads the nation with an average of 31 inches of snow in December -- even beating such famous-for-blizzard towns such as Juneau, AK, and Buffalo that get a mere 23 inches on average. If none of those locations sound like a place you'd want to spend the holidays, try Burlington, VT , which averages 18 inches of December fluff, or Duluth, MN , with a mere 15 inch average.