The trend is taking religion out of Christmas:

Today's Christmas celebrations are clearly rooted in past festivities, with current traditions often formed from those enjoyed as a child. The survey found that 86 percent of American adults say they will gather with family and friends on Christmas, and the same number plan to buy gifts for friends or family. Those numbers are similar to the numbers who say they did such things to celebrate in their childhood.

Other numbers differ more: 79 percent plan to put up a Christmas tree, while 92 percent said a tree was part of their childhood celebrations. There's a steeper difference in the numbers sending holiday or Christmas cards — 65 percent, compared with 81 percent who said card exchanges were part of their childhood holiday observance. The number attending religious services on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day is also down, to 54 now from 69 percent in childhood.

Only a little more than half attend religious services.

That will drop below 50 percent in our lifetimes as America becomes increasingly secular.

Christmas has been and will remain the "season of heightened economic activity".