WASHINGTON, Dec. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110428/DC91889LOGO)

MONDAY, DECEMBER 24: LAST MINUTE SHOPPING

Profile America — Monday, December 24th.  Today is Christmas Eve — and last-minute shoppers searching for their final gifts are anxiously scanning shelves nearly picked bare.  If the recipient is a man, one gift is always appropriate.  All over the country, millions of men will unwrap a suspiciously familiar, long, thin package — inside will be a necktie.  One of every five ties sold is a Christmas gift — that's why this is National Tie Month.  King Louis the 14th of France is credited with making ties popular.  He was impressed by the visit of a military regiment from Croatia, whose officers wore bright colored handkerchiefs around their necks.  Today in the U.S., making neckties is a $300 million a year business.  You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at www.census.gov.

Sources:  2007 Economic Census, NAICS 315993

Profile America is produced by the Center for New Media and Promotions of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look for "Multimedia Gallery" by the "Newsroom" button). 

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau