Poll: Christmas unblemished for most fans

WASHINGTON, Dec. 25 (UPI) -- More than 75 percent of those U.S. residents who celebrate Christmas feel the annual holiday will be happy despite ongoing social problems, a poll indicates.

A USA Today/Gallup Poll, whose exact details were not reported, indicated that more Christmas observers throughout the country feel this year's holiday will be as good as any preceding year.

The poll's findings come as the country is mired in a near-recession and scores of U.S. troops are still stationed overseas in military conflicts.

But University of Minnesota art historian Karal Ann Marling insists such troubling times only prompt people to embrace the holiday season with inspired vigor.

"In hard times, people try harder," she said. "Nothing has really put a dent in Christmas."

University of Massachusetts historian Stephen Nissenbaum agreed, citing previous instances in which Christmas observers simply adapted the holiday to fit ongoing social problems.

"Christmas has survived all sorts of things," the author of "The Battle for Christmas" told USA Today. "People reinvent it all the time."