Christmas is just around the corner, and a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 68% of American adults prefer stores to show signs saying “Merry Christmas” rather than "Happy Holidays."

Only one-quarter of adults (25%) favor signs that say “Happy Holidays.” Those figures are virtually unchanged from our survey conducted this time last year.

Men (71%) favor “Merry Christmas” slightly more than women (65%).

From a politically partisan perspective, Republicans (84%) overwhelmingly prefer “Merry Christmas” more than Democrats (51%). Far more Democrats (43%) wish for “Happy Holidays” signs than Republicans (13%).

In terms of age, men (73%) and women (68%) over 40 want signs to say “Merry Christmas” slightly more than men (63%) and women (55%) under 40.

Regardless of what the signs say, 53% will be attending a Christian church service on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day this year. That’s down four points from last year. One-third (32%) do not plan to go to a service.

Adults over 40 are much more likely to attend a Christmas service than those under 40. Also, married adults (59%) will go to a church service on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day more than those who are not married (42%). In addition, Republicans (68%) are more likely to go to a Christmas church service than Democrats (45%).

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Sixty-six percent (66%) of adults are spending less this year on gifts than they did last year. [link to story]

With news that many stores are closing their doors due to the bad economy, only 19% will spend more money on gift cards than on a specific present.

Many shoppers are planning to shop at Wal-Mart this year since the company announced a few weeks ago it will be lowering prices every week until Christmas. A survey conducted two weeks ago shows that 56% plan to take advantage of the superstore’s lower prices.

Consumer confidence has dropped to all-time lows this year. The Rasmussen Investor Index fell to record lows this week.

While five percent (5%) of adults have already finished their Christmas shopping, 72% believe the Christmas season starts too early. [link] Only 21% disagree.

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