Who puts the lights on the tree when Christmas?

While Santa’s factories are rumored to be hidden in the mountains of Lapland (or at the North Pole), some people are doing the heavy lifting when it comes to Christmas decorations.

According to data extracted from the UN Comtrade database, China accounts for 70 percent of global exports of Christmas tree lighting sets and 83 percent of exports of other Christmas decorations excluding candles and natural trees.

As the chart nicely illustrates, no other country comes even close to China’s role in putting the holiday spirit in homes. With a total export value of $6.47 billion in 2019, China’s Christmas industry dwarfs those of second and third-ranked Netherlands and Cambodia.