That image of an American Christmas fits the perception of Americans as rootless, constantly on the move to seek opportunity even if it means leaving family behind.
The data reveal a country of close-knit families, with members of multiple generations leaning on one another for financial and practical support.
Instead, extended families are providing it, whether they never moved apart, or moved back closer when the need arose.
(Researchers often study the distance from mothers because they are more likely to be caregivers and to live longer than men.).
It found that with the exception of college or military service, 37 percent of Americans had never lived outside their hometown, and 57 percent had never lived outside their home state.
Perhaps it is a testament to the American family that the safety net for many of them are relatives.
But as baby boomers age, and as more women work and couples have fewer children, that net figures to become increasingly strained. »
