ArchivesCategory: Holidays

It's the most wonderful time of the year--and that means that the Homeroom Moms have their hands out once again. When I was in grade school, it was customary for kids to bring a small gift for their teacher at Christmas.  Mom was a teacher, and she'd come home with everything from Christmas ornaments to Continue Reading

Dec. 16 is National Chocolate-Covered-Anything Day! If it's chocolate, it's for me! $5 off 6 Hand-Dipped Christmas Berries at Shari's Berries Valid through: December 31, 2010 See other Shari's Berries coupons! Dec. is Safe Toys & Gifts Month! Make sure that you stick with age guidelines when you buy toys and games--so nobody gets hurt. Continue Reading

by Doug Desjardins Thanks to a strong Black Friday and record Cyber Monday, retailers reported a better-than-expected jump in November sales. According to a Thomson Reuters survey of 30 major retailers, retail sales jumped 6 percent in November and nearly doubled the company’s earlier November forecast of 3.6 percent. That was the largest single-month increase Continue Reading

Do you have a wish list for this Christmas?   If you're a parent, your kids probably have wish lists running to several pages.  Kids are always happy to address wish lists to Santa, and they're not shy about asking for what they want. Last week when I was helping out at the school library, we Continue Reading

Black Friday Results Signal Strong Holiday Sales by Doug Desjardins The early results are in for Black Friday and nearly all signal a strong holiday shopping season. The International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) said its index of 30 major retail chains reported a 3.5-percent increase in sales for the week of Thanksgiving, strong results Continue Reading

High-Tech Gadgets Top Kids’ Holiday Wish List by Doug Desjardins The results of a new survey from research firm Nielsen shows that most kids aged 6 to 12 are hoping to find an iPad under their Christmas tree this year. The annual Nielsen survey of the most coveted high-tech gifts among kids found that 31 Continue Reading

by Doug Desjardins If you missed out on Black Friday door-buster sales on high definition TVs don’t worry, because chances are even better deals lie ahead. Analysts expect prices on plasma and LCD TVs to fall throughout the holiday season as retailers and manufacturers work to unload a glut of product that’s built up during Continue Reading

Retailers Start Black Friday Sales Early By Doug Desjardins The idea of starting Black Friday sales early has caught on this year with more retailers opting to start sales on Thanksgiving Day. Leading the way is Sears, which will break from a long tradition and open on Thanksgiving for the first time in its 124-year Continue Reading

by Doug Desjardins Wal-Mart fired a shot across the bow of Amazon.com and other online retailers this week when it announced free holiday shopping for online orders through December 20. The move makes Wal-Mart the first major retailer to completely waive the minimum-purchase standards typically attached to online orders, raising the bar for other retailers. Continue Reading

by Doug Desjardins Video-game retailers have been in a downward spiral all year and even though analysts are forecasting an increase in overall holiday spending, game sales aren’t expected to be in that mix. Research firm NPD Group reported that video game sales dropped 8 percent in September, marking the sixth consecutive month that sales Continue Reading