The important secular contribution of Christmas

The U.S. Census Bureau presents some interesting facts about the Christmas Season (December 2009):

•  Sales at department stores rose 45% over November
• Bookstore sales were up 98%
• Jewelery store sales increased 135% over the previous month
• $30 billion in sales for on-line and mail order shopping, more than any other month in 2009
• On-line and mail-order shopping consisted of 21,895 businesses (as of 2008), employing 332,405 people 

And here in San Diego County, retail sales are 9% ahead of where they were last year:

Since the beginning of September, retailers have added 3,700 workers, compared to 1,100 last year. By November, there were 500 more workers at retail stores than the previous November, marking the first year-to-year gain in monthly employment in the retail industry since August 2007.