The International Council of Shopping Centers says retail sales dropped more than three percent for the week ended December 1st.

Gordon Gough at the Ohio Council of Retail Merchants says Ohio consumers are balancing holiday spending while facing some economic headwinds.

“Consumers over the last few years have been paying down debt, and although incomes in Ohio have fallen a little bit over the last few years, consumers have paid down quite a bit of debt, as so that’s opened up some discretionary income for them to spend.”

Gough says the council expects consumers to spend four percent more this holiday season compared to last year.

The study backed by the Ohio Council of Retail Merchants and performed by economists at the University of Cincinnati says Ohioans are feeling better about the economy, so they’ll likely spend more.

University of Cincinnati economist Michael Jones says the average Ohioans will spend about $750 on holiday shopping. He says dips in the average consumer debt burden are also pushing Ohioans to spend more.

But he says spending could be hurt by rising gas prices and if Congress can’t reach a compromise on planned spending cuts.

“Particularly as we come closer to the holiday season, if this hasn’t been resolved in Congress, then we might see some anxiety among consumers.”

Jones says spending should increase about four percent statewide, while Columbus will see increases closer to seven percent.

It’s a busy afternoon at the K-Mart on Stringtown Road. Just two days before Christmas people are still coming in to buy last minute gifts and to pay off items they’ve placed on layaway.

Stores market layaway as an option for people who do not have access to credit cards or for those who want to make sure they do not run up a large credit card bill.

This year, people dubbed “layaway angels” are helping strangers pay off their Christmas presents.

Rich Lisko manages the Stringtown Road K-Mart. Lisko said there have been at least two people a day for the past two weeks come to the store and put money towards or pay off a stranger’s layaway.

“Usually just very few requests, they were looking for somebody with an awful lot of kids’ items. Looking for kids’ clothes or kids’ games. And they’re also requesting folks that are close to losing their layaways. So they’re looking for someone that they perceive is in trouble and anonymously helping them out, he said.

Lisko said the “angels” are non-assuming and have boosted morale among store workers.

“It’s a great thing to see. Sometimes when you give to a charity it goes off to a far distant land. These are all folks who are living in Grove City or this side of Columbus. And it’s kind of neat to see your friends and neighbors get helped out,” Lisko said.

Most of the donors are requesting to remain anonymous.

A Salvation Army volunteer rolls a large, plastic cart carrying gifts toward a family waiting to load their car. Some of the presents are already wrapped in colorful Christmas paper.

Susan Sayer’s trunk is filled with diapers and baby toys. Sayer lives in Columbus with her boyfriend and five month old son. She said Christmas would not have been possible this year without the help from others.

“I was homeless for a little bit. I spent probably three weeks in the shelter. I got on my feet real quick and got a job and everything like that; got my apartment. And now everything is going the way it is supposed to be,” Sayer said.

Local individuals, churches, businesses and schools “adopt” families, like Sayer’s, and fulfill their wish lists. Five-hundred-eighty families received help this year. The Salvation Army’s Kelli Trinoskey said that’s a 16 percent increase compared to last year.

“Maybe just really fell hard on their feet and they need a little leg up. We’ve already helped many of them secure housing or jobs or food through our food pantry. There was just no way could they provide Christmas this year,” she said.

Shawntae Townsel lives on the city’s West Side. Townsel said she and her three small children were at a shelter for part of the year. The program, she said, will help put a few gifts under the tree.

“Baby dolls and coloring books – what my kids like – and cars for my sons. That’s it. It wasn’t really nothing major,” Townsel said.

Another mother is grateful to Salvation Army volunteers who maneuver a second bike into her car’s back seat.

“It’s just a little stuck,” a volunteer said.

“Thank you so much! God bless,” the woman said.

“That mulch is then used and it has a lot of nutrients in it that are good for plants and trees. And that mulch is used it’s actually sold where you buy it you know it in some of the garden centers around Franklin county,” said Spencer.

Spencer says people who received large items like televisions and video game equipment may want to bring their empty boxes directly to recycle bins.

“You don’t want that box out front. For some people it’s an advertisement. You know there’s a new T.V. set in there. So instead take it to one of our 200 drop offs,” said Spencer.

Spencer adds it’s best to think ahead to next year for recycling and buy bags that can be reused instead of wrapping paper. Recycling experts also say that any paper with foil cannot be recycled nor can bows, ribbons and Styrofoam.

For many people it’s a holiday pastime: everybody piles into the family car for a nighttime drive to admire the glowing lights adorned on neighbors’ houses. While some families take a more classic approach with all white lights, others like a little – or a lot – of color in their yard. But if you’ve gone light-looking in the past year or so you may have noticed lights don’t quite look the same the colors appear more brilliant and some white lights have a cool, bluish tone instead a warm candlelight color they’re LED lights and they’re becoming a popular choice.

Marilyn Fisk lives on McCoy Road in Upper Arlington. Her snow-covered shrubs glow an icy blue the trees sparkle the same cool color.

“We got them late last year,” she said.

Fisk said she has always decorated her yard for the holidays, but only the past two years has she used LED lights.

“Environment was the number one concern, I think,” Fisk said.

Just a few miles down the road another yard glows with LED lights. This is the first year Kurt Anderson, who lives on Northwest Boulevard, strung the cool white lights.

“I was going LED because that way we don’t have to change the little bulbs that were always a pain to have to change. And there’s also the cost of electricity savings,” Anderson said.

LEDs use fewer kilowatts which means savings on electric bills. Anderson said he hasn’t had his lights long enough to see a savings. But Fisk, who had hers last season, has seen little change to her power bill.

“We hope to save some money, although, with everything else, with the heat and everything else, I’m not sure we see that,” Fisk said.

While LED lights are environmentally friendly and are supposed to last much longer than incandescent bulbs, they’re more expensive. A pack of incandescent bulbs can be found as cheap as $2 – $3 for a box for 100 lights, but the same box of LED lights can run three to four times that price. Fisk got her LEDs at a discount.

“A local store had a promotion where they gave you $3 off for each strand of lights we brought in toward a purchase,” Fisk said. Mike Clapper is a sales consultant with Christmas D cor of Powell. The company decorates homes with lights for the holidays. Clapper said they only use LED lights unless the customer absolutely objects.

“The incandescent bulbs are beginning to phase out, and the LED is the new technology that everybody likes,” Clapper said.

Clapper, who said the company provides the lights, says the average client spends about $200 – $300 lighting up their home with the LEDs. Incandescent bulbs are about 10 percent less. Clapper said there’s another cost-saving advantage to LEDs. “LED bulbs have a poly-carbonate bulb that’s pretty tough. So as you’re moving things around caring products from the truck to the house there’s less bulb breakage and things like that, and those kind of things make them a little bit easier to use,” Clapper said.

And if you really want that traditional warm, white light, Clapper said white LEDs do come in the candlelight color.

“That’s what we use pretty much across the board. Basically the only difference is one has the more golden color, the other has the more blue color. And for us to keep everything straight here we’ve just decided to go with pretty much what everybody expects to see is that warmer white color,” he said.

Kurt Anderson said he knew what to expect with the cool white LEDs, but Marilyn Fisk was not prepared.

“I will admit I was surprised when I first turned them on, and it’s taken some getting used to. But I really do like them now. Last year, I wasn’t sure. Last night we were looking out and the icy blue with the pretty snow, it was really very pretty,” Anderson said.

Valdeni Reis, who is from Brazil, has been in the United States since May. She’s a second-year Ph.D. student at Ohio State’s School of Teaching and Learning.

Reis is Christian. But this will be her first Christmas in America. Reis’s description of her family’s celebration is similar to the way many American’s commemorate the holiday with midnight masses, big family dinners with turkey and the exchanging of gifts. And they have Christmas trees, too, but…

“I think here, I don’t know, I think you’re used to decorating more, you know, streets and homes and all. So, you have so beautiful trees. I guess this tradition, Brazil is not that so strong anymore,” Reis said

For international scholars like Reis, Ohio State holds weekly conversation groups. Rosemarie Jackson works in the office of international affairs and leads the sessions. She said the meetings try to let the students practice English. But the sessions also teach American customs. And recently, Jackson said they addressed the December holidays and its diversity.

“Talking about, you know, why it may not be appropriate in every case to wish someone a merry Christmas because that is a Christian holiday. And so in the U.S. there’s the approach of respect of people who may not be celebrating that. And so you still can wish them happy holidays and that covers every single holiday they may be celebrating whether they’re celebrating Santa or just the New Year,” Jackson said.

And Jackson said they are introduced to words associated with the holidays they may not learn in their regular English classes.

“You know some real specific things or even getting into specific foods like cranberries. You know, maybe you’re going to learn strawberries in English class, but you’re not going to learn cranberries. So another thing we do in preparation of the holidays is give people ideas about how they can, if they want to, in a traditionally American way,” she said.

In America, at least, it would not be the holidays without homemade goodies. And scholar Valdeni Reis has noticed the never-ending supply of cookies cropping up everywhere from the office to friends’ parties.

“Everybody’s talking about I have to make cookies. And I think it’s so interesting. Of course you do not have this tradition in Brazil. So I think it’s so exciting,” Reis said.

So has Reis given in and baked some herself?

“Oh, not really. But you know what? Everybody is giving me a lot of, is giving me a lot of cookies. So I have a lot of cookies. Well, maybe it could be a good experience, as well, but I don’t think I need. I have too much. Many, many cookies,” Reis laughed.

And Reis has picked up on the infinite amount of holiday treats for the eyes and ears that often start before Thanksgiving.

“Every time you turn on your radio or television you have, you know, music, songs, movies about Christmas. Of course I can also understand they have a lot of advertisement so you have people getting all the time crazy about buy, buy, buy. I think it’s not a good thing,” Reis noted.

Reis admitted the music and movies get her in the spirit of the season, but the commercialization of the holiday in her words bothers her. She said American friends even have expressed to her a pressure surrounding this time of year.

“Christmas it’s much more than that. Of course it’s cute when you think (of) somebody and you buy something, but it’s much more than that. I really think it’s give ourselves to each other. It’s much more important,” Reis said.

So how does Reis plan to weave her Brazilian traditions into her American Christmas this year?

“Well first of all I have to go to the church. I mean, it’s not because it’s something, you know, obligation, but it’s because I really miss. And I think I’m going to have turkey as well because a friend of mine they invited me to have lunch with them the Christmas day. And also I’m going to enjoy the cookies,” Reis laughed.