After Christmas, more shopping

The news is bad for retailers, but that makes it a buyer’s market. Nationally the Christmas shopping season for businesses has fallen off last year’s take by several percentage points.

So in the waning days before the holiday itself, some were already marking things down for after-Christmas sales, in an effort to save the season’s bottom line.

And for businesses who didn’t try that, customers can all but guarantee there will be particularly bountiful deals when doors open tomorrow.

Even those who are not the day-after kind of shopper should feel motivated to go mall hopping this year.

Considering that the Christmas shopping officially started a day early, while some were still sitting down for their Thanksgiving turkey, it’s probably not surprising that post-holiday sales start early, too.

Ka-ching! Let visions of extreme markdowns dance in your head.

Surfers hope for a swell Christmas

No dreaming of a "White Christmas" in Hawaii.

Here, the wishes are for sunny skies and awesome surf. If the weather forecast holds up, it looks like nature may bestow such a gift this year, as one northwest swell rolls in right after another.

So by all means get outside and enjoy Hawaii’s soul-sustaining outdoor environment. But be careful out there, too. The high surf is best left to the experts, while newbies enjoy the ocean spectacle safely on shore.