Christmas

Christmas is coming up and needless to say, Santa Claus must be busy. He is, after all, really the world’s ultimate personal shopper. And since Marketplace is a business program, we couldn’t help but wonder what sort of enterprise Santa runs.

Ebeneezer Scrooge seems the epitome of a bad boss. He keeps the thermostat low, you have to beg for a day off and forget about a holiday office party. But is Scrooge's bad reputation undeserved?

Christmas is on a Tuesday this year, meaning procrastinators get an extra day at the beginning of next week to finish up their shopping. And because Thanksgiving was as early as it could be this year, it's an extra-long holiday season for retailers.

Every December, millions of Americans spend their hard-earned money on Christmas trees. To find out why this tradition persists and how consumers decide which tree is right for their budget, Tony Cox visited a busy Christmas tree lot in L.A.

How would the economy be affected if we didn't have Christmas and other holidays to stimulate our spending?

What economists like to give (and get) as Christmas gifts. Spoiler alert: economists don’t think like the rest of us.

Two surveys out today have spenders and scholars upbeat about the health of the U.S. economy, for now at least.

Ten percent to 15 percent of holiday sales occur in the week after Christmas. Discounting is deep this year.

Two families, from two different economic backgrounds, on how they spent one of the biggest holidays of the year.

In volatile times, traders become extra sensitive to news or rumors that could put them on the wrong side of a trade...even when the markets are closed for Christmas.