A little snow at Christmastime helps to put everyone in the holiday spirit. Last week’s snowfall was an early present that sent kids home early for Christmas vacation and put the crunch underfoot for your decorating pleasure.

While meetings were cancelled and holiday pageants threatened, shoppers were undeterred as they headed for stores in  what seemed like an effort to get the economy rolling again.

According to MasterCard Advisors’ SpendingPulse, as of Monday, clothing registered the highest sales in this year’s Christmas shopping. Teen clothing scored a 12 percent increase, men’s and women’s clothing registered a 7 percent and 4 percent improvement over last year, respectively.

Electronics sales are down and sales of luxury items have increased only slightly this year, indicating shoppers are buying necessities rather than fun stuff.

Thursday’s snowfall measured about 2 inches with some unmelted white stuff still lingering. The National Weather Service is calling for another round of picturesque  weather in the form of a winter mix over the Christmas weekend. Rosy cheeked youngsters are certainly hoping for it.