Almost one - fourth of all personal spending in theprefix = st1 /United Statestakes place during the holiday season. There are gifts to give this month for Christmas, Hanukkah and the African American celebration of Kwanzaa. The traditional shopping season began last Friday, after Thanksgiving Day. Personal spending represents two-thirds of the economy, so holiday sales are especially important. Reports on November results have just come out. Wal-Mart is the biggest seller in the world. The company had expected growth of two to four percent in November, fueled by sales on "Black Friday."  The day after Thanksgiving is called that. Storekeepers used to record profits   in black ink and losses in red ink. A day in the black means a return to profit.  The National Retail Federation estimated   in September that holiday sales would increase four and one-half percent this year. Holiday sales increased five percent last year, after poor sales the year before.  The business group estimated that Americans will spend 220,000 million dollars this season. It says they spent just over 10 percent of that last weekend.  Also, it says more Americans for the first time this season plan to use a debit card than a credit card for purchases. A debit card, also called a check card, is linked to the money that a person has in a bank. In other words, users must have the money before they can spend it.  About thirty - five percent of shoppers said they would mainly use debit cards, compared to 30 percent for credit cards. Financial experts say this change might mean that more people want to keep to a budget this holiday season. When does the holiday season usually begin in the US?
Last Friday. On "Black Friday". On a Friday before Christmas Day. The day before Thanksgiving Day.