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The Thanksgiving dishes were put away. The lounging on the sofa and visiting with family came to an end.
There was only one thing left to do to make it a traditional start to the holiday season - shop!
Area retailers geared up for the expected rush of shoppers that began early this morning, with many waiting outside the doors at opening time.
"Last year we had more than 200 people waiting outside when we opened the doors," said Karl Heid, manager of the Warsaw Kmart.
Heid and his counterpart at J.C. Penney's, Manager Ken Ashpole, said the holiday shopping season is extremely important to their annual bottom line.
"We do a measurable part of the year's business between Thanksgiving and Christmas," Ashpole said. "We earn about 20 percent of our annual net profits during that time frame."
With a strong economy, Heid and Ashpole both expect a booming holiday season.
"We're expecting a 5 percent increase over last year's holiday sales," Heid said. "About 30 percent of our annual sales profits are made in December."
According to statistics released by the National Retail Federation, a majority of holiday shopping is done between Thanksgiving and Christmas, with 49 percent of Americans doing all their shopping in December.
Both retail managers advise getting into the stores early to ensure the best selection, particularly of the most popular items, such as clothing and electronics.
"I'd tell people to get out early - don't wait," Heid said. "If they wait, they may not find what what they want."
"If someone wants to get something in particular, in terms of Christmas, they should get it now," Ashpole added. "I'm already ordering merchandise for summer, so when our current stocks are gone, they're gone."
Specialty stores, such as Reneker's Sports Shop, also find their niche in the holiday season by offering gifts not normally available at the larger retail stores.
"While we're an all-purpose sporting goods store, we also offer specialty items, such as embroidery and silk-screening," Reneker said. "While Wal-Mart and Kmart take some of our retail business, we do very well with those items."
Reneker said special item orders should be placed as soon as possible to be sure they are completed in time for Christmas.
"We'll be working very hard to get all the orders out in time, but people need to get then in as early as possible," he said.
For those wanting to get a nontraditional gift, or to just get away for the holidays, local travel agencies offer plenty of alternatives.
Lisa Weisser, of Conference and Travel Services, said their business also increases about 20 percent during December.
"Thanksgiving to Christmas is always a busy time of the year for us," she said. "Whether it's people going home for the holidays or taking a vacation, we book a lot of trips."
She said the most popular vacation destinations are Cancun, Mexico and Florida, usually the Orlando area.
Giving trips instead of wrapped gifts under the tree is gaining in popularity.
"Gift certificates (for travel) are very popular this time of year as an alternative idea for giving," she said.
While bookings for most destinations are full, or filling up quickly, nice trips can still be arranged, Weisser said.
"Things are still available, but you have to be flexible in terms of when and where," she said.
