Mike Gatti, executive director of the National Retail Federation, tells The Denver Post retailers are taking care not to group all the holidays into one.

"Retailers are saying, 'Gee, maybe we don't need to homogenize the holidays,'" Gatti says. "When it's appropriate, retailers are trying to recognize the different traditions."

And to many Christians, that means saying "Merry Christmas," not "Happy Holidays." For the third year, Colorado Springs-based Focus on the Family is in its Jesus-is-the-reason-for-the-season mode with a "Stand for Christmas" campaign targeting sales clerks to wish shoppers a "Merry Christmas."

To check up on retailers, last month Focus on the Family launched StandforChristmas.com, a Web site that has attracted tens of thousands of shoppers who rate retailers Christmas "friendly," "negligent," or "offensive."

Meanwhile, this year doesn't appear to be shaping up to be the best for shopping. Many people are cutting back even though some experts say the recession is ending, writes 9News.