Large retailers ready for Christmas
By Chris Simon

Kelvin Makinen, general manager of the Bradford West Gwillimbury Canadian Tire, stands below a tire tree, one of the many decorations the store has been setting up over the last few weeks. Staff have been decorating polls and trees.

Tis' the season to be selling.

Residents are beginning to shop for their holiday gifts across the region. The last few weekends have seen holiday-themed bazaars, craft sales and events. The malls and retail outlets are seeing business increase, and homeowners are slowly decorating their residences with lights, trees and other decorations.

In short, it's the most profitable time of the year for many big box retailers. Bradford West Gwillimbury Canadian Tire general manager Kelvin Makinen says business has been steadily increasing since Halloween.

"This would be our busiest time of the year, it carries right through to just after new year's," he said.

For decorations, people have been purchasing energy efficient outdoor lighting.

"They're unsure how their last year's decorations are holding up. The LED lights are huge, they have been huge for the last couple of years," he said. "The big focus with any retail business is energy consumption, so we're trying hard to reduce energy costs for the consumer.

The Grinch steals Christmas at Canadian Tire.

"(We provide) everything a consumer wants to light up their home, but at a reduced cost (in energy consumption)."

While decorations have been selling well, people are also buying presents.

The most popular gift ideas include iPods, MP3 players, and movie-themed items.

"The big thing is anything that's been at the theatre. So Shrek, Spiderman, and iRobot bugs. The fad changes from year to year," said Makinen. "We try to keep up and stay with the industry."

While decorating, residents must remember several safety tips. Residents should decorate their homes early, when the weather is typically warmer. They should also take their time, and decorate during daylight hours, said Makinen.

"You hear of people falling off ladders and roofs," he said. "Decorate early, set aside a day or two to do it, don't do it at night. It's common sense and safety.

"They've come out with so many inventive ideas, now they've got gutter clips so there's no more stapling lights to the eavestroughs anymore."

Residents should also check their home fire detectors, said Makinen.