Retail Sales Reports released : Results for 2010 are in

According to reports released this week, the 2010 holiday retail season was a slight improvement.  
Here are a couple of articles with different perspectives:

National revenue figures detail strong holiday sales period: 

http://www.argusleader.com/article/20110107/BUSINESS/110107029/1003

Best holiday for retail sales in 4 years
http://www.newsday.com/business/best-holiday-for-retail-sales-in-4-years-1.2591730