US Holiday Spending Jumped in December, Signaling Consumer Strength Into 2026

People shop at Macy’s in New York on Nov. 13, 2024.Samira Bouaou/The Epoch TimesAmerican consumers closed out the holiday season with a strong December spending surge, adding to evidence that household demand remains resilient even as confidence surveys show lingering unease about the economy.Retail sales during the final two months of 2025 rose 4.1 percent from a year earlier, according to a Jan. 12 report from the National Retail Federation (NRF), pointing to total spending of just more than $1 trillion.