During that time, Halloween has grown to become one of the most popular holidays of the year, average spending on back-to-school items has increased 31 percent since 2004, and Thanksgiving Day has officially become a bonafide shopping day for millions of bargain-hungry Americans. I am frequently asked how holidays “rank” when it comes to consumer spending so I thought I would dig into it a little bit more and add some context to who, what, when, where, why and how people shop for our consumer holidays. Here’s how each holiday ranks as of the release of our Mother’s Day survey:

Holiday Spending Totals In Billions, 2013-2014

Information Seasons with the * indicates the data is from the 2013 Monthly Consumer Survey

Charts from the NRF Foundation’s Retail Insight Center. To access this data and more research please visit the Retail Insight Center.

Winter holidays: As the largest gift-giving holiday of them all, the winter holidays account for nearly 20 percent of total annual retail sales for retailers. In 2013, holiday celebrants spent an average of $730 on gifts, food, decorations and more. After all was said and done, NRF found that holiday sales increased 3.8 percent to $602 billion. More than 90 percent of Americans celebrated Christmas, Kwanza or Hanukah last winter, the most-celebrated season of the year.

Back to school/college: Spending on pencils, backpacks, denim, college dorm furniture and collegiate wear, tablets, smartphones and notebooks costs mom and dad hundreds of dollars on average and a total of $72.5 billion last year. But savvy parents know bargains are not hard to find. Almost every sector of retail plays a role: drug stores, thrift stores, electronics stores, department stores, discount stores and even grocery stores for penny-pinching college students and their parents.

Mother’s Day: Consumers say they will spend an average $163 this year – $19.9 billion total – with the majority of their budget going to special outings, new apparel items and jewelry. As to why Mother’s Day is so much bigger than Father’s Day: the types of gifts people typically buy mom tend to cost a little more, and dad even admits that he doesn’t like all the fuss anyway.

Halloween: In 2013, two-thirds of Americans said they would partake in Halloween activities, spending $75 on average to celebrate for a total of $6.9 billion. In addition to the pint-sized “Despicable Me” costumes that now roam the streets on Halloween, the holiday has become more of an adult event than ever before, helping boost spending on costumes, candy, decorations and party materials more than 55 percent since 2005. With the growth in popularity, other sectors have jumped into the mix. Home improvement stores take advantage of their vast space to sell life-size yard decorations, and drug and grocery stores are also now devoting select aisles to decorations candy and costumes.

Visit the Retail Insight Center for a breakdown of other consumer holidays like Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter and more, and sign up to receive “Consumer Trends” press releases on NRF.com.

Although spending on the green holiday is small in comparison with other consumer holidays, it’s still a social event in communities across the country and an important day for the retail industry. Consumers will celebrate their Irish roots or Irish-American culture in a variety of festive ways. The average person will spend $35, increasing traffic for grocery stores, restaurants and stores selling green apparel.

There’s no question it’s a popular holiday for millennials – 77 percent of 18-24 year-olds plan to celebrate and 90 percent of them will wear something green. Those in their 20s and 30s will flock to restaurants and bars with their friends, looking for the best deals on green beverages while dressing in creative green outfits, Irish costumes and festive accessories. Asked how they will celebrate, 45 percent of 25-34 year olds will attend a party at a bar or restaurant; others will attend a private event.

But Americans of all ages will look to celebrate in a variety of ways; eight in 10 of those celebrating this year said they will wear green and another one in five will decorate their home or office with St. Patrick’s Day decor.

You can dig deeper into the data in the Retail Insight Center. But as the Irish say, “there are only two kinds of people in the world. The Irish and those who wish they were.” How do you plan to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day this year?

View St. Patrick’s Day data in the Retail Insight Center

In fact, one retailer’s unusually early holiday-themed commercial in September  secured their place as one of the more memorable ads in recent history. According to thousands of consumers polled recently, they have been driving the conversation ever since.

When asked which retailer had the best holiday TV commercial, 12 percent of holiday shoppers said Kmart, up significantly from the nearly 2 percent in 2012. The survey, conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics, found that Walmart (22 percent) and Target (14 percent) were the clear winners in the eyes of consumers, but the survey makes it evident that Kmart’s edgy take on “Jingle Bells” and Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” really caught people’s attention this year. Watch both TV spots below.

1. What Fortune’s “Best Retailers to Work For” have in common – Published in February, the 2013 edition of Fortune’s annual list included 14 retailers – each exuding at least one of five traits that have helped attract the best and brightest.
2. Top back-to-school trends for 2013 – This infographic broke down the biggest trends during the back-to-school and back-to-college shopping season. Combined spending was expected to reach $72.5 billion – second only to the winter holidays.
3. How Belk infused its “Southern State of Mind” into omnichannel convergence – At Retail’s BIG Show , Belk Chairman and CEO Thomas Belk, Jr. highlighted the steps the company has taken to catch up in terms of technology, and shared how the retailer decided upon delivering modern Southern style and hospitality, both in stores and in the digital world.
4. Top six retail loss prevention trends for 2013 – Gearing up for NRF’s Loss Prevention Conference in San Diego, Rosamaria Sostilio, Senior Vice President of Asset Protection at Saks Incorporated and Vice Chair of NRF’s LP Advisory Council, addressed top-of-mind concerns for retail loss prevention professionals.
5. The (not so) spooky stats for Halloween 2013 – NRF Spokesperson Kathy Grannis notes that while total spending was down compared to 2012, average spending on Halloween has increased 55 percent since 2005.
6. Retail’s BIG Show 2013, before and after – 10 things to know before you go to Retail’s BIG Show 2013 and The big numbers behind Retail’s BIG Show 2013 both earned spots in the top 10 and helped put the size and scope of the event in perspective. At more than a century old, Retail’s BIG Show is still going strong, and 2014 is poised to be bigger than ever.
7. Five tips for small retailers to grow their brands –This standing-room only Main Street Retailing Forum session at Retail’s BIG Show was created for small retail businesses, but retailers of all sizes learned something about how to connect with customers and build community.
8. A retail store trends trip around the world – A worldwide shopping safari led by WSL Strategic Retail CEO, Founder and Chief Shopper Wendy Liebmann. She explained why modern shoppers aren’t satisfied with a store, they want something more.
9. Thanksgiving turkey, with a side of shopping – Millennials seemed especially interested in hitting the stores before Black Friday: 36 percent of those between 18 and 34 shopped on Thanksgiving Day, the highest of any age group. That same demographic was also the largest group to shop on Black Friday (72 percent).
10. State of the Union proposals carry wide impact for retail industry – From promises to create jobs and grow the economy to a plan to increase the federal minimum wage, President Obama covered eight issues important to the retail industry in the annual State of the Union address.

As for the retailers waiting to receive those returns and exchanges, you can bet they are ready to go the extra mile in the few weeks after Christmas to make sure their customers have a pleasant experience. The week after Christmas can account for as much as 15 percent of the sales for retailers during the holiday season. While millions of people head to the stores this week to do a little “self-gifting,” many more will return the sweaters or pajamas – given with good intentions – that just don’t fit their style.

Returns are an integral part of retailers’ operations. Some companies like Zappos even tout free return shipping for their online customers. These types of services go a long way to satisfy busy holiday shoppers. NRF’s 2013 Holiday Returns Survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics found the average person returned nearly four holiday gifts last year. More than 60 percent also said they actually didn’t return a thing.

There’s one sure-fire way to still give a gift and help the recipient avoid any kind of hassle when making a return or exchange – a gift receipt. According to the survey, 61 percent of holiday shoppers say they give a gift receipt most or some of the time during the holiday season.

January will be just as busy for retailers as people come into the stores to redeem their new gift cards. But holiday returns will also likely continue through the month. Whether it’s because the color is all wrong or it simply doesn’t fit, we offer consumers five tips for a seamless return experience this holiday season:

1. Unwrap carefully. Original packaging is a must for some retailers when it comes to returns. As best you can, make sure all boxes and gifts are returned in the condition they were purchased.
2. Give the gift of receipts. While many retailers may allow consumers to make returns without an original or gift receipt, some don’t. To ensure a hassle-free return, it’s still a great idea to present one. If you know family or friends have plans to return an item, provide them with the original or gift receipt.
3. Make a list and check it twice. Many retailers have their return policies posted online or displayed within stores. Gift-givers should make a list of where they shopped and make note of their return policies.
4. Know your online store policies, too. While millions of gift-givers are in-store shoppers, many are purchasing gifts online. When making an online return, it’s important to know who pays for shipping (the customer or retailer) and the exact location that returned items should be sent.
5. Keep calm and shop on. Just like shopping leading up to the holidays, returns can be hectic for retailers and shoppers alike. Come prepared with patience when returning merchandise.

Download the full results of NRF’s 2013 Holiday Returns Survey here.

The contest tasked NRF Student Association members with designing a holiday card that demonstrates the work of the retail industry using their drawing, photography or graphic design skills. In exchange for their efforts, each student received a $1,000 cash prize and a trip to Retail’s BIG Show. After receiving more than 150 submissions, NRF spent weeks debating and deliberating (and more debating and deliberating) to determine the top 10 designs. But it was the 3,500 votes cast through the NRF Foundation Facebook page – NRF on Campus – that determined the final three contest winners.

Take a look at the winning card designs, and find out more about the talented student designers:

Student: Erica Barry School: Drexel University Major: Design and Merchandising Expected Graduation Date: Spring 2017	Design Inspiration:  When I think of the holidays, I immediately think of the ballet The Nutcracker. I feel Clara’s excitement when she opens her gift and finds a nutcracker, and that is the same feeling I get when I think about the retail industry during the holidays.
Student: Hannah Tillou School: Indiana University Major: Apparel Merchandise, Minor in Business and Fashion Design Expected Graduation Date: May 2017	Design Inspiration: My holiday card celebrates all of the retailers that make up the National Retail Federation. Just like a string of lights wouldn’t shine with a missing bulb, NRF wouldn’t shine as bright without each of our retailers.
Student: Pin-Tsung Lee School: FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising Major: Graphic Design – Emphasis on Entertainment and Branding Expected Graduation Date: June 2015	Design Inspiration: There is one thing every retail business requires: a bar code. This tiny bar code represents how retailers trade, record their company’s data and track their products. It is also a symbol of the retail industry’s well-organized and attentive spirit. Moreover, Christmas is one of the most important holidays for retailers. That’s why I designed the card with Christmas characters hiding next to the bar code in a playful way to greet the viewer.

Retailers world-wide are in for a sweet treat this holiday season, when they’ll receive one of these cards as a thank you for the hard work they’ve done on behalf of the industry this year. In addition to the three winners, retailers may also receive a card from the University of Florida’s Michael Chatila and FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising’s Sara Berkes, whose designs received so many votes they were able to snag an honorable mention and slot in our variety pack of holiday cards.

Watch Shay and Sadove explain how consumers responded during the holidays last year and what yesterday’s news means for this holiday season below.

First, let’s travel to 1939 to see what the day after Thanksgiving looked like for retailers and consumers. Before that year, retailers typically waited until the day after Thanksgiving to advertise holiday sales. That’s a stark contrast to today, when only one in five Americans wait until December to start their holiday shopping.

But if you grab a newspaper, you’ll see 1939 was a major year for retail. President Roosevelt moved Thanksgiving up a week, to the second-to-last Thursday in November, putting more shopping days between Thanksgiving and Christmas. While this was positive news for retailers, consumers were not on board. According to a Gallup poll that August, 59 percent of Americans disapproved of the holiday date-change.

It took until 1941 for Congress to solidify Thanksgiving as the fourth Thursday in November (but don’t tell anyone or you’ll risk messing up future events). Remember what happened when Biff found the Almanac? Let’s make like a tree and leave.

Now let’s travel to Black Friday 2006. That was the year Twitter was launched and Shakira’s “Hips Don’t Lie” was all over the radio. Some of the hottest toys included the “TMX” version of Tickle Me Elmo, PlayStation3 and Bratz dolls. About 95 million consumers shopped over the holiday weekend, with three out of five hitting the stores on Friday and many getting there between 4 and 6 a.m.

2006 was also the first year NRF tracked how many people shopped online the Monday after Thanksgiving – otherwise known as, Cyber Monday. At a time when most people only had a dialup connection at home – if any Internet access at all – we found 27 percent of consumers waited until Monday to do their online shopping so they could take advantage of the high-speed web access at work. Make sure to keep your smartphones in your pockets while we’re in 2006 – cell phones were common but smartphones were still a pretty futuristic idea.

It’s nice here, but with the housing bubble about to burst, I think we should get the flux capacitor up to 1.21 gigawatts and head for 2013.

Now that we’re back to 2013, let’s see how 2006 compares with this past weekend. An estimated 141 million people shopped this year, 48 percent more than then, and they spent $23 billion more. In the future, I think we’ll enjoy coming back to this holiday season.

Another difference is the rise of Cyber Monday as a top shopping day. Since 2006 the number of shared shoppers on this day has nearly doubled – 54 percent of Black Friday weekend shoppers this year compared with 27 percent back then. As the share of consumers with more than one computer, smartphone or tablet grows, I would expect the future of Cyber Monday shopping to be bright.

If you’d like to see more on how Thanksgiving weekend turned out for retailers and shoppers – travel back in time to Tuesday to check out this blog post outlining more of the top trends we saw. Now that I’m back at my desk in 2013 I think I’ll stay here for a while – at least until our next trip back in time. If you’d like to travel back in time for retail stats on your own, register on the Retail Insight Center to unlock countless pieces of data – just make sure not to break any of the time-travel rules, or we’re all in trouble.

As the Super Bowl for the retail industry, all bets were off this weekend when many retailers opened their doors on Thanksgiving Day. NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay on Black Friday told CNBC that when all is said and done, “the consumer is the real winner.” Some retailers touted free $100 gift cards with the purchase of an iPad Air while others gave in-store shoppers a chance to win a Nexus 7 tablet or one of 10 weekend getaways. Discounts and special deals like these were a powerful combination for retailers this past weekend.

In addition to what Shay and Prosper’s Consumer Insights Director Pam Goodfellow said during NRF’s annual media briefing, here are a few of our top takeaways from the weekend:

More people were shopping, but were spending less. Discounts and low prices, combined with the fact that 53 percent of Americans started their shopping in early November, were contributing factors to shopping over the holiday weekend. Spending dropped 3 percent to $57 billion, at an average $407. But with the number of shoppers up 1 percent and Thanksgiving Day in-store traffic growing 27 percent over last year, retailers are still calling the weekend a win.

Why the uncertainty? NRF’s forecast that holiday sales will increase 3.9 percent to $602.1 billion holds strong. But Americans still aren’t sure about the staying power of the economic recovery. Family income hasn’t grown in quite some time, and next year’s added health care costs mean consumers are keeping a close eye on holiday budgets.

Millennial power. NRF’s survey of consumers found young adults 18-34 spent an average $460 over the weekend, the highest of any age group. As in years past, they showed up eager to take advantage of retailers’ Thanksgiving deals: 49 percent were at stores by midnight on Thanksgiving, with eight in 10 shopping on Thanksgiving Day and 58 percent on Black Friday. And 31 percent shopped online on Cyber Monday using mobile devices. Retailers are smart to target and engage these shoppers.

Thanksgiving weekend goes digital. Consumers want to shop when they want, where they want and how they want, regardless of the channel, and retailers are responding. Walmart saw 400 million page views on its web site on Thanksgiving Day, including customers who used smartphones, tablets and computers. And NRF found similar excitement among weekend shoppers: nearly 44 percent of what consumers spent between Thursday and Sunday was spent online, up from 42 percent last year. The average amount spent online also increased, up 3 percent at $178 over the weekend.

Cyber Monday continues to grow. Retailers were touting “cyber” deals as early as November 20, even leaking information about their own upcoming deals, and Cyber Monday was bigger than ever. More than 131 million consumers shopped online on Cyber Monday, up from 129 million last year, according to numbers from NRF and our Shop.org division. Sites like CyberMonday.com worked overtime to attract holiday shoppers, and retailers ramped up efforts to perfect their mobile sites and apps to make sure they had the capacity to handle expected traffic. In just one example, eBags founder Peter Cobb told me his company’s sales were up 21 percent over last year by 3 p.m. on the big day.

The most telling Cyber Monday consumer statistic might be in the numbers for mobile. More than 25 million Cyber Monday shoppers – nearly one in five – shopped using their smartphones or tablets, up 22 percent over last year. As NRF Senior Vice President and Shop.org Executive Director Vicki Cantrell told Bloomberg, it’s this influx of mobile that has the retail industry’s attention during the holidays and year-round.