December was the warmest in the U.S. since 2006 and driest since 2001. And both the U.S. and Canada experienced their warmest Decembers in five years, according to research firm Planalytics. Without a doubt, Mother Nature was both cruel and kind during the final month of the holiday shopping season. Unseasonably warm, dry conditions across most of the U.S. boosted retail traffic levels pre-holiday. But the weather also dampened consumer demand for soft lines, down some 14% for the month. A cooler third week of Dec. in the East, however, provided a small spark to winter merchandise sales in the ... Log in to view full article.