Oh, dahling, isn't the Bush Boom ever so much fun? Pity we can't share it with the servants:

Retail sales in November, including the bellwether Thanksgiving weekend, failed to rise to analysts' expectations, suggesting that the Christmas season may not be as good as some retailers hoped a month or two ago.

But for luxury retailers, the season still looks upbeat. Shoppers tended to buy higher-priced, higher-profit items last month....

"By and large, the analysts' estimates had been fairly reasonable, but the retailers didn't perform," said Ken Perkins, a research analyst at Thomson First Call, which tracks analysts' predictions. "It doesn't mean that definitely December will be bad, too, but I bet you'll see a lot of December estimates pared down."

High-end department stores like Saks, Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom fared better in November....

Over all, luxury goods stores continued to rally. Analysts said that President Bush's tax cuts, a strengthening stock market and improving job security, as well as pent-up demand, drove affluent shoppers into stores like Saks Fifth Avenue, where $1,000 watches with diamond-studded bezels and green crocodile bands were big sellers.

Most stores, however, are no longer benefiting from the tax cuts or from the extra cash that many homeowners had after a wave of mortgage refinancings earlier in the year, Mr. Perkins of Thomson First Call said. "The benefits of the tax refunds are drying up," he said, "and the re-fi wave is ebbing."...

--New York Times