If you caught a retailer writing a letter to Santa Claus last year, it was probably after some very ugly second quarter sales. Their Christmas wish was a big holiday shopping season to climb out of the hole.

Well, Old St. Nick delivered. The December sales figures have arrived and for most cities in Starved Rock Country a surge in holiday shopping tempered what otherwise was, thanks to the pandemic, an epically bad year.

Denise Bernabei co-owns Sasso Jewelry & Gifts in La Salle. She looked at the returns from her first (and hopefully last) pandemic Christmas and was quite pleased.

“We did great,” Bernabei said. “I think there’s light at the end of the tunnel.”

Bernabei and others interviewed credited the retail sales bump to a slowdown in the travel sector. Folks who couldn’t go to Europe or the Caribbean splurged a bit at Yuletide by dipping into unused vacation funds to go shopping.

Not every retailer was as happy as Bernabei, but virtually every city in Starved Rock Country bested the totals from Christmas 2019.

The big winner was Ottawa, which enjoyed its best Christmas ever. The city’s share of retail sales taxes hit $600,000, which was 8% better than 2019 and a December record. Princeton and Utica set December sales records.

End-of-year sales in Oglesby jumped 10% and just missed the record. Spring Valley, Peru and Streator enjoyed single-digit bumps that helped salvage a year to forget. La Salle’s figures were flat from December 2019, which doesn’t sound exciting until one considers that was a terrific Christmas.

With Americans hunkering down during infection controls, it was better year for home improvement and furnishing businesses than for other retail sectors. That proved true at Christmas, as well. At Debo Ace Hardware in Peru, owner Dana Debo-Kuhne saw grills and outdoor appliances purchased as Christmas gifts.

Stuck-at-home families also splurged on home decor at Steinberg’s Furniture.

“We had a good Christmas,” owner Bruce Steinberg reported, though he noted the pandemic made it tough to maintain his inventory. “The problem in our industry is the supply chain was all screwed up.”

Steinberg explained that COVID-19 outbreaks halted or slowed manufacturing. Freak winter weather in Texas didn’t help; foam used in cushions is derived from petroleum and refineries were idled by the deep freeze. For Steinberg, this meant big delays.

“Stuff that usually takes four to six weeks to get is taking four to six months,” he said, “but when we get it in, we sell it really fast.”

Supply chain disruptions were a problem in the auto industry, too, though this didn’t keep a Peru auto dealer from enjoying good holiday sales.

Ken Credi, general manager at Coronet, said a material used in microchips currently is in short supply, meaning automakers are having a tough time churning out computerized engines to meet demand. It’s been an issue in early 2021, too.

“But overall we had a pretty good December,” Credi said.

Clothiers ran into problems of their own and reported more mixed holiday results. At Vlastnik’s Menswear in Peru, owner Richard Vlastnik said boots and work apparel sold markedly better than formal wear. With holiday parties called off due to the coronavirus, there was nothing to dress up for.

“So December overall for flat for us,” Vlastnik said. “It was kind of a mixed bag.”

Pat Graham, owner of Bell’s Clothing in Ottawa, also had a so-so December but was helped by a bump in holiday weddings. Many couples who’d postponed their nuptials during peak infection controls decided to marry before 2020 drew to a close and went to Graham for suits and tuxedos.

Jeremy Reed, owner of That Guy’s Secret in La Salle, also enjoyed an influx of grooms and ushers but said end-of-year sales were otherwise dampened by the October surge in coronavirus infections.

“It just scared folks,” Reed said. “It was a bit down in the fourth quarter, which I wasn’t expecting.”

Overall, business owners are taking the downturn in stride. Bernabei said she won’t remember 2020 as her favorite year, but her balance sheet has to be graded on a curve.

“We lost some weeks of business in the spring, but were able to make it up,” she said. “None of our employees got sick. And I’m grateful to every member of the community who supported us.”