The Washington Times

Worst Christmas shopping season since 2008

Washington played the Grinch that stole Christmas this year as the partisan impasse over the budget deficit instilled fear that the nation will fall over the “fiscal cliff,” dashing consumer holiday spirits and spending.

A woman rides the escalator past a giant holiday ornament at the CambridgeSide Galleria mall in Cambridge, Mass., Monday, Dec. 24, 2012.  (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

A woman rides the escalator past a giant holiday ornament at the CambridgeSide Galleria mall in Cambridge, Mass., Monday, Dec. 24, 2012. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

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