Poll: How Much Do You Plan on Spending This Holiday Season?

The financial news website Business Insider said in a recent article that analysts who look at retail figures can typically tell whether there will be a strong Christmas shopping season for businesses by the amount of money people spend on Black Friday.

In 2009, the Black Friday numbers ($345 per person) showed a downturn in per person spending over the previous year. That foreshadowed low numbers for retailers during the 2009 holiday season.

The Insider article said that in 2010, a strong Black Friday showing (average $365 per person) forecast a big showing for Christmas.

This year, the day after Thanksgiving tally for retailers was a record-breaker—$398 per person.

Is this a turn in the right direction on the economy or just a one-day event? Will your family be contributing more or less this year to the retail economy?

Vote in our poll and tell us in the comments why you are spending more or less (or the same amount) than in years past.