• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, January 6, 2011

Call it the Christmas that fizzled. When consumers stormed into stores in November, retailers thought they could count on that enthusiasm to last until the ball dropped, but shoppers had other ideas: December's sales numbers aren't as healthy as many had hoped.

Despite strong gains for some, including luxury chains like Saks and Nordstrom, and positive results for department stores, there were still some major letdowns.

Target, for example, says its comparable-store sales gained just 1%, below expectations. "Strength in grocery and apparel was offset by softness in electronics, toys and some home categories," Gregg Steinhafel, chairman/CEO, says in the company's release. "Sales in some key gift-giving categories moved earlier into the holiday season, and lower margin items drove a higher portion of sales than expected."

And at Gap, sales fell 3%. "After a strong start to the holiday season in November, sales and traffic trends for our brands were less consistent in December," Sabrina Simmons, the chain's CFO, says in its release, with sales at its Gap stores falling 8%, Old Navy falling 2%, and Banana Republic gaining 1%.