• by Paul Gough , December 18, 2003

On the Internet, it was already beginning to look a lot like Christmas last month.

The monthly report of the top traffic sites for November, put out by comScore Media Metrix, has a distinctly holiday flavor. It was the key driver of Internet traffic shifts, comScore said.

"Online activity in November was significantly impacted by Thanksgiving and preparation for the December holidays," said Peter Daboll, president of comScore Media Metrix. Daboll said that online retailing wasn't the only category to see increases due to the holidays, however.

"Sites in the Movies, Food and Gaming Information categories saw increases as consumers research holiday gifts and made plans," Daboll said.

The top 10 sites:

1. Yahoo! sites

2. MSN-Microsoft sites

3. Time Warner Network

4. eBay

5. Google sites

6. Terra Lycos

7. About/Primedia

8. Amazon sites

9. Excite Network

10. Walt Disney Internet Group

--Paul J. Gough