Small Businesses and Holiday Optimism Independent businesses are cautiously optimistic that their holiday seasons will be bright, despite problems this year ranging from supply chain hitches to shortages of trendy seasonal items, after nearly two years of the pandemic. This year, many businesses ordered decorations, toys, stocking stuffers, and other things well in advance, relying on smaller vendors to fill in any gaps in their inventory. They've used social media to reach out to customers. They're also betting that supply chain troubles at larger businesses this year will result in a surge of last-minute shopping in their stores. Pandemic & Inflation Concerns about omicron and growing instances haven't had a noticeable impact on holiday shopping so far. According to Sensormatic Solutions, retail traffic was up nearly 20% year over year for the week ending Dec. 18, but down 23% from the same week in the pre-pandemic year of 2019. Howev...