Shoppers Embrace ‘Christmas in July’ Amid Rising Costs and Tariff Limbo

People are starting their holiday shopping earlier this year, using summer sales from retailers like Amazon and Walmart to save time and money.

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Toy Shop Owner Fears Tariffs Will Mean a Bleak Christmas

Jennifer Bergman, who owns West Side Kids, said she would have to shut down if she doesn’t have toys to sell. Her mother opened the store more than 40 years ago.

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Trump, on Tariffs, Says ‘Maybe the Children Will Have 2 Dolls Instead of 30’

At the end of a cabinet meeting, the president allowed for the possibility that trade war could disrupt supply chains.

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Retailers Fear Toy Shortages at Christmas as Tariffs Freeze Supply Chain

Toy makers and stores are freezing holiday orders, predicting shortages and higher prices. Some are consulting bankruptcy lawyers, fearing their firms won’t survive.

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Santa Lives in Rovaniemi, Finland. Some of His Neighbors Are Not Thrilled.

A tourist season that stretches from October to March has been anything but jolly for some residents of the “Official Hometown of Santa Claus.”

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As Tariffs Hit, Americans Are Racing to Buy Car Seats, iPhones and Christmas Gifts

Many Americans have purchased foreign-made products out of fears that companies could start to raise prices soon.

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Lou Nasti, Who Brought Christmas Displays to Extravagant Life, Dies at 79

A robotics specialist, he animated puppets and dolls for displays worldwide. His “Toyland,” with a two-story-high Santa, drew sightseers to a Brooklyn home for years.

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Belgium’s Food Agency Advises Against Eating Your Christmas Tree

The country’s food agency warned against using evergreens in food after the city of Ghent suggested an unusual form of recycling: spruce needle butter.

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N.F.L. Christmas Games on Netflix Break Streaming Records, With Beyoncé’s Help

The two games had more than 24 million viewers on average in the United States, Netflix said. Viewership peaked when Beyoncé performed.

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How NASA Astronauts Celebrated Christmas 250 Miles Above Earth

The astronauts on the I.S.S. — including two who were scheduled to return months ago — held a zero-gravity cookie-decorating contest and built a reindeer from storage bags.

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