Column: Amazon kicks off the holiday season

Have you looked at Amazon.com’s home page lately? The ads rotate often, but somewhere around the upper right corner of the page, near the ad for the Halloween Shop, you’ll see a new ad. Yep. It’s the Holiday Toy List.

Before we’ve even handed out the fun-size Halloween candy bars, the countdown to the year-end holidays has begun, complete with Daily Lightning Deals on gifts for all ages.

This is not holiday cheer busting out. It’s a case of bad nerves.

Some of the concerns over this holiday season date from before the federal government shutdown that ended last week. However, the crisis added to the uncertainty because its resolution actually resolved nothing.

Current government spending levels were authorized only until January 15. The agreement to raise the debt ceiling expires on February 7. The slugfest will resume, and soon.

Full story at Minyanville.