... Am I Missing Something?

I'm out shopping for Christmas gifts and happen to be at the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City.  The place is packed.  William Sonoma, Brooks Brothers, Tiffany & Company, Barnes & Noble, Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, the Apple Store, and Halls Department Store are filled with people, loaded down with tons of packages and boxes.  If I weren't watching the news, I would have absolutely no idea the economy was in trouble.  It makes me wonder how much of an influence the media has on amplifying the effect of bull markets and bear markets.