KALAMAZOO (WKZO) -- The Stock market was up 7% this week, unemployment took a sizable dip from 9% to 8.6% in November nationally, and dipped even lower than that, to 7.3% in Kalamazoo.  Even Santa is feeling the good vibrations from what appears to be a healing economy.  His unscientific survey of the nation’s youngest consumers shows a definite uptick in optimism and expectations, compared to what the children were asking for last year.

We like to call it the “Santa Index”.