The Ho Ho Ho-lidays are here! Yes, I know Halloween is still a week away, but according to the National Retail Federation, 41% of Americans have already started shopping for the holidays. (I’m almost done, how about you?)

Shopping early means you don’t have the benefit of all those steep Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, but that doesn’t mean consumers are going to miss out. 36.6% of consumers said that sales and discounts would determine where they shop this year.

And here’s great news, 51.8% plan to shop online, buying an average of 38.8% of their gifts. Both of these numbers represent a jump up over last year. The forecast for the season? Cold and blustery with a 12% rise in online sales. That’s $96 billion dollars up for grabs, so make sure you get your cut.

Break Media has just released a new report called “The Definitive Guide to Men.” When I saw it, I thought I’d finally get the answers to the questions I’ve had burning in my heart for years — sadly, it’s only about men as consumers. That’s good for you, the marketer, but not as helpful for me, the woman.

But let’s not dwell on my disappointment. Let’s see what we can learn from this intimate look at the buying behaviors of the American male.

Break surveyed 2,000 men and found that the major of them were striving to be a “good guy.” They’re interested in doing what’s best for their family and their friends. They were willing to give up career goals in order to be more of a family man and 55% said they’d like to be a stay-at-home dad but they feel pressured to be the major breadwinner.