By Ian Sherr

Santa’s not getting any rest this year.

After U.S. retailers posted the longest running decline in same-store sales in nearly a decade, Sears, Kmart and Toys R Us announced Christmas-themed sales for the month of July. While actual sale dates and locations vary among the three chains, the event has drawn a lot of attention from news media, which had the once-in-a-year joy of headlining a story with “Christmas in July.”

Not to be outdone, Disney has sent a train to 36 states around the country to promote its new animated film “A Christmas Carol,” slated for release this November. Yes, November.

The re-purposed Amtrak train is filled to the brim with Disney Christmas items, the latest in cinematic 3D audio and video equipment, a lot of HP computers, and even artifacts on loan from the Charles Dickens Museum. Oh, and it has a picture of Ebeneezer Scrooge on the front.

Whether any of these campaigns will work is anyone’s guess. But for now, at least, it gives us all a chance to laugh and play and maybe even listen to some Bing Crosby records.

(Originally published July 17, 2009 on Reuter’s Shop Talk Blog, here.)