In a weak economy, it’s common for stores to roll out holiday goods this month. Christmas merchandise has been at Costco stores since September 1st and will begin showing up on some Home Depot shelves on September 19th. Kmart and Sears will begin selling Christmas trimmings September 25th, and Walmart and J.C. Penney will start selling Christmas merchandise before the end of the month. “Retailers are putting out a little bit of holiday stuff earlier each year,” says Mike Gatti of the National Retail Federation’s marketing division. “They know a substantial number of consumers will pick out Christmas tree ornaments even as they’re picking out Halloween pumpkins.” More than 37% of shoppers – and 42% of women – plan to do some holiday shopping by Halloween, according an NRF survey. Nordstrom is bucking the trend. “It’s been our long-standing tradition to not decorate our stores for the holidays until after Thanksgiving,” spokeswoman Pamela Lopez says. “We believe in celebrating one holiday at a time.”

 Toys “R” Us has released its annual list of what are expected to be the hottest toys for the upcoming holiday season. With Christmas Eve a little more than three months away, many children across the country have already started making their wish lists and checking them twice in hopes that Santa will deliver their most desired present under the tree. Toys ‘R’ Us says these are the toys that will be on those lists:

Air Hogs Hyper Actives by Spin Master, $49.99: Radio controlled miniature racing cars.

Air Swimmers Extreme by Animal Planet, $49.99: Inflatable fish and shark balloons that are radio controlled and seem to swim through the air. Helium tank sold separately.

Lalaloopsy Silly Hair dolls by MGA Entertainment, $34.99: Rag dolls with button eyes and bendable hair. They come with an accompanying pet with a bendable tail.

LeapPad Explorer by Leapfrog, $99.99: A tablet-like device which children can use to read books, play educational games and take pictures.

Monster High Fearleading 3-Pack by Mattel, $42.99: Three dolls which are offspring of famous monsters, dressed in “Fear Squad” cheerleading outfits.

Moshi Monsters Moshling Mini-Figures 3-pack by Spin Master, $5.99: Tiny collectible monsters related to a hit online game.

My Keepon by Wow! Stuff, $39.99: A bright yellow blob-like robot that dances to music.

Nerf Vortex Vigilon by Hasbro, $24.99: A foam dart gun that launches foam discs up to 50 feet.

Ninjago Lightning Dragon Battle by Lego Systems Inc., $79.99: A 645-piece construction set offered exclusively at Toys R Us with characters from Lego’s popular Ninjago line.

Poppin’ Park Elefun Busy Ball Popper by Hasbro’s Playskool, $29.99: A colorful elephant that can launch plastic balls and plays music.

Power Wheels Dune Racer by Mattel’s Fisher-Price: $279.99. A child-size dune buggy that can ride over grass, gravel and mud.

Radica Fijit Friends by Mattel, $49.99: Robotic toys that dance and respond to squeezes and spoken words.

Sesame Street Let’s Rock! Elmo by Hasbro, $69.99: An Elmo doll that sings and comes with a drum, tambourine and microphone.

“Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure,” by Activision, $69.99: A video game that includes action figures that can be placed in a portal and then appear in the game.

The Trash Pack Garbage Truck by Moose Toys, $19.99: A garbage truck that can hold 10 collectible Trashies, which are tiny collectible characters. It comes with two special edition Trashies and is a Toys R Us exclusive.