Washington ? Holiday shoppers catapulted sales at the nation’s retailers higher in November, raising hopes that the rest of the year will see more Santas than Scrooges.

The Commerce Department reported Thursday that merchants’ sales rose 0.9 percent last month as shoppers got into the holiday spirit. That ended two straight months of belt tightening, which caused retail sales to drop by 0.3 percent in September and be flat in October.

“Holiday shopping appears to have gotten off to a strong start,” Wachovia economist Mark Vitner said.

The increase in retail sales in November — the largest since August — represented a better showing than economists expected. They forecast a 0.7 percent rise.

“Any doubts about consumers’ spending this holiday can be laid to rest,” said Ken Mayland, president of ClearView Economics.

The report not only held out hope that retailers’ holiday sales could turn out to be brighter than some analysts thought but also suggested that consumers are still keeping their wallets sufficiently open to keep the economic recovery rolling along.