Retailers are hopeful that today will kick off a strong post-Christmas shopping season after reports that holiday sales may have fallen short of expectations, the Associated Press reported. Many are heavily discounting items or opening earlier than last year.

The International Council of Shopping Centers said same-store sales during the November-December period appear to be coming in just short of projections for modest gains. Target Corp. announced late Monday that its same-store sales may decline for December, and MasterCard Inc.’s consumer spending report, which includes estimates for spending by check and cash, reported a 3.6 percent gain from Thanksgiving to Christmas, compared with a 6.6 percent gain in 2006.

Gift cards could save the season. The National Retail Federation predicted consumers would spend $26.3 billion in gift cards this year, up 42 percent from $18.5 billion in 2005. The week after Christmas accounts for about 16 percent of total holiday sales, according to ShopperTrak RCT Corp., as gift card sales get recorded on retailers’ balance sheets only when the cards are redeemed.