Many Iowa retailers report holiday sales were up this year, despite gloomy forecasts. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss says the season is concluding with most shopkeepers saying it was “so-so”:Store managers credit warm weather and good discounts with attracting customers into the stores. Goss says the Christmas shopping season could have been better — and it could have been a lot worse, too. Some retailers report a gain of only one-to-two percent in sales over last December or even over last year.