Europe

In France, the January sales are restricted by legislation to no more than four weeks in Paris, and no more than six weeks for the rest of the country, usually beginning on the first Wednesday in January, and are one of only two periods of the year when retailers are permitted to hold sales.

In Italy, the January sales begin on the first weekend in January, and last for at least six weeks.

In Germany, the Winterschlußverkauf (winter close-out sale) officially begins on the last Monday in January and lasts for 12 days, selling left-over goods from the holiday shopping season. (This is one of two official sales periods in Germany, the other being the Sommerschlußverkauf, the summer sales.) However, unofficially, goods are sold at reduced prices by many stores throughout the whole of January and by the time that the sales officially begin the only goods left on sale are low-quality ones, often specially manufactured for the sales.

Medical analyses

Various studies have been performed of the effects of the Christmas/winter holiday season, which encompasses several feast days, on health. They have concluded that the health changes that occur during the Christmas/winter holiday season are not reversed during the rest of the year and have a long term cumulative effect over a person's life, and that the risks of several medical problems increase during the winter holiday season.