TYLER-The holidays are almost here and this means businesses will be hiring more workers for the season. And that's good news for East Texans without a job.

This Christmas, the must-have item, for many East Texans is a job.

Due to the record unemployment rate, more Americans than ever are fighting for those seasonal jobs. But lucky for East Texans, many store owners we spoke with will be needing more workers this holiday season.

The Potpourii House in Tyler has already hired five more seasonal workers than they have in years past just to kelp keep the shelves stocked and the customers happy.

This past weekend they told us almost 1,000 customers came thru a day.

Not only does it look like it's going to be a very merry Christmas for those trying to earn a little extra money, but sales are up far beyond what they were predicted to be.

Potpourii House's owner, Les Ellsworth, told us they're already ordering more merchandise. He also said business this year is so much better than last year. And if business continues to be this good, he said they may need even more workers.

"Especially seasonal it may be one of our very best," Ellsworth said.

On the other side of town, The Christmas Store on West Erwin has hired more seasonal workers too.

"This year we've got a couple more," The Christmas Store owner, Ralph David, told us. "We had four now we've got six."

He said they're pulling in customers as far away as Dallas and Nacogdoches.

"People always seem to find a buck somewhere for the holidays," David said.

It looks like while the bells keep ringing, cash registers will keep ca-chinging!