Holiday catalog and internet sales, in the aggregate, are up 12.9 percent compared with the same period in 2004, with internet sales up 17.8 percent, according to the Direct Marketing Association's 2005 Holiday Shopping Report, released yesterday, writes DM News. The nearly 18 percent increase in internet sales is ahead of the increases reported through the beginning of November (14.5 percent) and direct marketers' estimates in September (6.8 percent). Nearly nine of 10 respondents said their internet sales are up over last year; only 2.3 percent reported a drop.