By Jeff Reeves, Editor of InvestorPlace.com

Good news, boys and girls. That box under the tree may not be a pair of feety pajamas after all.

According to a November survey, consumers are spending big on electronics again and laptops are paving the way, with a dramatic increase in projected sales. And as is no surprise, the flashy new by Apple Inc. (AAPL) iPad and is on the top of many wish lists.

Though Apple is projected to be a big winner, other tablets and gadgets are seeing strong demand, too. And that's a good sign for store managers as well as people opening presents in a few weeks. Here are the details:

According to a November ChangeWave Research survey, 26% of respondents say they'll spend more on consumer electronics over the next 90 days -- a big 9-point jump from last month and a 3-point improvement over the same period in 2009.

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Perhaps most interesting is that the survey found a big jump in planned laptop purchasing, with 10% saying they'll buy a laptop in the next 90 days -- the highest level in a ChangeWave consumer electronics survey in three years.

Part of that is probably pent-up demand, but it's hard to deny that a huge number of gadget launches in the past year are fueling this spending surge. Most notably, the April launch of the iPad has seemed resonate with shoppers, as the devices seems to only build on its past momentum.

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And it's not just the iPad. The MacBook seems to be a big hit, too. All told, the ChangeWave survey recorded 36% of planned laptop buyers saying they'll purchase a Mac -- a huge 11% jump from a previous survey one month ago.

The news is a great sign for retailers, who saw big-ticket sales dry up in the recession and have been hoping for a strong holiday shopping season to close 2010 and point to a hopeful 2011. It's also great news for Apple, which appears to remain king of the heap when it comes to gadgets that are wildly popular even if a bit pricey.

Whether or not it's a good sign for you depends mostly on who's doing the shopping, however. Because while that rectangular box under the tree could be an iPad, it could also wind up being just a pair of pajamas. Bummer.

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