Consumers added a bit of holiday cheer to an otherwise dismal third quarter. With almost all the Q3 reports in, the S&P 500 was on pace to show a 0.1% earnings gain, according to Thomson Reuters data. That was an improvement from the 2.1% decline analysts forecast on Oct. 1, when the quarter was over but before the companies showed their hands. Consumer discretionary stocks -- which include many retailers such as Target (TGT) and Home Depot (HD) --