As we approach the holidays, it seems used-car shoppers may have been more focused on Christmas gifts than vehicle shopping.

Edmunds.com is estimating December’s used-car sales will amount to 2.71 million, for a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 29.6 million.

This is compared to 2.77 million, or a SAAR of 38.7 million, used-car sales in November.

Moving along to highlight new-car sales, the site forecasts that 1,361,899 new cars and trucks will be sold in the U.S. in December for an SAAR of 15.4 million light vehicles.

“This would bring total 2012 sales to 14.5 million light vehicles, which would be a 13.5 percent increase over 2012, and the highest annual total since 2007,” officials added.

These numbers would translate to a 19.1 percent increase from November 2012, and a 9.6 percent increase year-over-year.

“Retail SAAR will come in at 13.0 million vehicles in December, with fleet transactions accounting for 15.6 percent of total sales,” Edmunds.com officials predicted.

Adding some commentary, Edmunds senior analyst Jessica Caldwell said: “December will be the icing on the cake for 2012 — it’s a strong close for a year that had significant auto sales growth throughout.

“Along with the momentum of the improving economy, December car sales have been helped by compelling advertising, generous deals from most automakers, and the rush of demand unexpectedly and unfortunately caused by Hurricane Sandy,” she continued.

Breaking the numbers down by manufacturer, Edmunds.com predicts General Motors to lead the way with 237,799 sales this month.

The Blue Oval is expected to follow closely behind with 212,898 sales, with Toyota coming in at No. 3 with 201,502 sales.

Chrysler Group and Honda round out the top five with 148,085 and 133,621 sales, respectively, according to Edmunds.com’s predictions.