PRESS PHOTO BY PAUL WILLISTEIN

It appears that Santa's helpers are still getting a break at the gas pump when they stop to fuel their sleighs as they make the rounds checking holiday season shopping lists.

The price for a gallon of unleaded regular gasoline continues to decline at Lehigh Valley gas stations, including at the Daisy Hill deli and convenience store, East Emmaus Avenue and East Susquehanna Street, Salisbury Township, where it dropped to just under $2.80, as of Dec. 7, almost 10 cents less than the previous week.

According to gasbuddy.com, a gallon of unleaded regular gasoline at non-membership gas stations was as low as $2.81 in Allentown and Bethlehem, $2.83 in Whitehall and $2.77 in Easton. The price per gallon was as low as $2.43 in Phillipsburg, N.J.

The national average for a one gallon of unleaded regular gasoline is $2.72, according to the Lundberg Survey, Inc., as of Dec. 8.

The national average price for a gallon of unleaded regular gas peaked seven months ago at $3.72.