'Present Procrastinators' Hit The Malls On Christmas Eve As Shopping Clock Winds Down
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - The holiday shopping rush is on. It's Christmas Eve, which means if you are a "present procrastinator" the clock is ticking.
Luckily for all last-minute shoppers, some South Florida malls and stores opened early.
At a Kohl's store in the Palms of Town and Country Mall in Kendall, early risers took advantage of the calm before the last mad rush.
"Let me tell you, I was, I went to Costco yesterday and the shopping centers, it was crazy. It's crazy, finding parking is ridiculous. I figured nobody is going to be up at this hour and it was perfect," said Maria Bellando.
At the Aventura Mall, Ellen Block was another early bird shopper.
"Well it's Hanukkah and the mall was open at 8 o'clock in the morning and I thought I'd beat the rush and come and get a few more for the family," she said.
Retailers expect six percent of all holiday shoppers will go out on Tuesday to finish their shopping lists.
"I'm getting my usual last-minute shopping in for my wife. I always do it, wait till the last minute and today's that last minute," said Mike Moore.
Moore, who shops on Christmas Eve every year, said goes in with a plan.
"I know what I want, I know where I'm going. I'm in and out and I'm done by noon and be home trying to talk someone into wrapping it for me," he said.
Karen Vargas waited in line to get inside a packed Pandora store.
"We're trying to find one gift that we need to buy today. We were working all weekend so now we need to buy something," she said.
The Sills family is here from Baltimore. It's tradition to get a family Christmas uniform and head to the mall.
"A couple years ago we had elf outfits, last year we had onesies on," said Darrell Sills. "This year we kept it kind of casual."
They have more family that lives here. Each year they get a photo of everyone with Santa. And for the Sills, Christmas is about a lot more than just the gifts you buy at the mall.
"All four of us are cancer survivors, especially me," said Lauren Anthony, Sills' daughter. "I had stage 3 ovarian cancer. I didn't know four years from now I'd still be celebrating Christmas, so it's a blessing to be here with my family."
It's a spirit they share with everyone they meet.
"We just want to bless everybody with love, peace and happiness. Peace on Earth," said Angelina Sills, Anthony's mother.
Shayna Hyman and her family got to the mall early to finish their shopping. They're ready to celebrate Hanukkah and remind people to remember the reason behind all this shopping madness.
"Just enjoy yourself, enjoy the time. Happy Holidays. It's not all about presents, it's about family and friends and getting together," she said.
Last-minute shoppers have until 6 p.m., that is when the malls will close and remain that way on Christmas Day.
