There's shopping, and then there's holiday shopping. The former is pretty harmless; you're maybe one of 50 people total in the store, there's plenty of room to move around and you're really just there to buy your groceries or what have you. Holiday shopping is an entirely different animal. And that animal has rabies.
There are crowds. There are sales. There's very little hope of coming out of the experience unscathed. But try as you might, there's no avoiding the holiday rush, especially if you're one of those people who couldn't be bothered to shop ahead of time and are now stuck doing it all at the last minute. We could make an attempt to explain the exact stages of the holiday shopping emotional roller coaster, but decided instead to let some of our favorite holiday movies do the talking for us.
1. When you've been in one store for so long that you realize the music is on a loop
The only thing we want for Christmas is some variety. Please.
2. When you hit hour six and you can't feel your feet anymore
Kick back, relax and toss a shot of Bailey's into that hot chocolate you're holding.
3. When you finally leave the store, only to realize that you've forgotten to buy a gift for someone on your list
Back to the store you go! Cross your fingers for a parking spot.
4. When you reach your third day of shopping in a row
How is this taking you so long?!
5. When you stumble across something you really want for yourself, but convince yourself to put it on your wish list instead of splurging
Because really, what's Christmas without some good old-fashioned self-restraint?
6. When you start second-guessing one or several of your gift choices
You're fine, just put the receipt in the box so that they're not stuck with it or something.
7. When you're just trying to finish up at the register as quickly as possible in order to escape the rabid horde of shoppers behind you
We don't care that we're supposed to get $5.36 back in change; you can keep it as long as we get out of here in one piece.
8. When you finally give in and realize that holiday shopping is actually sort of fun
But only because the mall you went to features a masterfully built gingerbread town display.
9. And when the exhaustion hits you after the innumerable hours you've spent dragging your butt through every store in the city
Seriously, how does Santa do this every year for the whole world?