'Twas the day before Christmas and, apparently, many people hadn't finished their shopping.
With less than 24 hours to go, last-minute shoppers across the Alle-Kiski Valley hit the highlights, grabbed at low-hanging fruit and reminded themselves that it's really the thought that counts anyway.
Meanwhile, shopkeepers and store managers around the area said they saw enough hustle and bustle Wednesday to dispel the gloom of an otherwise drooping economy -- at least until after Christmas.
According to the National Retail Federation's 2008 holiday survey, conducted by BIGresearch, the average person had checked 47 percent of holiday shopping items off the list by the second week of December, about 10 percent fewer than the 53 percent average completed by this time last year.
The survey also found that by the middle of December, more than 41 million people had not started holiday shopping, with the biggest procrastinators being men (21% haven't started) and 35- to 44-year-olds (21%). Only 8 percent of shoppers said they had completely finished their shopping.
At the Pittsburgh Mills mall, Lauren Krchnak, 19, of Freeport was doing some extra family shopping duty -- not just for her mother, brother and sister, but for the presents they forgot to buy for other people, plus some extra dishes for Christmas dinner.
"I don't mind," said Krchnak, who is studying physical therapy at the University of Pittsburgh. "I'm the college student, so everyone else has a hard job. I'm only home for three weeks. It was either this or get a job."
She had picked up several dress shirts, sweaters, a jacket, two hats and dishes -- "so far," she said.
Nearby, Craig Sipko, 35, of West Deer had finally finished shopping and was lounging on some chairs with his stepson D.J. Troup, 12, and stepdaughter Nicole Troup, 13.
They were waiting for the children's mother, Terri Sipko, 34, and looking tired.
Sipko thinks most people run themselves ragged to buy tons of stuff no one needs, while ignoring the original meaning of Christmas: to celebrate the birth of Jesus, he said.
"It's great to exchange gifts, but focus on the true meaning," he said.
His wife, Terri, is an assistant manager at the mall's Wal-Mart and thinks it would be a real eye-opener for ferocious shoppers if each was forced to spend one day doing her job during the holiday season. If they could see things through her eyes, people would remember the true meaning of Christmas in a hurry, she said.
"I keep my patience because I know what Christmas is about -- that's what gets me through it," she said.
At Heights Plaza in Harrison, shoppers stalked the sidewalks in the rain, laden down with water-slicked plastic bags.
Inside Family Christian Store, shoppers were looking for something that reflected the true meaning of Christmas.
Men tend to "have something in mind, and they want to get in and get out," said store manager Joel Varga, 54, of Lower Burrell.
But the store's primary demographic is middle-aged Christian women with children, he said.
This year, the store's big sellers were figurines, books and copies or advance orders of the year's popular Christian movies and media.
"There's a culture involved," he said. "Most people here are in tune with what's taught in the type of books we sell."
Megan Field, 32, of Tarentum was there with four of her five children -- sons Brycen, 8, and Elyjah, 1, and daughters Sydni, 10, and Brooklyn, 6 -- to help them take care of their last-minute presents.
They attend the Salvation Army church in Brackenridge and were looking for Christian gifts for friends and family who might benefit from a reminder of their faith, she said.
Brycen picked out a necklace with a charm that said "Love" for a family friend, while his mother picked up a plaque with the words of the "Our Father" prayer printed on it.
"I'm really not sure yet who it's for," she said. "But I hope that whoever gets it will read it and think about it."
At gift shops like The Hole In the Wall on Leechburg Road in Lower Burrell, customers don't always know what they're looking for -- but they know it when they see it.
After taking care of the rest of the family, Violet Ferrari, 85, of East Deer said she was still shopping for her daughter-in-law.
"I already got her a sweater," she said. "I got sweaters for everyone, but I'd like to give her one thing that's a little bit special."
Clerks are also used to serving (polite) hordes of the stereotypical last-minute shoppers: men.
The store gets 40 or 50 shoppers on the usual Christmas Eve, compared to 10 or so on a regular day, staffers said.
"They're very precise -- they go right to what they want," said Marcella Dudzinski, who runs the store along with her business partner, owner Christine Dymkoski.
At this point, those who don't already know what they're looking for are happy with "whatever we suggest," Dudzinski said, laughing.
Some, though, are very thoughtful about their choices.
James Hoey, 38, and his father, James Hoey Sr., 62, both of New Kensington were there shopping for the very important lady they share: "Mom."
They chose a hand-painted crystal wine glass and decanter set from Romania, decorated with bunches of tiny purple grapes.
From there, they were headed to the liquor store to buy some wine to go with it, they said.
Son Hoey Jr. was sure she'd enjoy it.
"I put a lot of thought into a gift," he said. "I won't get a gift card. That's just lazy, buying a gift card. ... And this is the place to come. Looks good, smells good, and there's candy," he said, pointing to a case full of truffles drizzled in multicolored chocolate.
On the other hand, "She's happy with anything," her husband joked. "If we took a dead bird home, she'd love it."
Hoey Sr.'s brother-in-law, Herb Gregg, 45, also of New Kensington, was there too, hunting for a gift for the family grab-bag that would appeal to everyone and anyone.
"Maybe some candles," he said.
In their family, he said, the grab bag can be lucky or just tacky -- it's sometimes hard to tell, even from the packaging.
The best strategy is one wise last-minute shoppers might want to stash in the closet for next year:
"If you want something good, show up early."
