DICKSON CITY, Pa. -- With just a few days left until Christmas Day, procrastinators are showing up in full force at shopping centers our area.
At the Viewmont Mall in Lackawanna County, traffic is tied up, and shoppers are scrambling -- all sure signs that Christmas is just around the corner.
Joseph Dimento came to the mall from Susquehanna County for one final gift.
"Yeah, I've been done. This is the last thing period."
For some, putting off the Christmas shopping until the last minute is another holiday tradition, while others are just testing the waters.
"I think we think we have time. If you're a home person, you're cooking, you're baking, you're decorating, and you think there's more time and that last week is always like, 'Oh, my gosh! Where did it go?' And here we are," Anne Berardelli said.
With last-minute shopping, comes last-minute wrapping. That's why the United Cerebral Palsy organization is saving people time and aggravation. The group has been wrapping for a good cause here for over a decade, so they have strategies for gifts of all shapes and sizes.
Paul Jennings is taking advantage of the service, getting a gift-wrapped for his mother.
"It's just so hectic. You got a lot of things to do, especially two days before Christmas, so it helps a lot. It's saving a lot of time," Jennings said.
Shoppers we spoke to agree whether you're a procrastinator or an early bird, as long as those gifts find their way under the tree by the 25th, that's all that matters.
"No one knows if you were out the last second or if you were prepared. It's the thought that counts and the thought gets out, and it gets done, and everybody's happy," Berardelli said.