Giving out presents is one of the most rewarding and exciting things to do on Christmas Day. Being able to see the look on someone's face when they open your present and love it is truly amazing. As fun as being able to make someone happy is all the money and work put into getting that present ready is not so fun. Christmas is my favorite time of the year, but I absolutely HATE Christmas shopping and here are 10 reasons why:

1. I have no money.
   Being a broke college student is not easy, especially during Christmas. I find myself really close to an empty bank account and 6,000,000 (12) people to shop for. I want to give them all the best, but even cheap things add up after you've been shopping for a while. There's no way I can get through shopping without panicking about my inevitable poverty. I know they'll be thankful, and that's enough, but at the end of the day, I'll be a poor girl with lots of happy friends.
2. Everything I see I want to buy.
   Ever notice that when you go out shopping you see everything you could possibly ever want, but you know you can't buy any of it because it's so close to Christmas? That's pretty much my life in the weeks leading up to Christmas. There is so much that catches my eye. I know my parents would never think to buy it for me and it would be so much easier to buy it for myself. I can't do it, though, because then I wouldn't be able to buy any gifts for others. Sigh, life is hard.
3. There is nothing in the size I need. Ever ...
   I always find myself needing a particular size in something and- oh what a coincidence- they don't have that size! If I need a small in one shirt, it isn't there. If I move on to another shirt and need a medium, it isn't there either. It's insanity! The clerk says, “Well, I can check the back for you!” I get excited and am filled with hope only for my dreams to be crushed again. If they do happen to have it in storage it leaves me wondering why they don't bring the shirts from “the back” out into the actual store...
4. There are too many people out shopping.
   I know I shouldn't complain about all the people out shopping- because I'm one of them- but they really are bothersome. Everything takes 5 times as long as it should and the lines are UNBEARABLE. There is always someone in the way or blocking something. Then I'm always the one expected to move out of someone else's way no matter if I'm at fault or not. People also tend to be more rude while holiday shopping because they're stressed out. It's not my fault you left everything until last minute (like the rest of us) and are speeding around the mall. Move along Ma'am!
5. I never know what to get someone.
   It doesn't matter how close I am to someone, I will never know what to get them. My mind draws a blank, I don't know if it's too much pressure or what! I can't ever think of something my closest friends and relatives could possibly find useful- at least in my price range. To be honest, I'm so distracted by the things I want that I forget about what others might want instead.
6. I always over do it.
   I constantly think I have a good plan, but my ideal gift is way out of my price range. This leads to me overcompensating with lots of inexpensive gifts, but I'm never sure if they are things the person will actually like. Then I have to worry about if I got them too much and seem like a holiday try-hard.
7. I have to pretend to be “jolly.”
   So after about 3 hours of Christmas shopping and dealing with 15 separate rude encounters, I'm starting to lose my Christmas joy. It takes a lot in me to keep the smile on my face and my “Merry Christmas” farewell at each checkout is a little forced. Still, even though I'm stressed and tired I pretend to be jolly because attitudes rub off on people.
8. I always forget to shop for someone.
   When I'm shopping for so many people at the same time it's very easy for me to forget about someone. I always happen to remember someone that I forgot to shop for right after I've left the store. This happens every year and I always end up shopping for people right up until Christmas Eve.
9. I stress out about losing things.
   With all the bags I'm carrying- along with my purse- I always freak out that I have lost something. I've got so much to keep track of and when I can't find something after 15 seconds I go into panic mode. My debit card is always in some weird placed or random shopping bag I shoved it into, which leads to me searching through every bag I have at check-out. Yeah, I'm that girl.
10. It reminds me all my work is only half over.
    Once I finish shopping I feel relieved, but then I realize I'm not even close to being done. For all of the gifts I have bought, each needs to be wrapped. I'm a terrible wrapper and it takes me so long to get everything looking somewhat presentable. Then I need to worry about getting all these gifts out to my friends and family. It's no wonder why Holidays were so stressful for our parents while we were growing up. They had so much to get done and they had to pretend it wasn't overwhelming.

I get excited to begin Christmas shopping every year because I truly enjoy shopping in general. Though around Christmas time the mall is a battlefield that I fear entering- mostly for the sake of my bank account. It's worth it in the end because I know I'll be making some friends and family very happy ... I'll just need a few days to recover after.