Whether you're the guy throwing everything in a shopping cart on Christmas Eve or the girl who has every gift planned months in advance, there's no denying there's a certain stress level and desperation associated with holiday shopping. Whether it's cynicism, innate Scrooge-ness, or just a distaste for never-ending Jingle Bells, we all hate these certain aspects of Christmas.
1. The line is a mile long at every checkout counter.
2. Mall parking is horrendous.
3. You've got that one person who's just Impossible to buy for. And they don't like gift cards either.
4. You could try online shopping, but then there's the whole "$40 for overnight shipping" thing.
5. The sales always manage to end the day before you get to the store.
6. Gift wrapping paper is $10 a roll and you know it'll be 50 cents come the 26th.
7. Everyone feels the desire to Christmas-ize everything. Mouthwash does not need to be gingerbread flavored.
8. You're kinda tired of seeing reindeer on the ceilings of department stores, considering they've been up since August.
9. There's a constant guilt for wanting to spend money on yourself -- even if it's for new jeans.
10. You know your credit card is going to hate you for the next six months because you can't stand to be the one "bad friend" who doesn't get something for everyone in your sorority.
11. Deep down inside, you know half the gifts won't be used after the first two weeks.
12. There's that one friend who's already wrapped everything perfectly with little bows and ribbons and you can't even find a good box for your brother's Transformers.
13. Christmas. Music. Everywhere.
14. There's always the annoying "jacket on, jacket off, jacket carried awkwardly through the whole store" battle of shopping while it's 30 degrees outside.
15. You can't remember whether Jeana wanted the blue or the green sweater – and you know she was specific.
16. You're an adult now, so you actually have to get good gifts for your parents. And grandparents. And aunts, uncles, and assorted relatives who've given you argyle socks for 18 years straight.
17. Everything is crowded. Everything. And you're not a people-person on a good day.
18. That extra holiday weight hasn't come off from Thanksgiving, and none of your shopping outfits seem quite as flattering as they did last year.
19. Red and green do not match your skin tone.
20. The never-ending uber-fake "Merry Christmas!" or "Happy Holidays!" from every checkout clerk only cements your "bah, humbug" demeanor.
21. Screaming children seem to have appeared from thin air.
22. You can't find the right sizes for anything.
23. The one gift you really need is locked behind the counter and it takes the store 40 minutes to send someone over to get it out for you.
24. Your arms cramp from the sheer stubbornness of getting everything out of the mall, into the car, and into the house in one trip.
25. You know you'll forget something and have to go through the whole ordeal again.
