The Pains and Gains of Christmas Shopping

Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009

It’s down to the crunch now! For many people,  this is the time to regret leaving the Christmas shopping to the last few days. It’s the time to wonder if you remembered all of the people who made your little piece of the world that much better. Christmas shopping is a stressful but important component of the year.  Let’s take a look at what is top of mind for folks who shared their Christmas shopping experiences online.

First and foremost, there are the dreaded annoyances that come with trying to shop at the same time as millions of other people. It’s a story of shopper against crowd, against lines, against lack of parking.  What brings out the rants for social networkers the most? Why, it’s the crowding, of course, which takes up 64% of annoyance conversations. After that, parking and checkout lines each take up about 17% of the annoyances.

But, Christmas shopping isn’t all bad. It’s also the time of year to put peace and family ahead of crowds and lines and parking. Among all the wonderful things that come along with Christmas shopping, happiness comes up 44% of the time, very closely followed by anticipation with 41% of the positive conversations. It also seems that a little bit of courage is required to keep up with the season!

Whether you participate in the Christmas shopping tradition, may the spirit of the season keep you warm and blessed.