In a perfect world, Brianna Johnson said she would have finished her holiday shopping a few weeks ago.
But, then came a flurry of last minute gift requests from family members and friends.
So, just after 10 a.m. on Christmas Eve morning, Johnson made her way to the Boulevard shopping center in Amherst to finish off her gift buying quest.
"Normally, I like to have everything done earlier," Johnson said.
Johnson is not alone - just be judging the legion of shoppers at the Boulevard's stores.
The National Retail Federation lists Christmas Eve as one of the busiest shopping days in the holiday season - perhaps even busier than Black Friday.
It is estimated that more than 60% of the retail - meaning non-supermarket - shopping done on Christmas Eve is driven by last minute gift buying for relatives.
That was Johnson's primary motivation.
"This was the only day I could do it," Johnson said.
North Tonawanda's Matt Bova was in the same shopping boat as Johnson.
Bova had to buy a special gift for his wife and given his work schedule, Christmas Eve turned out to be the best day to do his shopping.
"But, I do like shopping in person better," Bova said. "You can really see what you are buying."
The National Retail Federation is predicting this may be the strongest holiday buying season since the pre-Covid days.
The NRF is projecting more than $1 trillion in retail sales - a 4.2% increase from last year.
"All I know is that there is something magical about shopping on Christmas Eve," said Melissa Girling.