Christmas is just around the corner, which means sipping cocoa, singing cocoa and shopping.
Some people have already finished shopping, while others will wait until the last possible minute. How are Frederick County people shopping? The Commuter asked.
Ryan Madden, 21, of Urbana, admits he tends to procrastinate.
“(I’m) always last minute when it comes to gift giving for the holidays,” he said.
Madden said he’ll be buying gift cards for the family — one from Five Below for his sister, an H & M one for his brother.
“For my mom, she honestly appreciates anything,” he said.
Laura Hart, 32, of Buckeystown, doesn’t wait until the last minute.
“I do my shopping on Cyber Monday, then wrap all the kid’s gifts,” she said.
Hart said she’ll go to Bath and Body Works for stocking stuffers like a small perfume, lip gloss, or even a face mask from Walmart.
“I love adding the skin care to make sure my kids have glowy skin,” she said.
Ace Martin, 17, of Thurmont, uses Black Friday for his big shopping day.
“ I just love spoiling my friends. Then I bring them my small gifts and wrap them up all nice and give them gifts before Christmas break,” he said. “The thrill of shopping this Christmas is to find out if you want to be in a lengthy line or pay for shipping when buying a gift. What I find amazing nowadays is you must be tech-savvy to get the makeup, clothes or shoes that you want through technology.”
Days for in-store shopping is something of a thing for the past for Raquel Windward, 43, of Thurmont.
“I used to love buying stuff for my kids like going to the store, now I just tell them to send me the links exactly of what they want from their tablets, so no one gets upset on Christmas day,” she said.
Eliza Chamberlain, 15, of Walkersville, looks forward to the online Black Friday deals.
“Now I can take my mom’s credit card and buy so many Hollister jeans in my size,” she said. “I am pumped for black Friday, my favorite store I have been loving is H&M because my wardrobe needs to be trendy, and I always need to stay on trend no matter what holiday or time of year that it is.”
But for 17-year-old Abigail Caesar of Myersville, she said she likes in-person shopping instead.
“I have a confession online shopping sends me into a crisis too many technology problems every time I try, something always happens so I decide to do it in person for fun,” she said.
Not everyone is thinking about shopping for the holidays, but about giving back.
Stephen Hudson, 18, of Walkersville, likes to volunteer with his family at the soup kitchen “every year to cook nice meals for families.”
“I enjoy volunteering to help the less fortunate, and it warms my heart to help cook because it is a hobby of mine to cook,” he said.
New Market resident Kailey Jamison, 23, said she volunteers at a homeless shelter.
“I ask to see if I can bring in blankets or socks to the shelter just so that I can be a help to homeless people in my area,” she said. “Plus, it is super cold outside. I need to make sure everyone is warm and make sure homeless people are protected.”
Thomas Smith, 54, of New Market volunteers at the women’s shelter to help women and children.
“ I try to donate or give a gift from Dollar Tree and give them to the children that are at the shelter,” he said.
