WEST READING, Pa.- It’s Christmas Eve, and across West Reading, the last-minute rush is on.
“I came in to pick up a last-minute pickup of three rings for my granddaughters,” said shopper Rita Ditsky.
Inside shops like Tinsel and Twig, the day started early.
“So, a lot of shops are open for Christmas Eve so you can get in your last-minute stuff,” said Cara Dzurek, owner of Tinsel and Twig. “I’ve already had people coming in since 9 a.m. So we’re moving.”
Dzurek says this holiday season has been about people coming back out.
“Our Second Fridays have grown. We started Local Love, and it seems to be getting more people out on the Avenue and just kind of seeing what we have,” she said.
And what people are looking for this time of year is often something personal.
“I do handwriting, engraving. I can take a recipe your great-grandmother wrote and put it on a board,” Dzurek said. “Literally right before you came in, I had a customer say her cousin cried when he got his. Stuff like that is really personal, I think that kind of makes the difference in Christmas.”
The customers agree.
“When I come in to pay, I see all the awesome stuff and I end up buying a bunch of stuff,” said Bobby Stasko. “These really cool pocket knives. I want to get some scripture engraved on a wood handle for my nephew. And these sunglasses are awesome, I tried them on and I feel like I look like a movie star with them on.”
And for Kell Gibson, the gift isn’t something in a bag, it’s time.
“Got a little day off. Had to come get me some tacos because that’s my favorite,” Gibson said. “My favorite food is pizza, but tacos is top three, top five. That’s my Christmas gift.”
And while the mood is relaxed, the impact is real.
According to the National Retail Federation, this holiday shopping season is on track to exceed $1 trillion in total sales, a record pace that includes those last-minute shoppers heading out today.
“I want to wish everybody a merry Christmas and a happy new year,” Gibson said. “Stay blessed, stay safe, protect your family and everything you’ve got going on. I love y’all and I want y’all to love me too. It’s nothing but love this way.”