The sounds of the holidays echoed throughout Westfield Old Orchard in Skokie.
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A light snow fell around the mall Christmas tree, with shoppers hitting the stores, bags in hand, just one day after Christmas.
"It was really good. We just did a lot of family stuff, and everyone came over to our house to open presents and play games," shopper Katherine Powers said.
Powers came to the mall with her mom, Jane, to make some post-holiday returns and purchases on what is considered to be one of the busiest shopping days of the year.
"We have a few returns and then a few gift cards," Powers said. "I thought it was going to be a lot more busy."
The sub-freezing temperatures did not keep customers away, with stores displaying bright and bold new sales in front windows, as shoppers returned and exchanged their gifts.
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"We're kind of just shopping. I'm picking up some last-minute gifts for friends. I just have not had time to go shopping at all this month," shopper Emily Kastanes said.
Jennifer Banovic spent some time at the mall with her daughter, Sofia, and said she was shocked by how seamless their day had been.
"We did our exchange at Bloomingdale's, and we bought her some new shoes, which she really wanted," Banovic said. "So far, it's not bad. We were here before Christmas, and it was a lot more crowded."
Alison Shaw and her bundled-up family made it to the mall earlier than most, but intentionally so.
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"It was smooth-sailing. We started at Nordstrom, and there was no wait, then just worked our way down to a couple different stores," Shaw said.
They wanted to spend as little time as possible in the crowds and more time together.
She had one rule.
"We are on a mission for returns. There is no purchasing today," Shaw said.
The sea of cars showed just how many people were spending time at Westfield Old Orchard Monday, and it's really no surprise with so many stores slashing prices.