With just two days before Christmas, it's down to the wire. But some shoppers like it that way.
"It's better to do it that way because you can't change your mind, but if you like buy stuff ahead of time, you just get so fickle," said Arabelle Ruscitti.
Ruscitti brought her 2-year-old puppy Goliath and her daughter, who flew in from the West Coast, along on her shopping trip for moral support.
"I did all my shopping already because I'm not a last-minute shopper. I'm just here to hang out," Carina Ruscitti said.
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The weather did nothing to deter panicked gift-givers from flocking to Old Orchard Shopping Center in Skokie to finish their holiday shopping.
"We've been busy as soon as we opened this morning," said mall general manager Megan Akers. "We have extended hours to accommodate all the last-minute shopping needs of our shoppers."
Retailers did offer some deals, but most last-minute shoppers said it was just about getting it done.
And if you didn't get your shopping done today, well, there's always tomorrow.