“I procrastinated,” Tollefson said sheepishly. “I'm always a day-before shopper.”
Seeking inspiration inside the glittery shops, Tollefson, of Frenchtown, hurried toward the mall armed with his gift ideas of jewelry, iPods and baby toys.
And others had special reasons for picking up final gifts.
“For the last 10 years my daughter has been a heroin addict. I have her back now and she's been drug free now for 1 1/2 years,” said Sunshine Cornelius of Missoula, a mother of five children. “We're so proud of her. The whole family has put her first. We'll make this Christmas more special for her.”
Couples hunted for presents and stocking stuffers along Reserve Street stores, while locals and out-of-towners strolled along downtown streets.
“There are a lot of unique shops and items that we don't have in Glasgow, so we take advantage of that,” said Alison Molvig with her 15-year-old daughter, Angella.
Marie Evans of Frenchtown headed for a downtown lunch with her daughter-in-law, Kerrie.
“We weren't planning on shopping, but we found two gifts,” Evans said. “We wanted to take in some of the local flavor.”
Marty Fromm of Missoula said he couldn't make up his mind on a gift for his wife, Kari. So, he hit the streets the day before Christmas.
“Downtown is very pleasant and isn't crowded,” he said “I like to support downtown with local people and keep money local. There are more unique businesses here, too.”
Others, like 17-year-old Caitlin Stone, sought the variety of stores she could find at the mall.
“I've been so busy with school and college applications that I haven't been to Missoula for a long time,” said Stone, a senior at Seeley-Swan High School.”
Jan Crug and her son Ryan, 16, finished their shopping on Sunday. But they were at the mall for a pre-Christmas tradition that stretched back for as long as they could remember.
“We're here people watching. It helps alleviate stress,” Crug said. “You just see all the people in a frenzy. And you get to see people from out of town that you don't usually see.”
Outside of Target on Reserve Street, Rob Taylor carried a recently purchased toilet training kit for his 15-month-old son.
“It's a pooper,” said Taylor of Missoula. “And at his age the box is more interesting that the product.”
He characterized why he left his gift-buying for the last day.
“I think maybe it is an act of desperation,” he said. “But now I'm done - and it feels good.”
Reporter Pamela Podger can be reached at 523-5241 or at pamela.podger@missoulian.com.
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