BATON ROUGE- T'was the day before Christmas, when all through the mall, hundreds were scrambling to get it all.

"I gotta go get like a jallion," shopper Daniel Collins said.

They made lists to make sure nothing was missed.

"I got most of them, but you can never have too many presents," Collins said.

They all had their reasons for the late start to the season.

"I was out of town, visiting my son and didn't do anything while I was there except visit," Debbie Castell said.

"I like the hustle of Christmas Eve shopping," Brandi Wilson said.

Wilson makes Christmas Eve shopping a yearly tradition.

"It's just the excitement," Wilson said.

"I like going last minute. It's more exciting. Seeing all these people in here. It's fun," Castell said.

For some, the wait wasn't worth the hustle and bustle.

"October, next year. I'm shopping in October," Collins said. "Safe to say, never again in my life."

If you wake up tomorrow realizing you still forgot something, select Wal-Greens and CVS will be open for a few hours.

Stores like Target and Wal-Mart will be closed until Monday.