John and Sarah Hutton on Thursday pushed the eleventh hour to the twelfth.

Waiting at the Apple Store at the The Shops at Briargate to get his iPhone fixed, the couple had just more than an hour to get to Chapel Hills Mall before it closed at 6 p.m. so they could shop for each other and John’s father.

“That’s really sad,” Sarah said. “And I’m like, detail — type A. I don’t know what came over me.”

The Huttons were not alone on Christmas Eve. Several parents of young children said they had family in town and Thursday was the only day they could get out of the house without the kids.

Others were waiting on this week’s paycheck before buying gifts.

The atmosphere at various Colorado Springs retailers was busy but generally relaxed.

Even Shannon Thomas was smiling despite not having purchased a single gift for any of her three children before Thursday.

By 3:30 p.m., when she was deliberating doll-clothes choices with her daughter at Toys R Us, she had already purchased a Nintendo Wii and Xbox games. She still had to finish toy shopping, get to the clothing store and stop for groceries for Christmas dinner.

“Last-minute is an understatement. I’ve just been super busy,” she said. “I’m usually (shopping) like two weeks before Christmas.”

The National Retail Federal found in a survey that nearly 42 million people had not started shopping as of the second weekend in December, and only 8.6 percent of shoppers had finished. The survey also found that 21.4 percent of men put off shopping this year compared with 17 percent of women.

Such was the case at J.C. Penney on Thursday afternoon, where a few men picked employees’ minds for ideas at the jewelry counter.

Others were out Thursday just to kill time before church, grab up stocking stuffers or buy more presents, well, simply for the sake of buying more presents.

“I already bought stuff, but I like buying more, especially when it is my boyfriend. I’ll buy him two things and then, oh, I’ll just buy a couple more things,” said Allison Woodworth, visiting from San Diego.

Heidi Russell went into J.C. Penney looking for Christmas pajamas for her husband and ended up with a spice rack as well.

“I can’t stop shopping,” she said. “I’m really actually surprised there aren’t better deals.”

Though not evidenced at the Safeway at 840 Village Center Drive in Rockrimmon,the National Retail Federal’s survey found many people would leave grocery shopping for the last minute.

Joann Dreher recalled the horror she had just experienced at a King Soopers before landing at Target at Union Boulevard and Montebello Drive.

“There was a woman in the 15-items-or-less line, and it was clear she had more than 15 items,” Dreher said. “The people behind her were just rolling their eyes.

I just thought, ‘Oh, geez, get me out of here.’”

OPEN CHRISTMAS DAY– Solos Restaurant,1656 North Newport Road: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.– Academy Inn, 8110 North Academy: buffet at 11 a.m., noon and 1 p.m.– Waffle House, all three locations, 24 hours– Silver Pond Chinese, 5670 North Academy Blvd:11 a.m.; delivery available– Cheyenne Mountain Resort, 3225 Broadmoor Valley Rd.: 11 a.m.– Sunbird – 9 a.m.– Ritz Grill: 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. DJ on site– The Sunbird Restaurant: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.,– Townhouse Lounge: after 2 pm– All Safeway locations: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

With less than 24 hours until Christmas, Shannon Thomas and her 3-year-old daughter, Victoria, began their Christmas shopping at Toys R Us on Thursday. Photo by Mariah Tauger, The Gazette

With less than 24 hours until Christmas, shoppers Mia Maze (left) Shylee Hine, and Andrew Redmond exchanged some friendly advice in a toy isle at Toys “R” Us on Thursday, Dec. 24, 2009. Photo by Mariah Tauger, The Gazette