It could be argued that the second biggest shopping day of the year after Black Friday is today, Christmas Eve. All the people that forgot to buy stuff when they had plenty of time to do it figured they could quickly get in some last-minute items at the local department store or mall. You may be one of them.

If you decide to venture out today for shopping purposes, you will have to deal with long lines, mobbed parking lots and so on. ‘Tis the season, after all.

If you do decide to go shopping today, here are 5 tips that will help better weather the experience.

1. Is that cell phone battery charged?

If it isn’t, charge it for an hour before leaving. Doing the "I’ll charge the phone on the way and it should be enough" usually doesn’t work because the phone will die on you just when you need it most. Best to leave with a fully charged cell phone.

2. First stop: Gas station.

Today you can more or less throw good gas mileage out the window because there’s going to be a lot of stop-and-go traffic. All the gas stations are going to have long lines of cars, and believe me when I say you don’t want to deal with having to get fuel while out shopping. Go to your local station and fill the tank first.

While you’re there, also do this:

• Clean your headlight/directional/tail lenses and mirrors. Safety first.
• Grab some food if you didn’t eat yet. No, it’s not good for you but it’s cheap and quick. You’re going to be out for several hours battling the masses. Doing that on an empty stomach is not advisable. For whatever you get, avoid fizzy drinks and sugar-laden foods (they won’t settle well, if you catch my meaning).

3. Second stop: ATM.

You will have a much easier time in line at shops if you pay with cash. This isn’t to say that credit and debit transactions won’t work, but better safe than sorry here.

4. Third stop: Christmas cards.

This is the easiest part of the trip, and you don’t have to go to a department store or mall to get them. Stop by a Walgreen’s, CVS or Hallmark store. The lines will be a lot shorter, the parking will be much easier and it’s a quick in-and-out. Yes, the selection of cards will be terrible because there won’t be much left, but you’ll have more than you would in other places.

5. Onward! But be patient and tolerant.

If you thought Black Friday was bad concerning pushing and shoving around, Christmas Eve is even worse. People tend to get quite irritated when they’re in a rush, so the best advice here is simple – don’t rush. Patience in concert with tolerance will make everything a whole lot easier.

Preparedness is the key here for a smooth Christmas Eve. It will make Christmas Day that much more enjoyable.

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