By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – As the calendar turns to December, the holiday shopping season kicks into high gear as only 25 days stand between now and Christmas morning.

Although the Christmas shopping blitz traditionally begins the Friday following Thanksgiving, the majority of River Parishes residents usually procrastinate a little, or a lot, before heading out to area retailers to find those perfect gifts.

In celebration of “Black Friday,” visitors to www.lobservateur. com were asked when holiday shopping begins for them. More than half indicated that they typically wait a week or two after “Black Friday” to begin shopping, which seems pretty reasonable.

There are others, however, who wait a little longer. More than 25 percent of poll participants said they will be among the hoards of shoppers sweating it out on Christmas Eve.

Then there are the smart ones, who started way before the malls became crammed with other shoppers. About 20 percent of poll participants said they began months ago.

Surprisingly, no one who responded in the poll opted to admit that they brave the Black Friday crowds.

A full breakdown of results follows:

• 52 percent of respondents said “I’ll be starting my shopping in a week or two.”

• 26 percent of respondents said “I’ll be sweating it out on Christmas Eve.”

• 23 percent of respondents said “I started shopping months ago.”

• 0 percent of respondents said “I’ll be braving the Black Friday crowds.”