IN MY LIFE-KING OF PRUSSIA MALL

I do most of my holiday shopping on line anymore, as do a lot of Americans. It's easy. Items are delivered to your door. You can shop at 3 a.m. if you want. No worriers about traffic, parking or the weather. Sometimes it's too easy.

Tomorrow is Cyber Monday. There will be all kinds of deals and scams on the internet. People will be on their computers, laptops, tablets or phone-either at home or at work-shopping like crazy. In fact, the early indications from  Black Friday til now is record-breaking buying.

Yesterday we went to the gigantic King of Prussia Mall. No matter how convenient on-line shopping is, there's still nothing like shopping at the mall around Christmas. The lights and decorations, the Santa Claus set-up, the trees and poinsettia plants, the Christmas music, just the bustling crowds alone, most happy and smiling, let you know it's Christmas again.

The Mall  was expecting  around a half a million visitors for the entire Black Friday weekend. But it wasn't so crowded when we arrived before noon.

King of Prussia is cool because each store is unique. It was sad to see the former Pennies location still not occupied. KoP seems to have everything but a really good bookstore. Maybe a Barnes & Noble would do good in the old Pennies location?

With the economy doing better I expect the volume of shopping to remain steady all the way til Christmas. So dos hop-owners. There are always the last-minute shoppers (procrastinators), and with Christmas being on a Monday this year, the weekend before will be extra special crazy.

There were a lot of great deals in the stores yesterday. The Hallmark store, one of my favorites, was packed. Choosing a Christmas card is an all-day deal now. Cards to and  from your dog, or great-great-great grampa,and individual cards , not just for a co-worker- but for a secretary or a nurse.Gift-wrapping paper, gift-bags ( my favorite), colorful bows and ribbon, and Christmas stickers. Cards that light-up and play music and tell stories.

Malls bring out the kid in you again, the toy stores, the candy stores especially. The ugly Christmas sweaters on sale ( no wonder). There are little kiosks everywhere.The food court is jammed. And maybe it's too soon, and people aren't frustrated yet, but everyone seemed nice.

I get it why people say "Happy Holidays" these days. But to me, the word Christmas has a meaning, and there's nothing like saying or hearing "Merry Christmas"So, politically correct or not, I'm still saying "Merry Christmas."

Maybe we will hit the mall again before December 25, if only to soak up more of the holiday spirit. The Exton Mall awaits next.