Last-Minute Christmas Shopping Is a Guy Thing

What is more grueling than painting a house? More stressful than fighting a fire?

If you answered “Christmas shopping,” then you are an American male who has not yet started his holiday gift buying. According to a survey conducted last month by Sears’ marketing researchers, a surprising 30% of men start buying gifts less than three weeks before Christmas--and 25% of men are still shopping on Christmas Eve.

Other recent behavior studies have found that shopping seems to cause some men’s blood pressure and pulse rates to soar to levels comparable to those found in firefighters battling a blaze.

Sears’ random telephone sample of 500 adult males across the nation also revealed:

* 36% of men believe it is easier to paint a house than to shop;

* more than 50% conceded that the gifts they’ve given in the past have had to be returned.

But, saddest of all, the sorry statistics are these:

* 25% of the men have resorted to recycling a gift;

* 12% got caught.