Carrie Rubins is shopping…searching for someone we all know: the family member who's hard to shop for: "Usually because I can't think of things to get, a perfect thing. So then it eventually comes to me, what I should buy somebody!”

And like everything else, Christmas shopping is different this year. Nevada's Santa season came in faster than a flying reindeer. Owner Sue Murphy of The Freckled Frog gift shop at the Summit Sierra Mall told me, "We've had more people come in and say they were worried about shutdowns so they got their Christmas shopping done early. Also, everybody wanted to be more in the Christmas spirit."

Sue put Santa and the nutcrackers on the shelves and went into full holiday mode 2 and a half months ago, on October 1st! "We didn't get too many 'Oh my gosh it’s a little early.' This year people were thrilled. They wanted a little joy in their life."

But there have been limitations and staffing shortages this year. Many stores we checked don't open for shopping until 11:00 now…big stores like Best Buy, and small stores like The Freckled Frog. Sue says, “Reducing hours is keeping my girls safer, the less time they have to be in the public the better."

But they still went all-out on the holiday. More than ever, people want Christmas. And this year, they want traditional. As Carrie told me, "We're in uncertain times. And people just want that stability of, you know our past." Sue says, “Mostly things to make themselves just feel the joy of Christmas as it used to be for them."

Business has been brisk at The Freckled Frog. Sue has sold 85% of her Christmas inventory. They're already down to their last nutcrackers. "We have no back stock of anything left in the store, and before we had a huge storage space that was full."

There are still plenty of ornaments and tree toppers on the sales floor. Also elves, snowmen, lights and trees…wreaths, bulbs, stockings and stars. The Freckled Frog is well-known for many had to find Christmas collectables: Mark Roberts figurines and Karen Didion’s Santas. But shopper Carrie Rubins is still searching for the right gift for her daughter. She did make some progress: "Well I went over to the Christmas tree over there, and I found a lot of things for myself!”

We've all been there Carrie. It’s just another hurdle on finally crossing that Christmas finish line.