The 14 Moms You Meet While Holiday Shopping

Holiday shopping is a funny thing — it's much different than everyday shopping and is definitely more pressurizing than birthday shopping — buying gifts for someone special gets increasingly harder when the entire rest of the world is shopping at the same time as you.

If you've ever holiday shopped in the thick of it all, you know that there are going to be a variety of moms out shopping for their kiddos, making sure that their holiday is perfect gift-wise — these 14 moms are the ones you are certain to meet on your holiday shopping travels, no matter where you shop.

01
The “Get Me Out of Here" Mom
Fox

The “Get Me Out of Here" Mom

There's a little bit of this mom in all of us — she has the look of sheer terror across her face throughout her entire shopping experience. She doesn’t want to be at the mall, she can’t focus on what she’s supposed to be getting, and all of the crowds are making her feel claustrophobic — you’ll likely find her in the fetal position in the backseat of her car on your way through the parking lot later.

02
The Everything-on-Their-List Mom
Warner Bros.

The Everything-on-Their-List Mom

Kids typically make long holiday wish lists full of popular toys and games that they’ve seen on TV or that their friends have, and this mom is making her child’s every wish come true by sticking to the list — the whole list — when doing her shopping.

03
The Overprepared Mom
Lee Mendelson Film Productions

The Overprepared Mom

This mom is likely along for the ride with a friend just to get out of the house and judge everyone else for not hitting up Amazon and Target like she did . . . three months ago.

04
The “I’ll Fight You For It” Mom
20th Century Studios

The “I’ll Fight You For It” Mom

This mom is letting the pressure of the holidays get to her a bit too much and may be showing her sassy side as she tugs the last Barbie on the shelf out of your hands. Remember your holiday spirit though, and try to cut her some slack (as you walk away with that Barbie, because I mean, you saw it first, right?).

05
The Kids-in-Tow Mom
NBC

The Kids-in-Tow Mom

Godspeed and good luck to this mom — she brought her kids with her, and whether she's realized how fast this innocent mistake is going to escalate or not, send her your mama prayers.

06
The Online Shopping Convert
Paramount Pictures

The Online Shopping Convert

This mom took one step into the department store, slowly removed herself from the situation, and went back home to get cozy with her computer and credit card information.

07
The Layaway Mom
The CW

The Layaway Mom

This mama started budgeting for her littles’ presents months ago and can be seen happily carting away her layaway loot — that she didn’t risk being sold out — without feeling too much spending guilt.

08
Wait Until It's on Sale Mom
Paramount Pictures

Wait Until It's on Sale Mom

This mom is taking some serious risks in waiting until the year’s hot toys go on sale, especially since the holidays sometimes come and go without the price on certain items dropping even a penny. She might be waiting a while . . .

09
The Educational Gift Mom
Fox

The Educational Gift Mom

From math games and logic puzzles to “for fun” workbooks, this mom is keeping her kids sharp through the holiday vacation with educational gifts that won’t “rot their brains.”

10
The Clueless Mom
Fox

The Clueless Mom

This mom has no idea what to get anyone and needs someone to loop her in on what the kids are into this year — or just do the shopping for her.

11
The Coupon Mom
Paramount Pictures

The Coupon Mom

Straight out of an episode of Extreme Couponing, this mama has her accordion file filled to the brim with every type of coupon you never knew existed because there is no way in hell she’s paying full price for anything!

12
The Quitter
NBC

The Quitter

This mama spends hours aimlessly pushing her cart through the toy aisles with her eyes glazed over, only to hop on line empty-handed to raid the gift card station.

13
The Nonholiday Mom
TLC

The Nonholiday Mom

This mom must have missed the memo, because while everyone else is in the toy aisle, she’s stocking up on regular-priced, everyday items like shampoo and tissues right in the thick of it all. She’s harmless but totally taking up an extra spot in the line, making your wait time even longer.

14
The Last-Minute Mom
CBS

The Last-Minute Mom

This mom dropped the ball completely this year, and though gifts aren’t the only part of the holidays, she knows she should grab something off of those empty shelves to wrap up — graham crackers and bouncy balls it is! Whoops.