The idea of going to Hawthorn Shopping Center the day after Christmas was a bit daunting. However, I negotiated with my husband and only brought one of our two children eliminating the need for the double stroller and the mayhem that ensues from using the behemoth piece of equipment.

My seven month old, Trent, and I embarked on our adventure at eight o'clock. In my pre-children days, I would be one of those crazy people going to Target at 6am. So, I was preparing to encounter swarms of people. I was pleasantly surprised when I pulled up to Macy's and found a parking spot close to the entrance on my first try. In the six years that I have lived in Lake County and shopped at the mall, that has never happened. I thought that this was a fluke but it was just the beginning of my luck.

Once I made it inside, I found Macy's to be quite manageable. Not only were there phenomenal sales, the store was busy but not crowded. There were few enough people that it was easy to discern who the employees were.

As we ventured out into the main part of the mall, there was little to indicate that it was the second busiest shopping day of the year. We went to a variety of stores not just looking for good deals but for investigative purposes of seeing what the mall was truly like on December 26th. Aside from a toddler (thankfully not my own) having a melt down in one of the stores, we did not encounter one disgruntled patron in the whole place.

Although the economy may have been indicative of the small crowds and the fact that it was before noon, I fully intend on returning to Hawthorn for prime time shopping in the future.

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