Christmas on the Hill: Last minute preparation thing of the past

Christmas carols started playing in the stores of Westmoreland Mall at the beginning of November, preparing all for holiday cheer and the mad rush to buy the perfect gift.
This year, Seton Hill University (SHU) students are taking a different approach to last-minute shopping for the annual event, Christmas on the Hill.
Many ladies have already bought their dresses and some are borrowing outfits from friends to save money and fitting room stressors.


By Stormy Knight,
Arts & Entertainment Editor
Christmas carols started playing in the stores of Westmoreland Mall at the beginning of November, preparing all for holiday cheer and the mad rush to buy the perfect gift.
This year, Seton Hill University (SHU) students are taking a different approach to last-minute shopping for the annual event, Christmas on the Hill.
Many ladies have already bought their dresses and some are borrowing outfits from friends to save money and fitting room stressors.
�I�m planning on borrowing a dress from a friend’s sister,� said Tiffany Brattina, a senior.
With most dresses running at least $50 and up, borrowing dresses is a great way to save money. By borrowing dresses that may be a year or two old, there’s no fear of somebody else having the same dress.
Dresses aren’tthe only thing that women need to prepare for dances, shoes and accessories are a must have to complete any ensemble.
Standing at the checkout of Charlotte Russe, a popular juniors store, Whitney Nash, a senior, spoke of her preparation for Christmas on the Hill.
�I have shoes already, but I need to buy a necklace and earrings,� Nash said.
Her date, Jerry Harness, also a senior, buys Nash’s dress every year.
�I plan to spend $40 to $50 on the dance. I already have a suit,� said Harness.
The couple attends the dance every year and usually they take their own pictures.
Most people know that shopping early ensures a better selection and time to complete an outfit.
Katie Manni, a junior, bought her dress the first week in October.
�I had to pick up an order at JCPenney’s and I saw this amazing red dress and I knew I had to have it,� said Manni.
Impulse buying can be the best kind as long, as it’s not too far in advance for the event, according to Manni.
�I knew I should buy it that day because it might not have been there later on,� said Manni.
Usually it is a good idea to buy that perfect dress immediately because most stores only carry a limited number of formal dresses.
�Some styles of dresses we get only once, and there may be less than 10 dresses of a certain style that come into our store,� said Hannah Werner, general manager of Charlotte Russe.
There is no guarantee that stores will even receive the same dress again in another shipment.
�I wasn’tintending on purchasing a dress that day; it was all by chance,� said Manni.
In Manni’s case, buying on impulse was the best choice.
A sophomore, Megan Zubalik, also prepared early for Christmas on the Hill.
�My days of last minute shopping are over because I remember scrambling to get ready for high school dances,� said Zubalik, who bought her dress in October for around $100.
�It takes a lot of stress off knowing that I�m prepared and I can leisurely get ready the day of the dance,� Zubalik added.
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