Until this year, and more specifically yesterday at 0400hrs, I was completely oblivious to what I have now termed "Holiday Horror".

My husband and I decided that this year, we would actually get up early and go shopping on the biggest shopping day of the year! Even given, that I am not a big shopper, the savings and colorful ads got even me excited. So we get up at 0300hrs, roll out of bed at 0330hrs...and are finally out the door bundled up at about 0400hrs heading for Kohls.

Of course, when we got there we realized quickly, this would not be a normal shopping day. First clue...Parking.

After driving around for a few minutes dodging cars and shopping zombies, we finally find a place to park and are already questioning the decision to be there...but we decide, hey, we're here, might as well check it it out.

We get out of the car and feverishly shove the bundle of clothes wrapped around our toddler son into a stroller and race inside.

Once inside we see our second clue...ridiculously long line at the registers. This for me was about 15 people...so I think, well, lets grab a few baby clothes and get out of here. We round corner to the toddler clothes and grab up a few good sales. We decide to take one quick trip around the store to see what else is going on. Before getting halfway around the store, we met the end of what has now become...the checkout line.

Here's our third clue...shopping zombies. I used the term earlier. And what I mean by this are mindless and partially blind humans, generally in the form of females, who have one mission in mind. But instead of eating human flesh, their only mission is to shop.

They carelessly and with no apology (mindless, remember?) run around the store frantically running into people and even baby strollers along the way. Yes, even my baby stroller.

Alas, this was the final straw for me. We tossed the baby clothes and got out of there before we became part of a scene which too closely resembled one out of Resident Evil.

A quick breakfast at Denny's followed by easy shopping at the mall finished off our morning.

This breif encounter with Holiday Horror has tought me a lesson. I would rather pay $100 more for any item rather than face those insane zombies or stand in a line for an hour!