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Gather round, young cyber shoppers, and I’ll tell you a tale of Christmastime past, when gifts under the tree required a massive undertaking of physical prowess, change counting expertise and psychological endurance.

Call me sexist, but in my experience, this seasonlong workout was endured primarily by women.

It began each year on the day after Thanksgiving, moms and sisters and girlfriends and daughters would rise before dawn, peruse the local newspapers for budget-stretching coupons and leave the quiet of their warm, comfy homes to spend what seemed like a lifetime, Walking. The. Mall.

If her departure seemed lonely, it was quickly reversed when she turned into the parking lot and realized she’d have to walk half a mile, through slushy sno

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