Editors' pick: Originally published Dec. 5.

Last-minute Christmas shopping isn't some weird, stressful anomaly: it's a way of life.

According to a November survey by the National Retail Federation, 55.7% started their holiday shopping before December, but just 2.9% finished. Though 36.7% of shoppers had more than 50% of their holiday shopping done by the end of December, 44.3% hadn't even started yet.

So how's that going to play out? Well, in the survey that the NRF released on December 15 of last year, the average holiday shopper had completed just 53.5% of their shopping by early December. That's similar to the 52.9% who responded the same way at that stage of the 2014 holiday shopping season. In all, just 10% of holiday shoppers said they were done.

What takes these people so long? Well, holiday procrastinators are the undecided voters of retail: slow and eager to complain. Last year, 44.8% of late shoppers said they were still trying to decided between gifts. Another 28.8% said they wait until mid to late December, because their friends and family haven't given them enough ideas as to what they want. Another 22% think there's some better deal -- better than what they received on Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Cyber Tuesday, Green Monday, Free Shipping Day etc. -- waiting later in the year while just 20.8% admit they're procrastinators.

When asked when they would purchase their last gift, one-third (33.4%) said sometime before December 18, while 10.2% planned to wait until December 23. However, nobody in retail discourages this kind of behavior. In fact, the entire industry is now built abound it.

"While we witnessed an early start to the holiday shopping season and an extraordinary Thanksgiving weekend, some of the busiest shopping days of the year are still to come," NRF president and CEO Matthew Shay said last December. "We expect retailers will be competitive on price and value options in the final stretch, including extended store hours and in-store events, as well as online deals and free shipping offers."

It didn't get better than what shoppers saw earlier in the holiday season, but stores didn't stop trying. Last year, Target kept its stores open until 11 p.m. on Christmas Eve in some markets, with Toys 'R' Us staying open until 9, Walmart welcoming customers until 8 and JCPenney, Sears, Best Buy and others all open until 6. Expect more of the same this year, but don't expect online retailers to take the night off.

Though its free shipping deadline passes on December 16 and its standard shipping deadline is on the December 19, Amazon is still guaranteeing two day shipping in time for Christmas as of December 22. Meanwhile, December 23 is the last day for one-day shipping, though Prime members are being promised same-day shipping for orders received by Christmas Eve morning and two-hour shipping by Christmas Eve night.

Amazon isn't the only retailer playing it close with shipping deadlines this year. Macy's, Dell, Apple, NewEgg, Toys 'R' Us, Best Buy, Target and Walmart are all vowing that their fastest shipping options well get to consumers by Christmas day if they're ordered on December 23. Best Buy, Target, Walmart and Toys 'R' Us are all also guaranteeing that customers who order items online can pick them up in stores on Christmas Eve. With UPS, the U.S. Postal Service and FedEx all also vowing Christmas delivery for shipments sent on December 23, retailers at least have someone to blame if holiday promises aren't fulfilled.

The pressure's squarely on the shoulders of the delivery services, too. During the 2013 holiday season, overconfident retailers put nearly 8 million packages through UPS's system alone. A 37% jump in orders placed the last weekend before Christmas combined with winter weather and orders filed as late as 11 p.m. on December 23 to create an absolute disaster. Amazon was forced to offer refunds and gift cards in an attempt to salvage ruined Christmases.

Everybody is feeling a bit more confident this year, but there's always a grand fallback plan just in case delivery doesn't work out.

"With more promotions to come, shoppers will have ample opportunities this holiday season to seek out the perfect presents — either for themselves or for others," says Pam Goodfellow, analyst for market research company Prosper. "The popularity of gift cards makes them an easy choice, but many consumers will still search online and in store, browse ad circulars and even login to Facebook to find inspiration for unique and memorable gifts for their loved ones."

Yep, gift cards: the last refuge of the holiday scoundrel. The NRF says that holiday shoppers plan to purchase an average of three gift cards this year with an approximate value of $46 per card. That makes it the second most-popular gift after clothing and a $27.5 billion industry that's actually increased in value from last year's $26 billion. Folks who want gift cards are seeking ones from restaurants (35%), department stores (33%), Visa/MasterCard/American Express (22%) and coffee shops (21%), but there's a slight disconnect between gift card supply and demand.

According to a survey by Bankrate.com, half of consumers say they plan to give a gift card this year. That would be great if more than 27% of Americans said say they want to receive one. In fact, younger generations who've never known a holiday without gift cards aren't particularly fond of them. While 34% of younger Millennials (ages 18 through 25) want a gift card, 57% prefer a tangible gift.

Though 23% of all gift recipients don't care if they receive a gift card or tangible gift, just 9% of that younger group feels the same. That's in stark contrast to their older Baby Boomer grandparents (ages 62 through 70) who don't think much of receiving standard gifts (44%) and are more likely than any age group (66%) to buy gift cards for others this holiday season.

"Finding a gift that suits each individual on your holiday list can be a challenging task," said Bankrate.com analyst Mike Cetera. "Given the vast selection, electronic delivery options and potential security features, gift cards are still a solid choice for many gift-givers."

There's a reason why gift cards are so much more beloved by buyers than by recipients: they're really easy to get. Chains like Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid, 7 Eleven, Albertsons, Family Dollar and Circle K -- all of which had stores open on Christmas in 2015 -- have giant racks of gift cards from various retailers. Best Buy, meanwhile, has made a point of insuring delivery of electronic gift cards on Christmas Day if you order them online.

That said, even the National Retail Federation knows that gift cards may be a bit past their prime. Consumers said they planned to spend $31.7 billion on them in 2014, but this year's expected $27.5 billion would be less than holiday shoppers planned to spend on them from for four out of five years since 2010. In a survey the NRF conducted two years ago among shoppers who weren't buying gift cards, 25% thought gift cards were impersonal. A full 16.3% of potential gift-card buyers worried about the card expiring, while 2.1% didn't like the idea of the retailer who issued it going bankrupt. Also, there's the small matter of 10% of all gift-card givers not even knowing what company the people they're buying for would want a card from.

Yes, it's getting easier out there for procrastinators, but that doesn't mean that even their little plastic failsafes don't come with pitfalls.

"After years of exchanging gift cards over the holiday season, consumers may want to try to avoid the potential awkward exchange when the card they've given their loved ones are worth less or more than the one they've received," Goodfellow says. "However, there will always be an appetite for gift cards, especially with procrastinators who will wrap up their shopping in the final hours."