Lords of Kobol, hear my prayer...

It's good that you finished your Christmas shopping already so you don't have to deal with the crowds that much. Even if Christmas isn't as busy over here with presents (a lot of people use Sinterklaas for that), it's still usually incredibly busy in stores and grocery stores this time of the year and you're right: it's no fun.

And that's my impression too: the older you get, the quicker time seems to go by. It's crazy, really.