Central Texas malls and stores were busy Friday and may be even busier Saturday as shoppers search for last-minute gifts.

Retailers are depending on procrastinators, this year.

Without white-hot toys and apparel to lure people into stores, many shoppers have decided to hold off until the final hours before Christmas to open their wallets.

A quirky calendar hasn't helped.

Hanukkah is falling late, and Christmas Eve is on a Saturday, letting shoppers wait even longer than last year.

According to a survey of a thousand shoppers by the International Council of Shopping Centers, only 26 percent of households completed their holiday shopping as of Dec. 18, compared with 31 percent during the same time a year ago.