Boston shoppers brave bitter cold to get last-minute gifts on Newbury Street

It was a packed day on Boston’s Newbury Street as shoppers braved the bitter cold to finish up their holiday shopping with just three days left until Christmas.

With temperatures in the teens, some people told NBC10 Boston they were out shopping for others but had to stop and buy gloves for themselves.

“It’s so cold. My god. I’m from Phoenix and this is my first winter ever,” said flight attendant Ashley Piska.

“This is brutal,” said Kylie Whited, also a flight attendant.

Despite the cold, Newbury was bustling with bundled-up shoppers who needed to get last-minute gifts for their loved ones.

“My mom. I need to get her a last-minute gift. I kind of forgot. It’s a bad son of me,” said Worcester resident Willie Pridgen.

“I’m getting for my mom, looking for like jewelry items,” Whited said.

“My mom and my sister and my roommate,” Piska said.

People are spending a record $902 on average this holiday season, according to the National Retail Federation.

“I’m just a last-minute person you know this is what I do,” said Jhiron Lewis, of Springfield.

“We’re flight attendants so we don’t have a ton of off time so we kind of have to do it when we can,” Piska said.

“I mean I’m home on college break. I had like two weeks, three weeks to do this so I don’t know why but we’re doing it, that’s all that matters,” Pridgen said.

The shoppers out Sunday were looking forward to kicking back (and warming up) when all is said and done.

“I am off for the holidays so I’m enjoying resting and being with family,” Whited said.