So what were all those last-minute shoppers buying?
It appears toys were high on their shopping lists. Toy sales spiked 26 percent in the week leading up to Dec. 24, according to data released by NPD Group. Sales in the category were lead by purchases of dolls and infant, toddler and preschool toys.
Those strong toy sales came amid a surge in buying, with sales across in-store and online channels 16 percent higher than the same week in 2015, NPD said.
Marshal Cohen, NPD's chief industry analyst, called the week's success a "perfect storm of holiday shopping behavior."
"The eighth week of the 2016 holiday season included two more shopping days before Christmas than in 2015, delayed Hanukkah shopping that occurred at the beginning of December last year, and a shipping deadline crunch that brought more action into stores for online pick-ups and last-minute impulse buys," he said in a statement.
While toys saw the largest growth during the week, apparel, fragrance, technology and athletic footwear saw sales boosted. Here's how they compared: