Share your holiday shopping horror stories.

Once I went on a holiday to a beach destination. The hotel we booked looked great in pictures but when we arrived, it was a mess. The room smelled like mildew and there were bugs everywhere. We complained but the staff was unhelpful. We had to find another place to stay in a hurry, which really ruined the start of our holiday.

Sure. I was shopping for Thanksgiving once and there was a special on huge turkey - shaped pillows. This one woman was so excited about them that she started hugging all the pillows in the display. She looked like she was being attacked by a flock of giant turkeys. It was really funny.

The most common holiday shopping horror stories often involve bad customer service. For example, clerks who are rude or unhelpful. You might ask for assistance finding an item, and they just shrug or give you wrong directions. Also, receiving damaged goods is a problem. You buy something, excited to give it as a gift, and when you open the package at home, it's broken. And then there are issues with returns, like stores having a really strict return policy that makes it difficult to get your money back.

One holiday, I went camping in the woods. At night, I heard strange growls. I thought it was just my imagination at first. But then I saw a pair of glowing eyes in the darkness. I was so scared that I froze. I quickly got into my tent and zipped it up tight. I stayed awake all night, listening to the noises outside. In the morning, I found out it was just a wild dog, but it sure felt like a horror story at the time.

On a beach holiday once, I got stung by a jellyfish. It was extremely painful. I was just wading in the water, not too far from the shore, when suddenly I felt this sharp pain. I had to be rushed to the local medical center, and it really ruined my otherwise perfect beach holiday.

The worst for me was when we had a big family gathering for the turkey holiday. There were so many people and so much chaos. The kids were running around, and someone accidentally knocked over the gravy all over the tablecloth and the turkey. It was a mess, and there was a lot of arguing about who was at fault. It really spoiled the mood of the holiday.

During my beach holiday, we rented a beach house. One evening, a violent storm hit. The power went out, and water started seeping into the house. We found out that the house had some hidden leaks. It was a nightmare trying to find candles and deal with the flooding water while the storm raged outside. We ended up leaving the house in the middle of the night and finding a hotel.

Last holiday season, I was in a store when a little girl was begging her mom for a toy. Her mom said no, so the girl put on a pair of reindeer antlers and started dancing around the toy, saying she was a magical reindeer who needed that toy to fly. It was so cute and funny that the mom finally gave in.

I once got a really great deal on a laptop during Black Friday. I had been eyeing it for months, but it was always too expensive. On Black Friday, I saw it was discounted by 40%. I got to the store early and there was already a long line. But it was so worth it when I finally walked out with my new laptop.

Well, I bought a pair of shoes. The size was clearly marked as my regular size. However, when they got here, they were at least two sizes smaller. It was impossible to even get my feet in them. And the quality was so poor. The material felt like it would fall apart after just a few wears. I had to go through a lot of hassle to return them.