My husband and I spent a recent evening strolling the corridors of Eastwood Mall.

If I’m being honest, I don’t get to the mall often, mostly because I’m always tight on time.

I’m sure that’s what leads many shoppers to open up their laptops, especially this time of year.

But, ohhh, the things you miss when you shop from your living room couch!

We went to the mall in search of a jacket like the ones I’d seen on sales fliers that showed up in my Sunday newspaper, and he agreed it could be my Christmas gift (Yay, me!)

We headed for Boscov’s!

Remember that nostalgic 1950’s Christmas song “Silver Bells?”

You know … “In the air there’s a feeling of Christmas, Children laughing, people passing, meeting smile after smile, and on every street corner you hear … Silver Bells.”

OK, we might not have heard Silver Bells ringing that evening, but we sure got the feeling of Christmas that I never, ever get when I’m trolling around the web.

And internet shopping doesn’t bring the opportunity to stop at the food court for a bite to eat or a cup of coffee.

That evening, the stores were crowded — in a good way.

Who says shopping in bricks-and-mortar stores is dead?

We hear so much these days about online shopping, but I believe there is an excellent reason why local stores have been crowded since the start of the holiday shopping season.

Let’s just say online shopping brings, well, challenges.

Have you ever ordered something online only to discover, once it arrived, that it wasn’t at all what you expected? Or that it’s the wrong color or it doesn’t fit because you couldn’t try it on?

As it turned out, this night I ended up checking out many, many coats in various mall stores. I felt the fabrics, I compared the colors — real colors, not just a guess based on the tones showing up on your laptop screen — and, best of all, I tried them on. All of them.

And I got input and recommendations from the store clerks and from my hubby. You sure can’t do that online.

Afterwards, we stopped and smelled new fragrances and colognes … another thing you sure can’t do online!

By the end of the evening, I took home my new coat and hung it in my closet. He can wrap it up, and on Christmas, I’ll open it and act surprised.

The beauty of this little escapade also is that he’ll have no worries about the item being delivered in time for the holiday.

Other worries with online purchases include things like what if it isn’t what you expected? What if it arrives damaged? What if the package is lifted from your doorway by a “porch pirate”?

Sadly, people seeking what they thought was the convenience of shopping online now are being forced to find safe places to have their packages delivered. I read last week about a local fire department that’s allowing residents to use the station address for delivery. It’s a great gesture, but first you have to call ahead and let them know. And then you have to go to the station and prove that you’re you before you can claim the package.

Of course, returns also bring on a whole new set of challenges.

And you cannot socialize with friends, window shop, be entertained and get a peppermint mocha latte while shopping alone on your couch with your laptop or smartphone.

I say, take the time to get into the holiday spirit and head out to your hometown stores. In particular, visit the ones that are locally owned. Remember, it’s those stores that employ hundreds of workers and whose owners and managers usually are the first to make community contributions when asked. Good luck calling on online retailers for such a donation!

I believe bricks and mortar stores will survive — they’ll especially thrive if we all remember that when we get down to serious shopping this holiday — and every day.