This what enforce shopping - e.g., Christmas - does to the human condition. A few tricks to having lunch at the mall during December, if you must:

1. Be willing to walk. Park far away, it's much faster than circling for a primo spot. If you don't think you can walk it and you don't have a disability permit, you are either lazy or you have an infant, an unfortunate separate category.

2. Have nothing else to do. Clear the work schedule, maybe even set aside time to shop. This isn't going quickly.

3. Suck it up. Even if you have no choice, what the hell are you doing in a mall on December 19? Are you nuts? Apparently I am.

Picure is Cheesecake factory at Burlngton Mall, Massachusetts