If you still have some shopping to do for the holidays, and plan to get much of it done in the comfort of your own home, you’re not alone. Americans let their keyboards do the talking this year by racking up record numbers for online shopping sales that show their love for finding what they need whenever and where ever they want, as long as it’s via the internet. With numbers like $5.03 billion in online sales on Black Friday and $6.59 billion on Cyber Monday alone, it’s no surprise that 79% of U.S. consumers say they prefer to shop online.

While online super stores like Amazon and WalMart claim a large share of online sales (about half of U.S. households are estimated to have Amazon Prime subscriptions), small businesses and online entrepreneurs are also doing well. In fact Adobe Analytics is predicting this holiday season to have a record-breaking $100 billion in online sales.

While Cyber Monday has been around for a while, here’s a fun bit of internet history you may not know. Back in the days when fast internet was still fairly new, most people only had access from their computers at work. Retailers saw an opportunity to attract more sales by offering “cyber” deals on the first day after Black Friday when they knew people would be back at work and using computers with internet access – the Monday following Thanksgiving. And so Cyber Monday was born.

Sneaking in some online shopping while you’re at work is no longer the case on several levels. Fast connections are now the norm – even for customers who live in rural areas – and people are shopping online at all hours and using more than just computers. In fact, according to Adobe Analytics, mobile users now make up 48% of all visits to shopping websites, with nearly 40% of those on smart phones and another 8% on tablets.

We love to shop in person – nothing beats the fun and feeling of meeting friends in person, taking time to enjoy decorations while browsing aisles, and seeing the joy on people’s faces as they find that perfect gift. But there’s no discounting the attraction of online shopping as well, with the ability to comparison shop, find the best deals, and have gifts shipped directly to recipients without having to deal with post office lines, traffic jams or stores running out of products.

Balance is always the best policy – and we think that goes for holiday shopping as well. We’re proud of our ability to provide access to reliable, high-speed internet that connects our customers to what they need for home, work, play and even shopping this season. And always happy to meet our customers in person. So if you’re out and about, enjoying a hot cocoa or shopping in person in our community, we hope you’ll say hi. It would truly make our holidays.