Stay-at-home orders and hard economic times gave some Orange County, California, shoppers a reprieve from the usual mall frenzy just days before Christmas. The scene at three local malls—South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, Fashion Island in Newport Beach, and the Irvine Spectrum Center—appeared to reveal a more restrained approach to in-person perusing as the holiday neared. At the Irvine Spectrum Center, where tall palm trees and a Ferris wheel mark the outdoor mall’s expanse between the 5 and 405 interstate freeways, the crowd was light on Dec. 22. For ­­28-year-old Cynthia Huelitl, who works in the center, conditions were ideal for making a quick stop at the mall’s Target to meet her Christmas shopping needs. “It’s not a whole lot different,” said Huelitl, when asked by The Epoch Times to compare this Christmas shopping season to previous years. “I feel like people are still coming out and shopping. You …