Shoes for shopping are a complicated issue. We need to walk a lot, so they need to be flat, or nearly so. We want them to be comfortable - blisters are not on our Christmas list - but we don’t want them to be slouchy. And, fa la la la la, they must be cute, or what is the point?

Kate Spade’s Gwenda flat sets the perfect example, all soft and suede in fuschia and orange, just right for trolling the mall. Yes, you’re right, in these colors they’ll see you coming. And they’ll want your shoes. At Nordstrom ($248, pictured at the top, above).

These are not Mrs. Claus’s Hush Puppies. These Sonnet flats wrap themselves around your foot with an oversize button and pretty pleating in the front, artisan stitching and a slight wedge heel. At Macy’s ($69, brown shoes, center).

We can’t decide whether we want to see these Italian pebbled leather Chloe skimmers under the tree on Christmas morning or on our feet right now, but either way, they have our name on them. At Saks Fifth Avenue ($575, pictured above, with buckle).

This is the shoe you wear when you know - although you are really, truly shopping for others - that you might be trying things on for yourself along the way. You can relax in suede and slip them off and on with abandon. Nine West’s Guiltfree Clogs (what guilt?), ($50, above, in black).

OK, look at this little Dolce & Gabbana fantasy. It is a leopard print, pony hair ballerina flat, with an elastic back for a supreme fit and a tiny little ribbon for embellishment. We can so imagine them under your jeans, which of course would say to the world, “Yes, I’m wearing them with jeans.” At Bluefly ($396, above).

We give in - we’ll show you a loafer, but only because we know your feet will love us after accomplishing that massive run of errands we see on your to-do list. And we have to admit, these Tory Burch Astor moccasins look pretty comfy. At Nordstrom ($275, above).

Ann Taylor knows how to shop for the holidays. Her sweet buckled russet or black Simone flat will peek out from any outfit with panache, and then take you to work on Monday morning as well. ($98, above).

We sigh over the phrase a little pair of Ferragamo flats, and here is why. We cannot imagine a prettier line, a more perfect (and recognizable, though of course we don’t care about that) bow, or a more appropriate shoe to take us from the mall to the holiday party than his Varina ballerina flats in strawberry patent leather. At Neiman Marcus ($470, below).

And OK, so sue us. We’re in love with a pair of shoes that might not be as comfortable as some of the others. We’re enthralled with a pair of shoes that might make our toes hurt, just a little. We don’t care, because Cole Haan’s Aleta ballet flats are just really, really cute. At Macy’s ($150, above).