Make the choice to shop local this Christmas season
November 30, 2022, 11:32 am
Kevin Weedmark
Well, you should have enough reading in this week’s World-Spectator to keep you busy for at least a few minutes!
This week’s issue includes our Christmas Gift Guide and the November issue of Ag News in addition to the regular newspaper.
That’s 68 pages of reading enjoyment, and the reason my hardworking staff were falling down with exhaustion by the end of the day Friday.
This year’s Christmas Gift Guide is more important than ever as it highlights many of the local businesses that make our communities tick.
Thanks to all those businesses that are part of the Christmas Gift Guide, part of the $15,000 giveaway, or are otherwise promoting themselves and local shopping this Christmas.
We have some awesome stores in this area, all of which are run by hardworking retailers who support your community all year every year.
There are a couple of things that should help local retailers this Christmas season.
Number one, the fact that the School Community council has sold $117,000 worth of gift cards to local businesses in their gift card fundraiser has to help—that’s $117,000 spent in local stores this Christmas thanks to the MacLeod School Community Council’s fundraiser.
Secondly, the fact that there have been more than $7 million in $500-per-person cheques issued to people in the local area puts some extra cash in people’s pockets just in time for Christmas shopping—some people need those $500 cheques to cover increasing costs due to inflation, some will donate the windfall to charity, and some will use the extra cash to brighten up Christmas for their family and friends, so no doubt some of that Moe Money will find its way into the tills of local businesses this Christmas shopping season.
And thirdly, I know that people in our area have the right attitude when it comes to shopping locally. People appreciate what the local businesses we have in our area offer and support them whenever they can.
I can’t think of a fundraiser in this area that doesn’t depend heavily on our small businesses for their support, year after year.
Our local retailers, restaurants, and other small businesses are always there for you when it comes to donating silent auction items for fundraisers, donating prizes for raffles, sponsoring sports teams of every description, donating to fundraising campaigns, and so much more!
Many small businesses have felt some pain for a couple of years as Covid restrictions kept changing and are still recovering. At one point retailers couldn’t let customers in the store and then had to limit the number of customers.
For long time periods, restaurants couldn’t serve dine-in customers, or had restricted numbers at each table.
But our local business owners kept forging ahead through changing restrictions because their employees and their communities depend on them. Those businesses that have always supported everything from your kids’ hockey teams to your non-profit group to the fundraiser for your cousin when he had a medical emergency now need you.
They need you to show your support this Christmas season. Amazon honestly really doesn’t need you as much as your local small businesses do.
Please pay close attention to where you spend your holiday shopping dollars, and spend them locally as much as possible.
Those dollars you spend in one business support other local businesses, as the business owner you support buys goods and services locally.
Your local businesses are doing all they can to earn your business. They are extending their hours during the Christmas shopping season and they are organizing draws and promotions to reward people for shopping locally. Special shopping events are starting in many communities this week, including Moonlight Madness in Moosomin this Thursday, Moonlight Magic in Esterhazy Friday, Santa Day in Moosomin Saturday, the Winter Festival in Esterhazy Saturday, Rocanville Christmas shopping nights Wednesday, December 7 and Wednesday, December 14, and many more I can’t think of off the top of my head.
On top of that, businesses across the area have come together for the $15,000 Christmas giveaway, which will reward one person for shopping locally with $15,000 to spend locally, and will reward dozens more with great prizes from local business.
Some businesses are doing their own draws of various sizes as well.
All of those specials and draws work together to promote our local area.
So the businesses that always have your back are going out of their way to make it easy to shop locally this Christmas season, and to reward you for doing so.
Please . . . support the businesses that support your community. Shop local this Christmas season.
