Some of my earliest memories as a child are heading out to Christmas shop the morning after Thanksgiving with a car full of parents, grandparents, cousins and aunts (uncles where left at home to watch football games and polish off any leftover turkey). Our delegation would find stores freshly covered with holiday decorations and filled with all the latest “must haves” on everyone’s Christmas wish list; it was an annual rite of passage for our family and perhaps yours too. But times have changed and now it seems the Christmas season unofficially begins even before all of the Halloween candy has been consumed.

But in spite of the early start to the Christmas season, you have a good chance of saving time, money and frustration this Christmas by shopping locally.

Numerous businesses are located throughout our community; they offer the convenience and service we all crave this time of year.

These businesses help create the environment that draws so many people to our county, helping shape the hometown atmosphere of our cities and towns.

And the ultimate impact of shopping locally can’t be overlooked. Estimates by many economists predict that one dollar spent at a local business will return five times that amount to the community in the form of city taxes, employee wages, etc.

Beyond this, many Shelby County businesses support our community through donations to schools and other local non-profit organizations. They are in large part good neighbors and are deserving of our support.

Very talented and dedicated people invest a great deal of time, effort and money to create new and better jobs for our county, to build new schools and to grow our economy. You and I can have a positive impact on this effort by simply spending our holiday shopping dollars at home.