November marks the start of holiday shopping for most people, and some people I know already have their shopping done. But, when I was a kid, it was Thanksgiving Day that officially marked the start of the holiday season. After dinner, we would all go through the many newspaper inserts—along with the Sears toy catalog—to make our Christmas lists. This tradition continued with my own kids. They looked forward to making their lists after Thanksgiving dinner at my parent’s home (their grandparents) and making sure all their most important dreams were handwritten on paper for us to shop for. Many times, items were crossed off to make room for the more important gift and then “starred” or underlined to show how much they wanted it. Now, I’m shopping for grandkids along with my grown kids. But the lists have changed. Now, I receive emails with “links” to online shopping and I don’t see the handwritten lists with the row of stars next to the most wanted gifts. 

One of my sons recently told me that he is going to make a concerted effort this year to shop locally to support what we have right here in our hometown. We have some amazing stores that offer truly unique gifts along with some old-fashioned customer service that you just can’t find online. So, maybe we can help out our local merchants by visiting them now and making our own Christmas list to share and to further encourage the “Shop Local” intention. Maybe I will take my grandchildren window shopping to get some ideas for them to add to their list that will allow me to shop locally. 

Saturday, November 25th is Small Business Saturday. Let’s put down our phones, turn off our computers, and support our local businesses—it allows us a safe and trustworthy way of doing our shopping. Let’s spend some time and some money right here in Chillicothe! 

For the Community — About the Community

By the Community.
Ginny Molleck, Editor of Chillicothe Hometown Voice