Well, the madness is officially upon us.
Time to show family members, friends, co-workers, neighbors, significant others and people we barely even know how much we truly care about them by buying a ton of Christmas gifts.
The stiflingly-hot malls and homogenous big-box stores will be jam-packed with hordes of bloodthirsty shoppers pushing and shoving each other as they hunt for the best bargains.
Delivery folks from the U.S. Post Office, UPS and Fed Ex will be worked to a frazzle dropping off packages filled with on-line purchases made by pantless shoppers clicking mouses in the middle of the night.
As Lucy Van Pelt so aptly observed, ‘We all know that Christmas is a big commercial racket. It’s run by a big eastern syndicate, you know.?
But what if this year, instead of giving our hard-earned cash to giant, faceless corporations that haven’t an ounce of humanity, much less any concept of community or loyalty, we all commit to shop local.
What if we all vow to buy as many Christmas gifts as possible from small stores in our own towns?
It’s not impossible to do.
Right here in Oxford, you can purchase high-quality jewelry, clothing for women and children, antiques, electronics, toys and games, power tools, a plethora of unique Michigan-made products, premium wines and spirits, artwork, cigars, equestrian gear and apparel, beauty products, candy and floral arrangements.
Sounds like a pretty good selection to me.
I urge everyone to check out everything Oxford has to offer on Small Business Saturday, which is Nov. 28 ? the day after Black Friday.
Established in 2010, Small Business Saturday is the day folks are encouraged to participate in the Shop Small movement by patronizing local merchants.
It only makes sense to support small businesses because they’re the ones that support our communities.
Small businesses pay a significant amount in property taxes to help keep cops on the street and teachers in the classroom.
Small businesses donate to many, many local groups and causes, from youth sports and food pantries to animal rescues and school plays.
Small businesses sponsor our festivals, summer concerts and other family-friendly events.
Small businesses employ everyone from teenagers looking to earn money for college to parents supporting entire families.
Small businesses are a vital part of the community.
We could not survive without them and they cannot survive without us. Every dollar we spend locally strengthens us all and makes this a better place to live.
So, let us pledge, here and now, to do our very best this Christmas season to patronize the stores in Oxford before driving all the way to the mall or adding items to our cyber shopping carts.
Let’s keep our dollars in our community.
NOTE: Searching for the perfect gift idea? A one-year subscription to the Oxford Leader is only $32.