Inside this week’s Blue Mountain Eagle, you’ll find a short story about the return of Christmas on the Prairie, a Prairie City tradition that kicks off the holiday season in small town, all-American fashion with Christmas bazaars, a tree-lighting ceremony, a veterans parade and other family-friendly events, including a patriotic teddy bear contest for the kids. The annual tradition had to be scaled back considerably last year due to COVID-19 restrictions. We were glad to see it come back full-bore this year, and we hope many of you had a chance to enjoy the festivities.

We also hope you had a chance to check out some of the sales put on by Prairie City merchants, who count on Christmas on the Prairie to jumpstart the holiday shopping season, a crucial time of year for retailers everywhere. Businesses of all stripes have been battered by the pandemic, and local merchants can use all the support they can get from the people of Grant County.

Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, has become a huge driver of holiday-season revenues for retailers as consumers flock to stores to make their gift purchases. In recent years, Cyber Monday has also emerged as a major economic phenomenon as more and more shoppers buy goods online. But both of those red-letter shopping days tend to benefit big national retailers rather than the kinds of mom-and-pop operations we more typically see in Grant County.

We’d like to call your attention to another key date on the calendar. This Saturday, Nov. 27, is Small Business Saturday. Wedged squarely between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, it’s a reminder to support all those locally-owned and -operated businesses that make up such an important part of the fabric of our communities. They are here for us all year long, not only supplying the goods and services we need on a day-to-day basis but providing jobs, supporting local charities and keeping our local commercial districts lively and inviting places to be.

They are our friends and neighbors, and they deserve our support. You can show your support with every shopping decision you make. No doubt there are some things you can’t buy locally, but there are so many other items that you can purchase right here in Grant County, directly from someone you know.

So this holiday season, we hope you’ll reserve a nice fat slice of your gift-giving budget to spend with your hometown merchants. We guarantee they’ll be glad to have your business, on Small Business Saturday or any other day of the year.