With less than one month to go before Christmas, those of us who are still scrambling to shop for the special people in our lives should consider keeping an eye out for local deals.
With less than one month to go before Christmas, those of us who are still scrambling to shop for the special people in our lives should consider keeping an eye out for local deals.
Although there might be certain elusive items that lead some people to order online or drive into the city, looking to first see what is available at Sundre and area businesses is worthwhile.
Shopping close to home not only provides a crucial economic boost for the community, but it also helps reduce our environmental footprint and arguably lowers our stress levels as well.
Worth factoring in when driving far away for presents that could potentially be purchased in town is whether the gas expense of travelling hours away amounts to any kind of savings in the first place.
That does not even take into consideration the amount of time saved as well as the avoided stress of dealing with congested highway traffic and coping with the hordes of sadly all too often less-than-courteous consumers at the malls during this time of year.
Providing additional incentive to shop local for the holidays is this Friday's annual Sundown in Sundre, when participating businesses will be offering deals for Christmas shoppers, complemented by family activities at the Sundre Community Centre as well as at the Sundre Pioneer Museum.
The Sundre and District Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the Town of Sundre, the Sundre and District Historical Society and local businesses, have arranged a variety of fun events for all ages to entice residents to come out for a pleasant evening that provides an opportunity to score some local deals and possibly also win some prizes. Click here for last week's story previewing Friday's events.
This year, a new element will be an elf hunt reminiscent of Where's Waldo? Shoppers who spot elves hidden somewhere in participating local businesses could win a prize.
We understand that not everyone will be able to find everything he or she is looking for locally, but we at the Round Up nevertheless encourage residents to consider at least looking around at local businesses before ordering online or going to the big box stores.
The time and stress you spare yourself will alone make it worthwhile, and you might just find a few deals you can't refuse, all while supporting your community.
— Ducatel is the Round Up editor
