The rush is over … or is it just beginning? Today marks the end of the what is traditionally the busiest weekend of the year for retailers … but it’s just the beginning of the busiest season of the year.

With Christmas less than a month away, only the well-organized among us have completed all the shopping on our list.

For the rest of us, we have an important choice: whether to shop at home or not.

The decision should be an easy one.

Shopping at home — for most of us that means in Natchez or Concordia Parish — means saving time, saving energy and saving money.

More important, it means investing in our community … and ourselves.

The money we spend with local retailers — or that one last gift on our long list — helps feed and clothe our neighbors’ families; it helps pay local sales taxes, which are returned to local municipalities and used to fund our government and improvements on roads, bridges and more; and it helps local businesses grow … ultimately spurring our local economies.

The time we save by not having to spend two hours driving to &uot;the big city&uot; or more hours battling overcrowded malls or outlet stores can be spent enjoying the personalized service and the graciousness of our local retailers.

And, more important for the folks on your gift lists, that time can be spent shopping for &uot;just the right gift&uot; for that special someone.

So give yourself a gift of peace of mind and a wise investment … shop at home this season.

And have a happy, hometown holiday.