With bellies still filled with turkey and dressing, thousands of Miss-Lou shoppers hit the stores Tuesday in the annual after-Christmas sales rush.

And while some folks might look at the shopping herd as simply a bunch of crazy people running through the stores, their presence in the stores means much more.

Each dollar spent in locally owned stores rolls over many times in our community and helps support all of us.

From tax dollars that trickle down into government services that benefit all residents to the wages paid to the cashiers ringing up the tickets that helps he or she pay her bills, shopping locally means the world to this community.

And we should all remember its importance.

Local commerce isn’t something we should take lightly.

Spending at home should be the rule and not the exception.

And we don’t merely mean during the holidays either.

Imagine how prosperous things would be in Natchez and Adams County if its citizens didn’t drive to Jackson, Baton Rouge, La., or Alexandria, La., to shop year round.

Wouldn’t it be nice if all the commercial property in Natchez and Adams County were rented and small business owners were flourishing?

The Internet is great, but nothing beats supporting local businesses when they offer the same products.

Keeping our shopping money at home all year would be such a wonderful Christmas present to our community.

And the choice to do so is yours.