Christmas is a wonderful time to live in the Miss-Lou. From the traditional tree placed in downtown Natchez to the Natchez Children’s Christmas Tree Fund and the dozens of other charitable events, the Miss-Lou is filled with the holiday season of giving.

As the big day nears, residents are scurrying about trying to finish their last-minute Christmas shopping. All too often many of those Christmas dollars are spent outside our area. Baton Rouge, Jackson, Alexandria and Hattiesburg – all are fine cities, but they have one key element missing – they aren’t in our backyard.

One of our biggest wishes this holiday season is simple – shop at home.

It’s a simple phrase, and one that’s repeated many times each holiday season, but it’s an important one.

And the key thing to remember is, while on the surface, shopping at home is about money, shopping is, at its core about people. Each dollar spent in a local store touches all levels of our community. Shopping at home obviously helps the business’ owner and the business’ employees. From there, it helps service industries that serve the business and its employees. Those range from banks and other stores to insurance agents, car dealers and grocery stores, and the list could continue. The same money flips over to the city and county government through taxes. Those taxes help fund our fire protection and law enforcement services – both crucial aspects of our community.

Yes, your shopping dollars mean a lot to this community – every penny.

So as each of us finish our holiday shopping, remember what makes the Miss-Lou special – its people. And let’s put our wallets where are hearts are.