Shop local, take precautions when shopping for Christmas

The unofficial start to Christmas shopping begins this weekend.

In recent years the Black Friday kickoff has consistently started earlier and earlier. Some would camp out overnight to be the first ones in a shopping center. Then instead of opening in the wee hours of the morning, stores started opening on Thanksgiving.

This year could be different as the world still grapples with COVID-19. Some stores that previously opened on Thanksgiving Day have delayed the opening of their doors until Friday. But we know there will be folks out and about this weekend.

A couple of thoughts as we enter the gift-giving season:

1. Make sure to take proper precautions when shopping. Wear your mask and keep your distance from other people. Wash your hands or use hand sanitizer. There's good news on the horizon about vaccines, but we're not there yet and proper precautions are vital as we navigate the choppy waters of the pandemic.

2. Shop local. At a time when it can be so easy to shop online, it's critical that we support local retailers. Many of these businesses have had a challenging year. Others have shut their doors. So it's important that we patronize these businesses, keeping more dollars in the local economy.

Even among the challenges of 2020, there's good news to be found. The Dow Jones Industrial Average hit 30,000 points Tuesday, a remarkable milestone illustrative of how resilient our economy is after a challenging period.

So make your plans. Shop local. Be safe. And enjoy the Christmas season.