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We’re down to about three weeks until Christmas, and that time figures to fly by. Where in the world did the time go?

Black Friday sales were last weekend, followed by Cyber Monday, so we realize that many of you have already completed a lot of your Christmas shopping. However, there are plenty of you out there (including some of us) who still need to buy gifts.

All of that is great, and there are plenty of fantastic deals out there from big boxes stores and websites all across the country.

However, we ask that you shop local first. We realize Troup County as a whole is lacking in retail businesses compared to other cities, especially when it comes to shopping opportunities on Black Friday.

But, there are plenty of local businesses nearby that have plenty of unique gifts to offer that you won’t find sitting on the shelf at a big box store.

We have nothing against big box stores at all. But wouldn’t a unique gift mean more than a good deal that anyone in the country can run out and buy?

Plus, shopping local means those tax dollars stay here as well.

We understand that some people will shop online this year due to COVID-19, and we think it’s smart to do that if you’re worried about getting sick or immunocompromised.

But if you’re planning to go to a store, we encourage you to start local. We think you’ll be surprised at some of the gift ideas you can find in Troup County, and it’d be great for those tax dollars to remain here and be used to make our community a better place to live.