If you’ve found the time to glance at a calendar lately, you might have
noticed that the number of days until Christmas is growing small.

If you’ve finished your shopping, that glance might have left you with a
warm feeling of accomplishment. If you haven’t, that glance might have
engendered a slight feeling of panic.
SRI Newspapers (SRIN) wants to help. For the past several weeks, the local
newspapers that make up SRIN – including the Kent County Daily Times, The
Coventry Courier, The North Kingstown Standard-Times, The East Greenwich
Pendulum, The Chariho Times, the Narragansett Times, and The Weekender, in
Warwick – have been publishing a full-page ad letting you know about local
merchants who want you to think about having a “Hometown Christmas.”

What better time to visit these local businesses?

Many of them are right around the corner or just across town, so you can
cut down of travel time.

They’re also likely to be less crowded than the local malls and big retail
stores, so you can get in, get what you want and get on to the next thing.
And with those days until Christmas growing ever shorter, saving time
really is the name of the game.

Unlike shopping on line, since you can make your purchases and take them
with you, there’s no need to worry about paying extra for shipping to
ensure you have your gifts in hand by the necessary date.

Local shopping offers another bonus too. Since these smaller merchants
tend to offer more unique items and services, all of the gifts you
purchase locally will give the impression that you took the time to find
something truly special.

What could be better? Gifts purchased at the last minute that look like
you spent hours coming up with them.

So, before full-fledged panic sets in, take a look at the list of sponsors
for the Hometown Christmas program. You’ll find 76 merchants including
restaurants and package stores, gift shops and jewelers, candy stores,
specialty shops and more, all of which have made a special effort to let
you know they want to be part of your Christmas giving this year.

By visiting these businesses, you can give them a hand and make things a
bit easier on yourself at the same time.

And if you get out early enough, you might still have time to take
advantage of special drawings offered by SRIN. Each of the stores serves
as a registration point for a weekly drawing by SRI Newspapers that awards
$100, redeemable only in the stores of participating merchants.

On Thursday, Dec. 18, there will be a special drawing for two grand
prizes, one of which is an iJoy 300 Massage Chair donated by Chariho
Furniture.

Just think, even at the last minute, you might find something special, get
an unexpected bargain and even win a prize just for shopping local.