Bring holiday spirit home this season

To the editor:

My doggone cat, Snootsy Tootsen elDootsen, keeps scratching on my door to come inside. I’m thankful that he races out to do his stinky business, but he scratched the door lining until I could see daylight through it. So, I found myself at a hardware store to look for something to close up that air hole.

That’s when I spied a cool looking flashlight on sale. My mind started remembering back to when my immediate family would exchange gifts on Christmas day. It became such a chore to try and find presents for people who didn’t need anything, didn’t want to even open the present to feign delight and who just wished for that part to be over with. I could have heard my past self thinking, “Maybe I should get that flashlight for one of my sons. He doesn’t really need a flashlight, but it looks pretty fancy and it is on sale.”

My two youngest sons used to spend time at rich peoples’ homes when they were younger. But when they got into their teenage years, they really dreaded the “opening presents” time at the fancy houses because, unlike at our home where everyone tore into their present piles with gusto, they had to wait their turn so that everybody in the whole room was watching while they unwrapped the item to see if their faces lit up.

Recently, I read about Plaid Friday, a push in cities across the United States that encourages people to shop in their city’s downtown district.

According to the Newburyport News, “Plaid Friday is Main Street’s alternative to Black Friday. Originating in Oakland, Calif., it’s meant to show the diversity and creativity of independent businesses by urging people to shop in local downtowns. At Real Bodies of Amesbury in the heart of downtown, shop owner Nancy White was pleased to see locals responding to the campaign. Amid the colorful collection of clothing and jewelry from Bali, she thought the spirit of Plaid Friday was evident. Customers chatted with her in a relaxed atmosphere. ‘I think it’s trying to change the idea in people’s minds of what the true spirit of community support is,’ she said. ‘It’s the way it used to be and was for many years. People come in with family and friends and have conversations.’”

Can you imagine having a conversation with the store owner instead of racing around like a frenzied maniac, hoping to not get trampled? Let’s support our local businesses.

Patricia Wade

Palmer