It’s that time of year again, when Michael Buble urges us to have a Holly Jolly Christmas and Mariah Carey reminds us that the presents underneath the tree aren’t all that important in the grand scheme of things. (Love, she insists quite rightly, is key to a very happy holiday season).

That being said, though, Christmas shopping is one of the festive season’s most time-honoured traditions. And, this year in particular, we’re being urged to think a little harder about the gifts we’re buying and where we’re buying them from.

So where are you doing your Christmas shopping this year? Because your choice could make all the difference to small business owners struggling in 2020.

Small businesses have had continued blows this year and many won’t make it. They rarely have big cash reserves and nobody could have predicted that we would ever close our businesses down for long periods of time.

And because Christmas shopping will certainly be different this year, it's an opportunity to change your retail habits. Instead of having a mad dash around the shopping centre, why not learn how to shop local and small this Christmas? As the festive period is the peak selling season, choosing local and independent services over the big names can make a huge difference.

Supporting small business means the world at any time, but this year it's more important than ever. Putting money into local companies and helping them to survive means more choice, more creativity and more job creation in the economy, but if there’s an independent you love there are other ways to support them too. If you can’t afford to spend, promote them on your social media or leave a glowing review and you might inspire someone else to use their product or service.

Don't forget it's not only retail you can support this Christmas. Your local butcher, greengrocer, gym, hair salon, beauty therapist and hospitality businesses all need your support. So when you are thinking about Christmas this year; think small, think local and put the joy back into Christmas.

Below are some free ways you can support small business this Christmas season:

✔️ Follow them on social media
👍 Like and comment on their posts
➡️ Share on their posts in your feed
📢 Give them a shoutout
🤳 Post a pic of their business/product
👭 Tag your friends into their posts
📜 Share their posts in your stories

Let's show small businesses all around New Zealand our support this Christmas.