T he holiday shopping season is truly upon us as, in these last days before Thanksgiving, pre-Black Friday sales are available online and even in some stores.

Will you drive an hour or even two out of your way to shop in the big city? How much of your shopping will you do online?

Holiday shopping is stressful as it is. Big-city traffic adds to that; so does the uncertainty of whether something ordered online gets where it’s supposed to go.

More important, doing either puts no money back into the community in which we live. In fact, shopping online or driving to larger communities takes money out of ours.

By shopping in Buckingham, Cumberland and Prince Edward counties, your purchases are, really, an investment in yourself. You buy something from the local gift shop or furniture store. After taxes, a portion of every dollar you spend goes to the business you buy from. Part of that portion is divvied up between the owner and employees. The business uses some of the money to purchase other goods, hopefully from other local businesses. They and their employees also buy groceries or — here’s a thought — their holiday gifts from local stores.

Eventually, some of that money could end up back in your own pocket in the form of wages thanks to goods or services purchased from where you work. Or perhaps you’ll benefit from some program funded by local tax dollars, thanks to local purchases.

Buy local, everyone. You’ll have a happier holiday season.