Christmas will be tough for many businesses so shop local to help them out | Blaise Tapp

Despite having to endure Lockdown: The Sequel, the ‘we’ve been here before’ mentality seems to be helping many of us look on the bright side, with the bright side being Christmas and 2021.

As I wrote on these pages a month or so ago, the countdown to December 25 is well and truly underway in our house, and in many others, it seems.

A quick glance at your social media pages will tell you that many are not only putting up the decorations at a time of year that would’ve earned them social pariah status in years gone by but are making all their Yuletide plans much earlier this year.

This is especially puzzling as making plans right now is as foolhardy a pursuit as claiming that you’ve won an election even when you’ve clearly done no such thing.

Brits everywhere are all banking on the theory that no sane political leader would do anything to stand in the way of tens of millions of people indulging in the annual tradition of gluttony and spoiling the kids, especially after the eight months we’ve had.

The majority have taken the experts and politicians at their word and, a few obsessives and contrarians aside, have sucked up not going to the pub in the belief that this is probably the only way we are going to enjoy any celebrations to speak of in six weeks’ time.

From where I’m sitting, many have shrugged their shoulders and said ‘why not’ to eating cheesy footballs by the fistful and listening to The Pogues on repeat.

With furlough now restored until the early spring, large numbers of families have a bit more certainty than they did a week ago, meaning that there will be a greater inclination to spend money during what is traditionally the month we all go to the shops.

Except, high streets and retail parks everywhere are eerily quiet, apart from the odd market stall in some towns, meaning that much more of our spending is likely to happen online this year, even if non-essential shops can reopen early next month.

This is bad news for struggling local businesses, who are facing up to seeing money that might otherwise have been spent with them going into the silk-lined pockets of the already filthy rich.

Home delivery has understandably boomed this year and while shopping with the big boys is convenient and sometimes cheaper, our local traders need us more than ever before.

While I am no stranger to a brown package with the unnerving smile logo, I am determined that smaller, local businesses will benefit from the Tapp pound this year.

There is no reason they shouldn’t as the vast majority of local firms are geared up for the digital world - it is commercial suicide if they aren’t.

I have always admired people who run their own business as it takes guts to go it alone, guts I fear I don’t have and for that reason, I am usually inclined to support the smaller traders.

Of course, their products need to be up to it as well, but if it is priced fairly then I would rather put food on their table than expand the already huge profit margin of a bloated giant that does nothing to enhance our communities.

Local traders both know and care about their customers and potential audience and most are believers in getting out what you put in.

I have seen this first hand myself with local firms being only too happy to help support the small charity I am involved with, despite experiencing the toughest of years.

The rush to get Christmas sorted any way that we can is understandable given the obstacles we have already faced but we can do that by getting behind our High Streets, even if we cannot visit them.