A new survey from the Retail Council of Canada shows most people say they have firm budgets for Christmas shopping this year.
Money is a reason the holidays can be a stressful time of year.
While a national survey on seasonal spending says most people try to budget wisely, those CTV News spoke to in Sault Ste. Marie are a bit more liberal with their giving:
"I do everything. I buy Christmas presents and I make a nice turkey."
"I budget for the Christmas shopping for my family and I spend a lot of money."
"I try and not to go too overboard, but sometimes, yeah it gets a little... (laughs)"
"I kind of wing it. I try for $10 though and then if I still have enough for them, depending on how many people I'm getting presents for, then I have to go more."
David Nicholson and his wife operate Homespun Treasures in Sault Ste. Marie.
It began as a home business, but it has been located downtown for three years now.
Nicholson says the holiday season accounts for 50% of his annual sales.
"It's very important this time of year. The other time during the year, for a store like we have here, it’s fine. But you need the Christmas season. You need people to come in at Christmas time and shop local." said Nicholson.
Every year, the Sault Downtown Association holds an event during the holiday season aimed at encouraging people to support local businesses.
Moonlight Magic is scheduled for this Thursday.
Part of the downtown is closed off to traffic to allow customers more free rein over the area.
"I think it’s twofold. Every time you spend a dollar in the local economy, it circulates three to five times, as opposed to taking off somewhere else. And then the other thing is you know we don't want to be a downtown that shuts down. It's cold, but we're Canadian, we're used to it in Sault Ste. Marie." said Josh Ingram, of Sault Downtown Association.
The city will also hold its annual tree lighting ceremony Thursday as part of the Moonlight Magic event.
