Be kind to our locals.

It's that time of year, we're rushing from shop to shop looking for Christmas presents, scrolling endlessly online to find the perfect gift. While there are thousands of huge stores that give us an abundance of choices when it comes to buying for our loved ones, shopping local is so important this time of year. Ever since the Covid pandemic, we have seen a rise in the importance of local businesses and how essential they are to our society. We've sadly seen a lot of businesses having to close their doors over the last few months and years and as heartbreaking as it is to see, we as a society can help put an end to this. Ideally, we'd love to see everyone shopping locally all year round but that's not always a choice, and that's perfectly okay too. By shopping local, we're contributing to the Irish economy. Every €20 we spend in a local store means €100 for the economy. Irish businesses thrived last year when we were all urged to shop in our areas and stick to Irish businesses, and as they struggle to compete with massive corporations, they need our help this Christmas. Brid O'Connell, CEO of Guaranteed Irish, has urged Irish shoppers to keep it local this Christmas. She said on Morning Ireland: "It is really important that people continue to support local businesses." As the Covid restrictions have lifted, people are slipping back into their old ways and heading in flocks to chain stores and commercial franchises. Guarnteed Irish has launched a website that features various Irish owned websites and stores to buy from, giving a one stop shop to find endless gifts this Christmas. By shopping local, we're not only providing for our own economy, but we're supporting jobs and livelihoods within our community. "We are very proud of the site and the members we are showcasing on it - I will do my own shopping here this year - it's easy, there is no commission, it's all together on one site," Brid said. Guarnteed Irish has supported over 2,000 Irish businesses and employs 120,000 people in Ireland, creating an annual turnover of over €13 billion.