Shop Local: Where Are You Purchasing Holiday Gifts?

We may be in the final hours of Christmas shopping, but in many homes the bulk of the presents are still waiting to be purchased.

At Sonoma Patch we want to talk strategy. Times are tough and many of the best holiday deals are found online and in malls, where big-box stores and realtors can afford to sell at a loss to get shoppers in the door spending money. (Amazon.com made waves earlier this month with it's price matching promo, designed to convince shoppers to save money by purchasing gifts with the online retail giant.)

But, there's also the power of the holiday doller. According to National Retail Federation estimates, the average American will spend $700 holiday shopping this year, totaling more than $465 billion. If just $64 of this cash was spent on American made goods it would result in over 200,000 new jobs.

And when you shop locally, the effect is magnified. Sales tax is generated every time you spend a dollar in Sonoma, and is pumped into our city government, roads and public parks. Not to mention you're supporting a neighbor, who in turn will have more money to spend in town. Not a bad version of pay-it-forward.

If you're stlll looking for local gifts, check out our .