Letter from the Editor: If you still have holiday shopping to do, consider staying local

When it comes to holiday shopping, I aim to be Michelle Holdway, my former boss on the Daily Herald night copy desk.

Michelle is 100% that friend. The one who, even outside the holidays, always remembers birthdays, makes thoughtful donations, brings back fun souvenirs from trips for everybody and even sent a gift for my new cat, Lexie, when I adopted her this fall.

Now that the holidays have rolled around, I'm sure Michelle probably planned gifts for this year sometime in 2012 and bought them this past January, wrapped them last month and had them under her tree by 12:01 a.m. the day after Thanksgiving.

I, on the other hand, discovered this week our actual wrapping paper is currently inaccessible as it is buried behind four laundry drying racks ("Why can't any of your clothing go through the dryer, like a normal person?" my husband, Brian, asks after every load) a stack of Rubbermaid containers (I do not know what is in them, possibly more laundry) and a big bag of false wrapping paper. It's "false" because I can't actually use it to wrap anything - Brian has spent years curating a collection for myriad art projects he has "planned."

And yet, while we have plenty of his paintings and ink drawings hanging up on the walls, we have no wrapping-paper collages.

We also will probably, once again, panic shop in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve to buy the dregs of wrapping paper available at that time because we can't use the false wrapping paper and don't want to climb Mount Rubbermaid to get to our actual wrapping paper. And don't even get me started on our Scotch tape/packing tape problem. But these are topics for a whole other column.

My wrapping paper and tape problems also are not the point here: My point is shopping.

While I realize there are probably a lot of you much further along in your holiday gift shopping than I am (which would be if you have made or bought more than zero gifts) I'm sure you have at least a few people left on your list.

And if that is, indeed, the case, here's something to keep in mind: There's never been a better year to shop local.

Local businesses have been hit so hard by this pandemic.

Big box stores? They'll recover.

But it'll likely be a tougher road to hoe for local folks. They need us.

Those smaller stores aren't just faceless entities. They're your friends and neighbors and the people you run into when you get coffee at Glenview Grind or stop by the Book Bin. They ARE Glenview Grind and the Book Bin.

The sales tax dollars they generate help pay for your schools, roads, park districts and libraries.

I know what you're thinking: BUT MEL! It's a pandemic and we're supposed to be staying at home! It's December and it's cold!

What gifts can I even get in the downtowns Northbrook and Glenview? A picture of the Save Ferris water tower that doesn't even say "Save Ferris?" An appointment with a financial adviser? I'm shopping for a toddler! Toddlers don't need financial advice!

This is why I am here, dear readers.

First, everybody needs financial advice. Start early.

But moving on: There are many local businesses in Northbrook and Glenview that offer online ordering, gift certificates and curbside pickup.

Not sure where to start? The Herald published a special Holiday Guide Nov. 19 with advertisers showcasing gift ideas that included wine, jewelry, glass and more.

You can also check with your local chambers of commerce: You are lucky to have particularly helpful, active ones in Northbrook (northbrookchamber.org) and Glenview (glenviewchamber.com).

Their websites are full of information about local businesses and restaurants, and what they offer.

And don't forget another group struggling in the pandemic: nonprofits. Some are seeing donations down or they're needing to allocate their resources differently this year.

Just last week, we ran a feature about three local organizations - North Suburban YMCA, Jewish United Fund and Family Service Center - all discussing their fundraising efforts.

Most nonprofits are deep into year-end fundraising, and COVID-19 relief legislation passed by Congress in March gives extra incentives to donors on 2020 taxes.

So whether you donate to one of those three organizations or any of the other worthy nonprofits in the area - Heartland Animal Shelter, Northfield Food Pantry, Western Golf Association Evans Scholars or the Glenbrook High School Foundation, just to name a few - it's a good year to do it, and a great gift. Especially for the ... difficult recipients. Who can complain about a donation? Who's going to be all "I HATE CHARITY, WHAT A TERRIBLE GIFT"? (You're welcome.)

Here's the thing: The holidays are going to be kinda weird this year. Heck, 2020 has been a pretty weird year overall. But maybe we can end it on a high note by celebrating, even if the celebration looks a little different from usual, and helping each other out in the process.

• Melynda has worked at the Daily Herald for 21 years. The only time she shopped early for holiday gifts, she forgot about them until the following spring. But then they were early birthday presents for her dad, niece and nephew. Shhh. Nobody was the wiser.