Bolton merchants wish everyone a very merry Christmas

The newly formed Bolton Merchant's Association (BMA) is open for business! This Christmas, they launch their first in a series of shop local campaigns entitled Shop Bolton.

It's a poster-size colouring sheet for children to colour and proudly display on their kitchen refrigerator throughout the holidays. This simple Christmas image shows the joy and merriment that could be had by shopping local. To make it more joyful and merry for mom, the BMA has added a contest component. Tear off the bottom part

and return the ballot to a participating locally owned store for a chance to win a Santa Bag filled with Bolton goodies - which so far, appears to be well over $2,000 in value. Santa has only collected from some of the stores as each participating store is contributing a gift. Each present will be wrapped, so the lucky winner will need to wake extra early, as there will be a lot of unwrapping to be had Christmas morning!

As you travel throughout Bolton you will notice a small shopping bag in each store window. This identifies which stores have these poster-sized colouring sheets.

The BMA's simple efforts are helping residents connect with local merchants. There are many advantages of shopping locally, and not limiting to just saving fuel and supporting the local economy. The colouring sheet is an excellent way of getting young people and their families thinking about using local resources. The Santa Bag, however, is the merchants way of saying "thank you" for shopping Bolton!

At this time of year, it's about giving. So spread good

cheer by supporting your local merchants and shop Bolton this Christmas!

To learn more about the Bolton Merchant's Association and participating in the Shop Bolton programs, please visit ShopBolton.ca.