‘Tis the season to kick off your Christmas shopping.
This year, the Altona and District Chamber of Commerce’s holiday promotion is all about supporting the community, and they have launched their Passport to Christmas to do just that.
Economic development officer Stephanie Harris says they want to encourage people to find what they need right here in town when they purchase their Christmas gifts this year.
The promotion features a passport card which displays a Christmas tree with ornaments. Each ornament represents a different spending amount at each business.
“All you need to do is bring your passport in and you spend the minimum amount,” Harris explains. “You will then receive a sticker or stamped initial from the business.”
Each participating business provides the passport cards, but they are also available at the chamber’s office on Centre Ave.
“There’s a list of businesses on the back of the passport. Each passport is valued at about $200,” Harris says. “Once the passport is full, you need to drop it off at the chamber office for a chance to win $500 of Chamber Bucks. So, it’s a significant prize this year that would definitely help with your Christmas shopping. But the passport must be full to enter.”
The dollar amounts on the passports range from $10 to $25.
“The amounts aren’t that large, and it’s helpful in encouraging everyone to shop local,” Harris says.
Harris shares that she and the chamber’s events and program coordinator Chloe Driedger have been giving this year’s promotion a lot of thought.
“We thought this could be a fun promotion that the Altona chamber has not done for quite some time,” she says. “Other chambers have done it in the past, and it’s always been successful for them, so it’s always nice to see if that promotion can work here for us, too.”
Over 25 local businesses are participating, including retail outlets, restaurants, and services.
“There are all kinds of opportunities,” says Harris. “You can get gift certificates as well and use the passport to get a stamp.”
The promotion runs from Dec. 1 to 15. The winner will be announced on Dec. 18.
On another note, Harris is also encouraging local shoppers to consider purchasing Chamber Bucks as gifts this Christmas.
“These can be purchased or ordered at the Altona Chamber office. They also support local businesses. This is a time of year when they need your support the most and could use that financial boost. If we want to keep our businesses in our community, or attract new businesses, we have to support them.”
