Now that holiday items are on the store shelves, it’s time to start planning for holiday shopping.  I must admit that in the past, I’ve been rather thoughtless with my holiday shopping.  I don’t mean thoughtless with the gifts I purchase, but thoughtless related to where I’m spending my holiday money.  This year I’m going to change my spending habits in three ways:

The first change is to buy gifts, supplies and decorations from local or small businesses.  My daughters love music, so one of my first stops will be CD Warehouse, owned by Andy and Kathy Boyle.  Another stop will be the local shops on Marietta Square, including Doodlebugz and the Marietta Wine Shop.  I’ll also visit some of my favorite websites, www.glassybaby.com for unique glassware, www.outofprintclothing.com for interesting book related gifts and http://www.mypolkadots.com which has fun retro toys and gifts and is owned by Gary and Deb Pruitt.

I’ll also buy food from the local farmer’s markets for some of my holiday cooking.  The North Georgia apples are in season, and I’m getting them straight from the farm.  Local food is not only fresher, but it also reduces the environmental impact since the fruits and vegetables don’t have to be shipped to the grocery market.

Finally, I’m going to respond to all of the surveys I receive.  I rarely respond to these types of surveys due my busy schedule.  But it’s important to provide businesses feedback on service levels and I want to take the extra time to give my feedback whether it’s a negative or positive experience.

I’ll continue to Blog, Tweet, Pin and Foursquare my experiences, so stay tuned.

So what changes will you make during the upcoming holiday season?  Share some of your favorite local businesses or small business websites.