It's the holiday season and no doubt most people reading this letter are in full swing of shopping for food, for gifts, and for home decorations. Let's try to remember to shop Port this year. Yes, it may be a bit more expensive to shop locally, but that is the price we pay to have a small town feeling on our Main Street and our Boulevard. The variety of small local merchants with their own individual ideas for us is a fundamental piece of our town's character. It's so gloomy to see so many empty storefronts in our commercial districts, and even more gloomy to see chains filling them. If we don't support our local merchants, who support us not only with their homeowners taxes but also with their business taxes, we may soon have no choice but to shop at malls or online.

It's a little like supporting the schools. If they don't receive our financial support, then what is great about them will gradually disappear also.

It's a season to have great faith in miracles. I do, and one of the miracles I believe in is that this town really does have a great and generous collective heart.

Happy Holidays, everyone.

Sue Sturman