It’s that time of year again. Time to stuff ourselves with turkey and then head out to the stores for the ultimate after-Thanksgiving sales. However, you don’t have to wait until the day after Thanksgiving to get started on your Christmas list if you head to downtown Tallapoosa.

On Thanksgiving day, join the businesses in town as they start the season a day early with Christmas in Tallapoosa, an open house event that has grown from one store to several since 1977 as businesses open their doors to shoppers a day before the shopping season starts.

Tommy Allen of Allen’s Florist, which began the open house tradition 30 years ago, says this is the event that local businesses need to boost their revenue for the year.

“This [event] will really help,” he says. “We really encourage everyone to be open that day ... especially if you have items to sell [because] there will be a lot of people in town that day.”

Allen estimates that as many as 1,500 people browse his 14 rooms on Thanksgiving day, all thanks to this essentially promotional event.

“Anything you can do to promote your business is good,” he says.

Several other businesses have already pledged to be open for Christmas in Tallapoosa, including Sweet Pea’s Antiques, Hart’s Jewelry, Sew Simple Embroidery, Fashion Cove, Our Place, Tallapoosa Electronics, Touch of Heaven Salon and Events by Design.

“It’s a good time to come and see what Tallapoosa has to offer and to get into the Christmas spirit,” Allen says.

Many businesses often have sales or run specials for the annual open house. Therefor, Better Hometown Manager Kate Gardner says it is an excellent time find a deal, get your Christmas shopping out of the way as well as support the local economy.

Haralson County Chamber of Commerce President Jenny English agrees. English says shoppers need to realize the impact they can have simply by shopping close to home.

“When they make a purchase locally [...] they have done something good for their community and that person [they have purchased from], and [shoppers] can really feel good about that.”

English says shoppers might also choose to shop locally because it is more convenient, less time consuming, and they will often receive better customer service.

Allen’s Florist will open for business Thanksgiving day as early as 2 p.m., with several other local businesses following soon after.

However, if you just want to spend your Thanksgiving holiday relaxing or working off all that turkey, the Tally Mountain Golf Course will be open until 4 p.m. for those wishing to get in a few strokes before sundown – or before shopping.

No matter how you decide to spend your Thanksgiving day, the businesses of Tallapoosa hope you decide to spend part of your long weekend with them and buy locally this year while you’re shopping for Christmas gifts.