There’s no need to wait until the day after Thanksgiving to begin your holiday shopping. In fact, there’s incentive to get started now.

A two-month shopping event begins today, giving holiday-season consumers a chance to support many local businesses while getting a chance – or chances – at winning one of three shopping spree prizes.

This year’s Mineral Wells Area Chamber of Commerce-sponsored “Christmas Market” is much more than the one-day event it has been in the past. This year – and with 60 local and area merchants participating – it runs through noon on Dec. 24.

Shoppers can pick up entry cards at any of the participating merchants or at the chamber’s office. On it are dollar values ranging from $5 to $50, totaling $300 per card. The merchant will punch out numbers up to the value of the purchase. Once all the numbers are punched, the card can then be entered into the Dec. 24 drawing where three shopping spree prizes – $1,000, $500 and $250 – will be given away. Winners drawn will receive coupons to purchase items at any of the “Christmas Market” merchants of their choice.

Not only are there gifts and clothing stores taking part this year, but shoppers can buy everyday items like gas at On The Run or food and household items at Save-A-Lot or Walgreens and have those dollar amounts punched out on their cards. Restaurants throughout town are taking part. You can have your car serviced at Kwik Kar and get your card punched. You can even purchase a new car at Powell Auto Center and have that purchase amount punched out – for instance, a $20,000 vehicle would be worth 67 completed entry cards. The possibilities are numerous.

“We encourage people to pick up a card at any participating merchant or the chamber and use it as they go about their shopping for the next two months, because there’s everything from Christmas gifts to gas and groceries,” said chamber Executive Director Beth Henary Watson. “It’s a real diversity.”

“The purpose of this is to benefit chamber members and local businesses and to bring more sales tax dollars into the Mineral Wells area and Palo Pinto County,” said Watson. “The reason for awarding the prizes to shoppers is to make people think twice and three times about spending money in their community and among the chamber members, rather than taking it elsewhere. The importance of that is amplified during difficult economic times.”

Hopes are to not only get local residents to shop locally first, but to draw people from other areas to shop Mineral Wells as well.

Businesses taking part are not confined to Mineral Wells. Clark Gardens Botanical Park east of Mineral Wells, Gilbert Pecans in Santo and Cactus Rose Western Gifts in Mingus are also participating.

“During difficult times, entrepreneurship thrives and there are several new businesses in town that have popped up just in the last year,” said Watson. “I think it’s safe to say a good holiday season could make or break some small businesses.”

Michelle Hanchey, of Hanchey’s Leather in downtown Mineral Wells, agreed.

“Yes, it has been a very difficult year for a lot of small businesses,” said Hanchey, whose store makes by hand leather wallets, checkbook covers, book covers, phone cases, money clips, purses, belts and other items. “We’ve already lost a few stores. It’s hard. We’re going to make it one way or another but we need all the help we can get.”

Hanchey said it’s important people support the local merchants.

“I try and shop Mineral Wells first,” she said. “I think this will help us as far as businesses, and help keep us running. Some of us are small. Some people don’t look at Mineral Wells first. We’ve been here since 1992 and I have people all the time tell us they didn’t know we are here.”

Annette Bennett, of Bennett’s Office Supply and Equipment, is chamber president and a participating merchant. She said she is “pumped” about the two-month shopping event that focuses on so many local merchants offering a wide array of goods and services.

“It seems the people are excited,” said Bennett. “We do have a lot to offer to Mineral Wells.”

With sales tax revenues down almost $1 million for the City of Mineral Wells since Jan. 1, according to the State Comptroller’s office, Bennett said the need to keep shopping dollars at home is more important than ever.

“We want to get people to stay home and spend their dollars here,” she said. “It all goes around. If you shop here and spend the dollar here the dollar stays here and it come back and goes into city services, repairing the streets.”

Bennett agreed that with the economic difficulties of the past year, this holiday season will be important for the survival of some merchants.

“The people here are very generous. They support our kids, they support or old people … we need them to stay home and support our businesses,” she said. “It’s a make-or-break point for some businesses.”

The big Christmas Market event is set for Dec. 4. Watson said most of the participating merchants will extend their operating hours that evening. There will be vendors at Brazos Mall and at the Crazy Water Retirement Hotel. There will be holiday music around town including groups of carolers and the Travis Cadets. Farm Bureau Insurance will again sponsor a downtown hayride, and Public Transit Service will offer shuttles to help shoppers get from end of town to the other.

Watson said, though, she hopes the two-month event will benefit the merchants and community.

“Shopping is about more than one day, and the shopper can’t possibly visit all the businesses on just the one day,” said Watson. “We feel this provides a better benefit to the businesses.”

Any vendors interested in securing space for the Dec. 4 event can call the chamber at (940) 325-2557, or go the chamber’s Web site at www.mineralwellstx.com