As the countdown to Christmas continues, remember there are tons of great stores in Central Whidbey to find that perfect holiday gift.

Shopping locally is a smart choice in a variety of ways — from the gas you’ll save traveling to that distant store to the ripple effect dollars spent locally causes.

Spending locally not only helps that local shop owner, it helps the local economy and, in turn, you.

A good portion of Town of Coupeville’s annual revenue includes sales tax revenue.

Steady sales tax revenue reflects a healthy local economy and gives local government the funds it needs to provide some of the amenities citizens in Coupeville enjoy.

A healthy local economy allows for well-kept parks, public spaces and the beautiful lights display at Cook’s Corner Park.

Shopping locally is important and local groups have come up with creative ways to market and support the campaign,  like thee annual Red Ticket Drawing which is 1 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 21, on the steps of the Island County Historical Museum.

The drawing is sponsored by the Coupeville Historic Waterfront Association.

Since early October, participating businesses have been giving out red tickets for every $20 spent in their stores.

Three $100 winners will be chosen along with the one grand prize of $1,000.

Winners must be present to win.

The association is able to track holiday spending to some degree by tracking how many red tickets are distributed.

Last year, roughly $400,000 was spent in the red ticket promotion.

That’s just a fraction of the dollars spent locally that all go toward supporting our local healthy economy.

So if you still have a few items left on your shopping list, head out to one of Coupeville’s many unique and fun shops and we’ll see you Sunday with red tickets in-hand.