DE PERE, Wis. (WFRV) – The holidays are fast approaching and that means many will be feverishly shopping until they drop.

The City of De Pere and Definitely De Pere are creating a ‘Choose Local’ holiday shopping challenge in the city’s business district. As the name implies, the challenge is for locals to come downtown for their holiday shopping and, in case you didn’t know, there are plenty of options.

The aim is to have the community commit 75% of its holiday spending to local shops and restaurants, whether online or in-person, to help sustain the locally owned small businesses in downtown De Pere that have been hit hard by the realities of COVID-19.

The “Choose Local” campaign in downtown De Pere will extend throughout the holiday season. The upcoming Thanksgiving week includes the popular Black Friday and Small Business Saturday for shopping. A week later, on Dec. 5, Definitely De Pere will host Holly Day with Santa and Mrs. Claus making a special appearance as they ride through downtown on a horse-drawn carriage.

There also will be major prize giveaways for gift-card packages from downtown De Pere merchants.

Definitely De Pere has set up a website for customers to see the others of shops and restaurants on both sides of the Fox River. You can find more information online right here.