Let’s keep those cash registersjingling, ring-ting-tingling too...

I realize many of our readers are too young to recognize either the song reference or remember when cash registers actually did jingle after every transaction.

But all of us who have made it this far into the 2020 pandemic are old enough to make the connectionbetweenlocal commerce and a strong local economy - the driving force that provides jobs, taxes for services and infrastructure and charitable support of local causes.

That’s why it was so encouraging to see the turnout at Sunday’s Holiday Open House – a downtown full of not only visitors, but serious shoppers queuing at check out stands with arms full of purchases.

Downtown merchants count on that day to kick off what they hope is a vigorous holiday shopping season.

And they take full responsibility for its success, meeting as a group for weeks in advance, along with Chamber Manager Shawna Rupp, to discuss and plan how they might make it more spectacular than ever.

This year, new challenges threatened to derail their efforts.

First, Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church was forced to cancel its turkey dinner for the first time ever, due to COVID-19 concerns.

That dinner, which typically serves up nearly 1,000 meals, has always been a huge drawing card for the Holiday Open House event that followed.

But three local restaurants stepped up to replicate the feast - Stack Grill, Sunrise Cafe and Snider’s Catering.

Between them, the restaurants served about 650 turkey dinners for dine in as well as carryout.

(All three are selling more turkey meals in coming days. Watch for coming ads.)

Then came last week’s ice storm, creating a host of disruptions that threatened the event.

But dedicated crews of city workers restored outages in the city limits by Thursday and Cimarron Electric Cooperative crews continue to work around the clock to whittle down numbers in rural areas.

Then beautiful weather by Saturday gave residents a chance to clear yards of brush and limbs to keep their Sunday free.

The day itself dawned bright and warm - perfect weather to cure cabin fever with an afternoon downtown.

Food trucks, photo opportunities with Santa, a mobile photo booth, free backdrops provided by downtown businesses and with the amazing Express Employment Clydesdales arranged by Rupp kept families in town for the tree-lighting that capped a perfect day.

Will one day of crowds and great sales undo nine months of pandemic austerity? Not even close.

But it did give local merchants renewed hope that they still have the support of the people whom they themselves have supported for years.

Now it’s up to us to prove that hope is not unfounded.

Go back - on your lunch hour or your afternoonbreak if you work in town, or on every Saturday shopping day that merchants make available this season.

They’ve stocked some pretty cool and unique items that your Christmas list is missing. And we have some phenomenal local restaurants and a coffee shop when you need to refuel.

Because that’s the thing that impresses me about our brick-and-mortar businesses.

There’s been no hand-wringing, no insistence that they are “owed” your business.

Instead, they have been creative, supportive of each other and determined to win your business back.

So please let them win, because when they do, we all do.

And even though you won’thear them saying it, the truth is the truth.

We really do owe them.