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Last-minute Christmas shoppers Some local retail stores see last-minute shopping, others don’t
By GRAYCE MCCORMICK NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
As the final day of Christmas shopping came to a close, some Santa Barbara residents got their last-minute shopping done while others seemed to have settled for last-minute online orders. A handful of shops on State Street in the Paseo Nuevo Mall opened up early to accommodate the shoppers who procrastinated, and while business is obviously slower due to COVID-19 restrictions and the stay-at-home order, some sales associates said they saw more shoppers than usual. Bluemercury on State Street opened at 7:45 a.m. on Christmas Eve instead of its usual 10 a.m. Beauty adviser Brandon Cortez told the News-Press that they were hoping to snag some of the day-before customers. “I do see that there’s more people coming in,” he said. “It seems to me like they’re doing a lot of their shopping last minute. It’s still on the slower side, but it’s kicking in.” State Street’s Poppy Boutique, on the other hand, opened at its normal time, but salesperson Meg Davis said she was considering closing early for Christmas Eve. She added that the week had been pretty busy. “We have been busy,” she told the News-Press. “Sunday, Monday, Tuesday … we had good days. “People come in and say they want to shop locally. They want to come into the smaller stores and help them survive. The people who live here see what’s happening and they see the need to come downtown, but a lot of them said they haven’t been downtown for months.” At Sunglass Brands International, Manager Minesh Kantaria said business has been
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Dozens of community groups took part in the annual gift drive, including members of the Rotary Club of Santa Barbara.
Record-breaking holiday gift drive Annual “Christmas Wishes” drive receives 600 gifts By MITCHELL WHITE NEWS-PRESS ASSOCIATE EDITOR
While the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted nearly all walks of life, it couldn’t prevent residents from showing the holiday spirit. An example of this was seen for Court Appointed Special Advocates of Santa Barbara County’s annual “Christmas Wishes” gift drive, which saw record-breaking donations made this year. A total of 600 gifts were donated, along with more than $6,500 in cash and gift card donations in support of the effort.
The annual gift collection has been held for the past 14 years, but there has never been a year with so many children in need, according to Kim Colby Davis, executive director of CASA of Santa Barbara County. “We have been overwhelmed with the community’s response to this year’s event,” Ms. Davis said in a news release. “When we started this years ago, we collected close to 100 gifts. Today, we are happy to announce that more than 600 gifts have been Please see casa on A6
RAFAEL MALDONADO/NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
Find Your Feet on State Street specializes in stocking stuffers, but a store representative told the NewsPress that it’s not nearly as busy as it has been in past holiday seasons. Shown here is salesman Jesus Landell stocking part of the State Street store.
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ShelterBox is aiding people during the Syrian refugee crisis.
Home for the holidays ShelterBox USA continues to provide shelter to the displaced to survive the winter By GRAYCE MCCORMICK NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
State Street’s Poppy Boutique salesperson Meg Davis said that residents have come to the shop to help local businesses survive amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
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L O T T E RY RESU LTS
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As many Americans spend Christmas Day cozy in their homes, ShelterBox USA will continue to respond to conflict and disaster situations all over the world. In the middle of winter, ShelterBox’s primary focus is its response to the Syrian refugee crisis. Many individuals and families have become displaced, forcing them to endure the
extremely cold Syrian winter. However, ShelterBox is hoping to provide “winterized shelter kits” to as many displaced people as possible. These kits contain basic supplies to survive, including blankets, carpets, mattresses, boots, coats, thermal baby onesies, sanitary items and more. Kerri Murray, the president of ShelterBox USA Santa Barbara, told the News-Press that some
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