NewsTribune_Peru Xmas Gift Guide_112223

Downtown Peru Gift Guide 2023

There’s no place like home for holiday shopping!

Holiday Shopping Tips & Information Information On Peru Holiday Events!

Great Gift Ideas From Downtown Peru Merchants

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ShawLocal.com | NewsTribune | Wednesday, November 22, 2023 |

PERU CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE

THE CITY OF PERU, TONY’S BUTTSHACK & DEBO ACE HARDWARE PRESENTS...

LET IT GLOW HOLIDAY LIGHTS & DECORATING CONTEST! ARE YOU A CITY OF PERU RESIDENT WHO LOVES DECORATING YOUR HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS? IF SO, THIS CONTEST IS FOR YOU! • Contest will run December 8th - 25th.

• Light displays are expected to be lit each Friday-Sunday, 5-10pm during contest dates.

• Entry forms must be submitted by December 2nd.

• Once all entries have been received, a map with entries will be posted with a link to vote online for your favorite house!

• Winners will be announced Thursday, December 29th.

• 1st Place Winner Receives: $500 Catering Gift Card for Tony’s Buttshack BBQ • 2nd Place Winner Receives: $300 Gift Card to a Peru Business of Your Choice • 3rd Place Winner Receives: Gift Basket from Debo Ace Hardware

ENTRY FORMS MAY BE OBTAINED BY VISITING WWW.PERU.IL.US FORMS ARE LOCATED UNDER NEWS & INFO TAB SM-LA2122069

Food features prominently throughout the holiday season. Family meals around the holiday dinner table are a cherished tradition in millions of households, and food also plays a central role during seasonal gatherings with friends and colleagues. Food also can feature prominently throughout Chanukah and on Christmas Day, particularly if a loved one qualifies as a full-fledged foodie.

Many families feature at least one foodie. Foodies always know the best place in town to grab a bite or when a trendy new restaurant will open its doors. But such individuals also enjoy making meals at home, and the following gift ideas can make this holiday season more flavorful for the family foodie.

• Tabletop firepit: Shoppers who want to impress their food-loving loved one with something truly unique can give a tabletop firepit. Safe for indoor use, tabletop firepits enable s’mores-loving foodies to indulge in a traditionally summertime favorite all-year-round.

Tabletop firepits are small enough to be stored on a kitchen countertop or in a cabinet. When in use, the s’mores-friendly accessory is smokeless, removing perhaps the lone disadvantage to making this beloved treat.

• Club subscription: Monthly subscriptions are a gift that can keep on giving all the way until next holiday season.

Sweets lovers will undoubtedly appreciate receiving a box of fresh chocolates each month, while those with more unique tastes may anxiously await the day their monthly shipment of pickles arrives at their doorstep. The options

are endless, ensuring there’s a monthly subscription out there to tickle every foodie’s fancy.

• Sauce sampler: Amateur sauciers may find inspiration in a sauce sampler set. Sampler set options abound, so shoppers can find something for foodies who love a spicy sauce, something more sweet or even in between. Of course,

SAVING FOR THE HOLIDAYS HAS NEVER BEEN EASIER!

OUR CHRISTMAS CLUB ACCOUNT ALLOWS YOU TO SAVE ALL YEAR LONG FOR THE HOLIDAYS OR END-OF-YEAR EXPENSES Minimum to open - $1 Easily accessible through out Online & Mobile Banking No monthly service fees Interest is compounded & credited annually Checks are sent out in October Transfers from this account to another account, or to third parties by preauthorized, automatic, telephone, or computer transfers by check, draft or similar order to third parties are limited to six (6) per statement cycle

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sampler sets also provide a range of sauces, making them ideal for foodies who want something spicy tonight before pivoting to a sweeter dish tomorrow. Flavored olive oil sampler sets also can be a great gift for cooks who love to experiment with new flavors.

• Charcuterie board and knife set: Foodies who love to host their fellow food fanatics will no doubt fall in love with a new charcuterie board and knife set.

A 2023 report from Kroger revealed that the supermarket chain expected charcuterie boards to remain popular over the course of the year. That popularity makes sense, as anything from meat to cheese to fruit to crackers has a home on a charcuterie board, making the item especially appealing to foodies who routinely share their homes and love of food with friends and family.

• Espresso maker: Of course, foodies aren’t just about food. Beverages also figure prominently in many foodies’ lives. A high-end espresso maker can ground fresh beans and brew multiple cups in no time at all, making it an ideal addition to any foodie’s culinary arsenal.

Food is a vital component of the holiday season and can even be incorporated into holiday shopping.

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PERU CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE | Wednesday, November 22, 2023 | NewsTribune | ShawLocal.com

Great gifts for the family foodie

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ShawLocal.com | NewsTribune | Wednesday, November 22, 2023 |

PERU CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE

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Gift ideas for college students DORM GEAR College students who opt to live in campus housing often want to make their dorm rooms a home away from home. They will need to outfit these tight quarters with items that won’t take up too much space. Small pod-type coffee pots, compact microwaves, mini fridges, under-bed storage shelving, area rugs, cozy comforters, and bathroom essentials can make college kids’ dorm rooms feel more like home.

College is the natural next step for many graduating high school students. According to Best Colleges, in 2022 there were 17.9 million students enrolled in degree-granting colleges and universities in the United States. Many other students began their college careers in the fall 2023 semester, joining the ranks of people working toward their degrees.

Holiday gifts that aim to meet the needs and interests of recipients can ensure presents will be enjoyed and utilized. Modern college students likely can use a few things to simplify life on campus.

LAPTOP OR TABLET Gone are the days when students primarily utilize pen and paper for school assignments. Students are often introduced to tablets and other digital devices to complete assignments and take notes as early as elementary school. This reliance on paperless communication continues at the high school and university level. Most, if not all, assignments are posted online and then completed and submitted through various portals or cloud services. Therefore, college students will require a laptop or high functioning tablet with the right processing speed and memory capacity to handle the demand.

STUDENT CARD FUNDS Colleges utilize different programs for paying for meal plans and incidentals purchased on campus.

This likely involves funds linked to a proprietary card that functions similarly to a debit or credit card. Savvy gift givers can deposit funds into students’ accounts so that they’ll have a little extra spending money to put toward books or that mocha latte at the campus coffee shop.

PARKING PASS Although freshmen may be restricted from bringing cars to campus unless they are commuter students, sophomores and upperclassmen may be able to park in campus lots. Parking typically is an extra cost for students, meaning friends or relatives can gift the cost of annual parking passes to the college students in their lives.

EVENT TICKETS Not every moment should be spent in classrooms or residence halls. College students may want to venture away from campus, and what better way to enjoy the sights and offerings of what nearby venues have to offer than by attending various events? Gift-givers can offer tickets to art shows, music festivals, comedy club nights, amusement parks, or other events in college towns.

TRAVEL ASSISTANCE Attending college far from home means that students will take planes, trains or automobiles to return home for holidays and other special events.

Gifting college students airline or train fare, or providing gift cards for gas station fill-ups, means students will be able to afford trips home when needed.

College students can benefit from gifts geared to the college lifestyle. GG239234

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The benefits of shopping local during the holiday season Millions of people enjoy shopping for gifts and loved ones each holiday season. The spirit of giving is alive and well each December, and that can extend to giving back to one’s own community.

In addition to supporting local charities when making donations during the holiday season, shoppers can patronize small local businesses over big box retailers and national chains. The decision to do so can benefit communities in myriad ways.

• Small businesses inspire young entrepreneurs. The United States Department of Commerce reports that nearly half of all small business owners in the U.S. in 2018 were 54 or younger. Six percent of those owners were 34 and under. Young entrepreneurs at the helm of thriving local businesses provide inspiration to the next generation of innovators.

• Thriving small business owners can send a positive message to traditionally underrepresented groups. The National Women’s Business Council Annual Report for 2022 indicated women-owned employer firms increased by nearly 17 percent between 2012 and 2019. Similarly, the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2021 Annual Business Survey found that there were more Hispanic-owned and minority-owned businesses in various sectors than a decade earlier. The success of women- and minority-owned

Register to win one of four ($25.00) Gift Certificates to be given away!

businesses sends a positive message to young entrepreneurs and locals who are part of groups that have traditionally been underrepresented in business. That can help to create a more diverse and inclusive Main Street, the success of which depends heavily on locals’ willingness to patronize locally-owned businesses.

• Shopping local supports many small business owners. Family meals and social gatherings with friends and coworkers are a big part of the holiday season, and it’s not uncommon to break bread and share a few drinks during a night on the town. Choosing to gather at a locally owned restaurant or tavern instead of a chain restaurant can have a ripple effect on an assortment of local businesses.

Local restaurants often source their ingredients from local farms. A family meal at such a restaurant benefits both the restaurant owner and the hardworking local suppliers of the food that ends up on the plate. Local restaurants also are more likely to list locally produced wines and craft beers on their menus than national chains. That adds to the ripple effect of celebrating the holidays at a locally owned restaurant.

A thriving small business sector is vital to a strong local economy.

Shoppers can keep that in mind and patronize local businesses during the holiday season. GG239242

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PERU CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE | Wednesday, November 22, 2023 | NewsTribune | ShawLocal.com

“Don ye now our Great Apparel”

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PERU CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE

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What shoppers can do to avoid breaking the bank this holiday season Millions of individuals enjoy holiday shopping for their loved ones each year. Come the holiday season, thoughts of what to get friends and family is foremost on the minds of those who embrace the spirit of giving that is synonymous with this special time of year.

It’s easy to overspend come the holiday shopping season. That could be even easier in an era marked by high inflation, which has affected consumers since 2022. Lingering inflation could require shoppers to be especially vigilant with their shopping budgets this holiday season.

Thankfully, a few simple strategies can help shoppers stay the financial course this holiday season.

• Track spending with a banking app on your smartphone. Consumers can now track their spending in real time by downloading their bank and/or credit card app on their smartphones. A quick login can help shoppers monitor account balances to determine how much they have spent. If the budget is about to be busted, pull back the reins and cut the shopping trip short.

• Establish gift value limits. No one has been immune to the effects of inflation over the last year-plus. So family members likely won’t have a

problem establishing spending limits this year. Work together with relatives to determine a reasonable limit to spend on each gift. For example, a $50 per gift limit can ensure everyone gets a quality gift without going into debt.

• Shop on retail holidays. Black Friday was once the only game in town regarding retail holidays. But consumers can take advantage of addi-

tional discount-heavy shopping days like Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday to find great deals on a wide range of items. Take retail holiday savings one step further by penciling in time to comparison shop on these popular days when retailers compete for customers.

• Look for almost-new gifts. Mobile providers may market the latest model smartphone as upping the

ante with new bells and whistles, but chances are last year’s model is just as user-friendly at a fraction of the cost. The same can be said for other gadgets like wireless headphones and smart TVs. Last year’s models may be heavily discounted, particularly online, but just as impressive as their more expensive successors.

• Keep shipping costs in mind. The sticker price of certain items, particularly large ones, is likely not the whole story regarding how much the item will cost. Certain items, like trampolines for kids or a new armchair for Dad, will likely cost considerably more than the sticker price alone. Shipping on small items may be free at various online retailers, but that likely won’t be the case with larger items. The cost of shipping some heavy items might be as much as one-third the cost of the item itself. Shoppers should keep that in mind and build potential shipping costs into their holiday budgets.

It’s easy to overspend come the holiday season. However, various strategies make it easy to stay within budget when shopping for gifts for family and friends.

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Last-minute holiday shopping tips Though devotees of early holiday shopping do not hesitate to point out how convenient it can be to get all their gifts long before the arrival of Chanukah and Christmas, scores of shoppers still wait until the last minute to begin checking names off their lists. It might be beneficial to shop early, but it’s easy to procrastinate.

Last-minute holiday shopping might not be as enjoyable a custom as family dinners or office parties, but scrambling to find the right gift in the waning days of the holiday season is a familiar situation for millions of shoppers. Shoppers who find themselves with some last-minute shopping on their to-do list can utilize these tips to make the frantic search for the right gift go smoothly.

• Work with store personnel. If a shopping list is lengthy but the time before the holiday arrives is dwindling, speak directly with store personnel, who may offer suggestions but can also help shoppers find what they need. In-person shoppers can speak with a store clerk immediately upon entering a store, while online shoppers can utilize chat functions on retailers’ websites for help finding something that’s in stock and deliverable before the big day.

• Expect competition. Though online shopping would seemingly make last-minute shoppers relics of a bygone era, that was not really the case in 2022. A survey of more than 1,000 shoppers conducted by the retail industry publisher Best Black Friday found that just about 16 percent of consumers estimated they would finish their shopping during the week of Christmas. Last-minute shoppers who want to avoid crowds should consider shopping during off-peak hours, such as on weekday mornings

and afternoons when most people are working.

• Shop local. Last-minute shoppers may be flocking to malls and busy downtown shopping districts as they hurry to get gifts for friends and family members with different interests.

Shopping at small, local businesses can help last-minute shoppers avoid such crowds. And with less on their shelves and smaller storage rooms, small business owners and their staff also tend to know their inventories inside and out. That can ensure a shopping trip is not spent wandering numerous aisles in search of the right gift.

• Bag it, don’t wrap it. Shoppers who wait until the very last minute likely won’t have time to wrap all the gifts they pick up for loved ones. Gift bags conceal gifts just as well as wrapping paper, but it takes a fraction of the time to place a gift in a bag as it does to wrap it in paper. Quality gifts bags also are reusable, which can appeal to anyone looking to create less waste this holiday season.

• Don’t forget food. If it’s truly impossible to find something late in the season and a gift card feels too impersonal, give the gift of food. Adult recipients also can be gifted a bottle of wine or another spirit that can be enjoyed during a holiday meal. Shoppers skilled in the kitchen can whip up a homemade treat, while those without such talents can give a store-bought delicacy or even a subscription to a monthly food club or service.

Last-minute shopping may look different than it used to, but scores of shoppers still wait to buy gifts for their loved ones. A handful of strategies can simplify last-minute shopping. GG239235

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PERU CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE | Wednesday, November 22, 2023 | NewsTribune | ShawLocal.com

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8 PERU CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE

CITY OF PERU CHRISTMAS LIGHT PARADE SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2 | 5PM

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Following the parade, Santa arrives at City Hall!

Gifts for Children, Cookies & Hot Chocolate PARADE LINE UP: 4:30PM AT WASHINGTON PARK (PARK ROAD) PARADE STARTS: 5:00PM PARADE ENDS: PERU CITY HALL PARADE LINE UP PARADE ROUTE

CITY of PERU Mayor Ken Kolowski & Peru City Council Members

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City Clerk Dave Bartley • City Treasurer Jackson Powell • www.peru.il.us 1st Ward aldermen Jeff Ballard Bob Tieman

2nd Ward aldermen Tom Payton Jason Edgcomb

3rd Ward aldermen Mike Sapienza Rick O’Sadnick

4th Ward aldermen Jim Lukosus Andy Moreno