With grim economic news all around us, it may be difficult to muster holiday cheer this season; the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports more that one million Americans lost their jobs in 2008, and President-elect Barack Obama made a dark prediction this week that 2009 may be worse.

Our community and its business owners are not recession-proof. We’re making cuts and adjusting our lifestyles to accommodate changing times.

With the holidays upon us, as consumers, we’re faced with a barrage of options – small boutiques and big-box stores that run the gamut from pricey to relatively inexpensive.

Though many of us will make shopping decisions based on our pocketbooks, it’s more important than ever we support businesses that support us; businesses that stand by our community year-round – whether in the fight against HIV/AIDS or the battle for marriage equality.

There are a number of businesses listed in our gift guide – and many not listed here – that need our support this holiday season.

A number of our local businesses and business owners give time and money to local charities and nonprofit organizations.

They support The San Diego LGBT Community Center and its many programs and services, or the critical mission of AIDS Walk San Diego. They back programs for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth, or programs for GLBT seniors. They give time to Mama’s Kitchen, Special Delivery or the Imperial Court de San Diego.

This year, they volunteered time and money to the No on 8 campaign, and marched beside us when California’s voters passed the ban on same-sex marriage.

Their generosity, good spirit and commitment to us should not go unnoticed or unrewarded.

Our annual gift guide will give you gift-giving options in every price range to meet your budget; and, you’ll have an opportunity to support the businesses in our community that give back.

Our annual gift guide is published in Adobe PDF format. Click the link below to download.

www.gaylesbiantimes.com/pdf/glt_giftguide_1092.pdf (684K)