Green is good. It means growth. It means life.

And, today, Saturday, for many merchants and shoppers in Selma green means great Christmas shopping deals.

Green Saturday, as it’s called, is the brainchild of the Selma-Dallas County Chamber of Commerce Retail Committee to attract more people to shop in Selma.

“With the upcoming Christmas theme of ‘It’s a Wonderful Life,’ we thought it would be ‘It’s a Wonderful Sale,’” chamber Executive Director Sheryl Smedley explained.

Jim Truax of Butler Truax Jewelers said today is a good idea because neither Alabama nor Auburn is playing football today; so more people will be in town. People also travel out of town on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving to catch deals on items they can’t get in town, Truax explained.

“So that’s the reason a lot of us got together and decided to go the Saturday before Thanksgiving,” he said.

Kevin Clark, retail store manager for Central Alabama Co-op said his store is using the event to kick off its Christmas season with several sales on grills and Carhart clothes. Oh, and don’t forget about the pecan pies, either.

But most importantly, Clark represents other retailers in the area when he talks about the necessity of keeping dollars in a community where jobs are few.

“As you can tell, Dallas County has one of the highest unemployment rates in the state,” he said. “We haven’t seen a whole lot of shopping around here. Most people have been going to Prattville and Montgomery, especially since Prattville has been growing so fast. It’s important to have money stay in Selma with the jobs and growth.”

With the economy as it is, the people of Selma need to spend money here at home and support retailers in Selma because those business owners accommodate residents here all year long, Smedley said.

“The benefits of our tax dollars staying in our community means better schools, better public agencies, but most of all, a healthy community,” she said.