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This week, "Think Local at the start of this holiday season"

We began this year with New Yorkers making it clear that issues surrounding affordability were their top concern, and that's where we're going to close this year a month from now.

The latest statewide poll out of the Siena Research Institute revealed that just 39% of respondents believe New York State is headed in the right direction and concerns over affordability, on many fronts, drive their lack of optimism.

It's a concern confronting every decision-maker and every taxpayer. It impacts families around the dinner table and farmers in the field. It reaches into every corner of the fabric of our local communities and local economies, from the food bank to the school district to the small business down the street.

Let's stay focused on small businesses this week since Saturday, November 29, marks the annual observance of "Small Business Saturday" to highlight and support the small businesses that are the foundation of local economies.

Since the annual "Small Business Saturday" holiday shopping campaign was launched in 2010, it has been a difference-maker, according to the Small Business Administration (SBA), the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) and others, generating an estimated total of approximately $223 billion in consumer spending at small businesses nationwide, including $22 billion last year.

Nevertheless, it remains wedged between the hype surrounding Black Friday and Cyber Monday and, consequently, the underlying message bears repeating as the holiday season kicks into high gear this week: Small businesses are the backbone of the economy and local job creation. Shop Small. Buy Local.

There is no denying that seasonal shopping increasingly takes place online. Yet many consumers still depend on and prefer "brick-and-mortar retail." Fortunately, there's still a small business down the street or around the corner that can turn out to be the best destination for finding that perfect and meaningful gift.

NFIB President Brad Close has written, "Every dollar you spend at a small business will find its way back into the community, whether through sponsorships, wages and benefits for local employees, or new jobs. The more you shop at these job creators, the better ... Small businesses have accounted for two out of every three jobs over the past 25 years, and they want to keep providing jobs and opportunity. They also want to keep giving back to their communities, as the main sponsors of everything from local sports teams to school events."

The SBA has defined the idea of shopping small this way: "Small businesses are the fabric of our communities. By shopping small ... we can support the men and women who are building these amazing small businesses. It's a chance to say thank you to the small business owners who do so much for our communities."

Small business owners -- in many instances, small business families -- play fundamental roles in local economies here at home and, collectively, across New York State and the nation. The SBA notes that over the past two decades small businesses have been responsible for creating two out of every three net new jobs in the country. More than one-half of all of America's workers, according to federal statistics, own or are employed by a small business.

I always look forward to this annual opportunity to recall the following words from the National Federation of Independent Business/NY: "It's about the entrepreneurs and families who have put everything into stores that offer what the chains and e-commerce companies don't -- something different, something special, from handcrafted gifts to genuinely friendly service ... When you shop at a small business, you're supporting your hometown, your neighborhood and your neighbors."

As always, I look forward to seeing some of you out there, including at one of our local tree farms to give a boost to this vital, locally grown industry. The Empire State is one of America's largest producers of locally grown and cut Christmas trees, with nearly 20,000 acres dedicated to growing Christmas trees and generating an estimated $14 million economic impact statewide.

I was just in Manhattan last week and the sidewalk Christmas tree vendors are out in full force! I passed many a truck on my way home loaded with Christmas trees headed toward the city.

I'll share this reminder for everyone who has not yet put up a holiday tree. The website of the Christmas Tree Farmers Association of New York (CTFANY) makes it convenient to locate one of the state's 875 tree farms, including numerous farms throughout our region. It's http://www.christmastreesny.org.

At the start of this holiday season, Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families, friends, and neighbors.