For obvious reasons, a lot of people are stressed out these days. Many of us are looking for ways to avoid watching the news and thinking about the future. As we get ready to kick off the holiday season, I have a few thoughts.

For all of the uncertainty in the country right now, let’s remember we still live in Boulder, which is one of the most amazing places in the world. And the things that make it so special are the same today as they were a month ago.

Of all of them, one of my personal favorites is downtown Boulder during the holidays. An afternoon or evening spent strolling Pearl Street, browsing the shops or enjoying a great meal is an ideal way to escape listening to the talking heads on cable news.

The season officially kicks off next Sunday with the annual “Switch on the Holidays” celebration in front of the Courthouse. The 2024 event, as always, will feature the lighting of Pearl Street as well as an appearance by Santa and great holiday music. A special treat this year will be Buffs superfan, Peggy Coppom, flipping the switch to turn on the lights and celebrate her 100th birthday.

Of course, Santa will be back every weekend until Christmas, the Lights of December Parade returns on Dec. 7, and lots of other festivities are planned. One of the first is Small Business Saturday weekend which will run from Nov. 29 through Dec. 1.

Speaking of small businesses, more than two dozen new stores have opened downtown since last Christmas, and most of them are locally owned. In fact, over 80% of downtown businesses are local. Along with all the new shops, old favorites like Peppercorn, Boulder Bookstore, Art Source and many others are still here and are still great places to escape and do some holiday shopping.

And let’s not forget food. Downtown Boulder is arguably the best dining destination in Colorado. But many of our restaurants are struggling. COVID and the years since have been brutal for our independent eateries. Their lunch business has dropped off sharply with so many downtown offices still sitting empty during the week while employees work from home. Expenses for both labor and food have risen faster than businesses dare increase their menu prices. And many locals avoid downtown because of concerns about public safety or the hassle of parking.

On the public safety side, I am happy to report that issues downtown have improved over the past year. Crime statistics are down, and a survey done this past summer confirms that mall pedestrians say things have improved compared to what they reported two years ago. Kudos to the Boulder Police for increasing their visibility and making Pearl Street a welcoming and safe place to visit.

As for parking, things are better there, too. The silver lining of fewer employees coming downtown is that more parking is now available for the rest of us. The Pearl Street survey I referenced above also showed that satisfaction with downtown parking is the highest it has been in many years. Note that parking in city of Boulder garages is free on weekends and just a flat $3 from 3 p.m. to 3 a.m. the rest of the week. Compare that to downtown Denver or Cherry Creek, and it looks like a real bargain.

America may not be the place you thought it was a few weeks ago, but Boulder is definitely as amazing or better than it has ever been. So, this holiday season, turn off CNN, forget the news and come downtown. Shop, stroll, eat, visit Santa and escape reality for a few hours. You might run into me enjoying a holiday cocktail somewhere on Pearl Street. Seems I’m doing that more often these days.

Sean Maher is the CEO of RRC Associates in Boulder. He can be reached at sean@rrcassociates.com.