By Stuart Mackinnon, Federation of Small Businesses external affairs manager for Scotland

TOMORROW, take your money and spend it locally.

Grab The Herald from the newsagent, and read it in that nice café. Take your mother flowers, and leave that handmade scarf for your aunty. Meet your pal for a slap up lunch, and buy that lovely book for your spouse.

Or don’t do any of that, but switch off the on-demand telly and step out your front door.

Tomorrow is Small Business Saturday, a day to celebrate and support small businesses, and more specifically your local high street. The weekend will be the busiest for shopping of 2017, with many Scots choosing to get the lion’s share of their Christmas gifts.

At the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), we’re making the case for people to use their festive spending power to give their local economy a boost. Even if you’re in denial about Christmas – and would refuse a mince pie or any sort of mulled beverage – you can still do your bit.

Buy something great for your tea from the fishmonger, butcher or vegetarian deli. Watch the football down the pub. Go for a walk round the town and press your nose up against the windows. Get a bit of human contact and spend a few quid while you’re at it.

Why do we want you to shop local this weekend? Well, if celebrating the £300 million smaller businesses turn over for the Scottish economy isn’t enough for you, I’d ask who doesn’t want their local area to thrive?

Our high streets are synonymous with civic pride. While every business isn’t in retail or hospitality, a bustling town centre is oft-associated with a flourishing economy, and conversely, a deserted town centre spells out to people that someplace has seen better days.

The success of Small Business Saturday – which generated £717m for UK traders in 2016 and is in now in its fifth year – is testament to how much people care about their high street. Many independent businesses use the day to reward their loyal customers – while trying to tempt new ones.

Even the most enthusiastic internet shopper or out-of-town mall devotee wants their town centre to be a success. Every Scottish high street can’t be like Balamory, but they can be less like Still Game’s Craiglang – despite the stellar contributions of Navid and Boaby.

But local success requires local footfall, and for that we need you to get off the couch.

Independents aren’t looking for your charity – they’re looking for your time. You should tap the record shop owner’s knowledge of 90s hip-hop, ask the Asian grocer for a garam masala recommendation, get some advice about shellfish before spending your clams with the fishmonger. There are real life experts living in your midst – many of whom are ready to share with you their passion, which just happens to be their business.

FSB will continue to make the case for high streets and local economies all year round. Small businesses don’t shut up shop at the first sign of trouble – they’re rooted in their community. It’s outrageous that many big businesses (like the banks) and parts of the public sector (like the police) have consolidated their estates and withdrawn from our local places. We condemn nonsensical parking policies and traffic systems that turn thoroughfares into ghost towns. We are rightly angry that smaller firms are often fighting for the high street single-handedly.

But this weekend, you can do your bit. Your wallet doesn’t need to be bulging with readies. But you can make one small step for Scottish high streets – the first one when you leave the house.