The Christmas shopping season has arrived, and here at the Tribune we are excited to bring you one of the biggest papers of the year next Wednesday to help you do your shopping on Black Friday.

In an age of declining large retail establishments across the nation, we are proud to say this edition will still showcase 12 advertisement inserts:

• Slumberland Furniture

• Walmart

• Cabela’s

• The Home Depot

• Dunham’s Sports

• Ashley Homestore

• Target

• Lowe’s

• Menards (2)

• Walgreens

• Verizon

Given all of those inserts, this issue is a little heavier than the everyday paper, weighing a whopping 1.24 pounds each. Multiply that by 10, and that’s 12 pounds alone simply for a carrier to handle 10 newspapers.

With all the extra weight, be sure to thank your mail carrier next week. And if you don’t get the paper at home, make sure to pick up a copy at one of your local convenience stores.

Happy shopping.