One of the first signs of the holiday shopping season will start tearing off the ticket rolls Monday.

The annual Magic Holiday Giveaway, sponsored by the Greater Muskogee Area Chamber of Commerce, begins Monday and runs to Dec. 17.

The shopper with the lucky ticket will win $10,000 at a drawing, which will be held Dec. 17 at Arrowhead Mall. The ticket-holder will not need to be present to win.

“The Magic Holiday Ticket Giveaway has generated real excitement this year as merchants gear up for the holiday season and shoppers prepare to save their tickets for a chance to win $10,000 just for shopping local,” said Sue Harris, president and chief executive officer of the chamber. “The beauty of this program is that everyone wins because money spent in Muskogee helps Muskogee businesses and our citizens.”

Some 86 retailers are participating in this year’s giveaway. People shopping these businesses may pick up tickets.

Ticket holders can watch for drawings of $500 each week until Dec. 17. In addition to the $10,000 drawing, there will be an extra drawing of $1,000 in cash on Dec. 17. The he holder of that ticket must be present to win.

One new location to get tickets is Creek Nation Casino. Farrell Kaaihue, casino general manager, said the casino got involved with last year’s giveaway a little late.

“We wanted to get in on the ground floor this year, and we wanted to be more active,” he said.

Reach Cathy Spaulding at 684-2928 or cspaulding@muskogeephoenix.com