The holiday season is the most important time of the year for many of Calgary's small businesses, with the weeks leading up to Christmas promising to make or break their fortunes. 

But a large portion of buyers are either turning to online shopping instead of in-store purchases or heading to big box stores in search of better deals, reports suggest.

A report from the Retail Council of Canada and Leger shows 38 per cent of holiday shopping in Canada is expected to be done online. 

The same report s…