I have no idea why but I seem to have gained a reputation for being a grumpy old git. I am sure the irony of this statement will not be lost on those that know me or have been on the receiving end of an unfeeling email. I have a penchant for the truth, what you see is what you get and what I say is what I mean. I am not swayed by public opinion, fashion or populist ideals. In todays parlance I might be called a dinosaur. Personally I believe that honesty, fairness, integrity and probity are essential human characteristics that are abandoned all to quickly in favour of a profit these days. I shall continue to have the courage of my convictions irrespective of what others think. As the Bard wrote in Hamlet (Polonius) “This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man.”
Which, in a convoluted manner, brings me to the point of this post, CHRISTMAS.
Christmas has never been of any consequence in the Potter household. I have never owned a Christmas tree or participated in any of the daft hokum that goes on at this time of year. I just don’t get the whole idea of putting yourself and one’s family under the crushing pressure and stress of creating the ‘perfect’ day to celebrate the birthday of someone who, sadly, almost nobody believes in any more. Now it’s nice to have a get together with family and friends and giving a gift to a loved one is always a joy but this whole christmas idea has gotten completely out of hand. 8 weeks of relentless advertising, ridiculous ideas about fat blokes in red suits and outrageous traditions, crap tunes, tons of sickly rich food and credit card crushing expenditure that will see you well into the spring before it’s all paid for, it goes on and on and I just don’t get it. HUMBUG!
As a business owner christmas can be of great advantage. However having done this for over a decade now I find this time of year to be tough. I just do not understand how it works. For instance last year we got everything stocked up before the holiday shopping period, girded our loins and prepared for the onslaught…… which never came, December was the worst month of the year. This year I treated the whole notion with indifference and carried on as normal….. and we have been inundated. It’s just possible we have had our best month ever, everyone is exhausted, Catherine is fast asleep, Rammon went home, the dog is snoring his head off and there’s just me sitting here talking nonsense. We have sold around two hundred trees in the last month alone. Who said bonsai in the UK is not doing well.
Kaizen Bonsai will be closed from December the 24th through to January the 6th. Obviously our web site will be up and running but your orders will not be despatched until we return in January. We work seven days a week here and because we work from home there is NEVER a chance for a break. People like to phone at all hours, especially Americans who call at 2-4am. So as a christmas gift to my family we are closed for the holidays. Please don’t call or visit. You can send emails and I will probably reply to a few.
So, after all there are some advantages to the hokum of christmas!
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for your amazing support over the last year. Doing business has been an absolute pleasure this year, your support is VERY much appreciated and I feel privileged to have such a great community of folk around us. Thank you 🙂
Have a great Christmas whatever you are doing. I’ll be building this…
Graham.