Category: News from UK Christmas Store

I have a flair for being overly dramatic, so forgive the title of this blog post, but after a disappointing October I was fearful of the season being a total washout.

2024 has been a rough year for my family, with unexpectedly losing my dad in February to almost losing me in October (I’m only now realising how one decision to listen to my husbands advice saved me). There have been glimmers of positivity, but mostly it’s been a year to forget. So when my stats for October showed double the traffic but half the sales of 2023, and knowing we had invested so much in stock, I was thinking the year was carrying on kicking us.

Our first big Christmas fair at Gisborough Hall Hotel, one that we’ve been going to for many years, was on Sunday. I was slightly hopeful but also had October lurking in the back of my mind. I didn’t need to worry. All our loyal customers came flocking to our stall (in fact I don’t think anyone had a quiet morning) and we sold out of a few lines. I’m so grateful to each and every shopper that day, and I’m now hopeful for the rest of November with Wynyard Hall to come – if we replicate the sales at that Christmas fair we will have almost covered the stock order!

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves though, as nothing is guaranteed. Over 11 years of running this business has taught me that you can’t predict how things will go, and even our regular monthly markets can be impacted by weather, other events and school holidays.

For now I’m looking forward to this lovely train arriving in one of our last deliveries. I’m hoping it will captivate children, both young and old, and make them pause and look for a while at the magic of Christmas on our stall.

Which means it’s almost time for Christmas fairs. We’ve scaled back a little this year which has turned out to be a good thing with my ongoing health issues, so you won’t have quite as many opportunities to shop in person.

We have two main fairs we are attending in November, Gisborough Hall and Wynyard Hall. Sadly this large nutcracker soldier may not be there as we have to be more selective over what we take with us with such a vast array of Christmas decor.

This set of three red bells will be coming with us as they flew out at our first event last year. I wonder if they will do that this year?

Our wind up musical ornaments will absolutely be with us at both Gisborough and Wynyard (while stocks last). Which one would you choose?

We will also bring our last few camper vans along. If there’s something you want to make sure we bring, please get in touch. Of course you can also place an order to collect from either Gisborough or Wynyard, just mention it at checkout.

Cari xx

and that’s the jingle jangle of bells. Whether it’s a delicate sleigh bell sound or a more robust church bell, it’s a sound that heralds the festive season for me. They therefore feature quite heavily in our Christmas decor range.

These cute wooden base trees with red bells were new to our offering in 2022, and we now only have one or two left.

New for 2024, these glass bells are perfect to add to your tree, or make them a feature of a table centrepiece.

If you are feeling creative then this set of colourful metal bells might be a fun craft addition, maybe make a wreath or add them to a stair rail garland. Alternatively, give them out to children or use them to decorate your gifts.

Another new offering for 2024, this larger metal bell with metal ribbon is available in either white or red. I may have to hide one of these for myself as I think they are adorable.

Similarly, this set of 3 metal bells, first added to our range in 2023, is definitely more of a feature. You would need just the right spot, maybe near a log burner or at the base of your tree? They are rustic looking to add character and I think are fantastic.

Yes, I know this is stretching the theme a little, but these cute wooden log slices do have mini bells on them, and the illustrations make me think of cosy evenings in a country cottage surrounded by snow.

Lastly we have these popular metal bells, in either Santa or snowman (although I know there aren’t many left so I will need to check we have both). First arrived with us in 2022 and have been steady sellers.

As usual, I have put together a little graphic of the events and markets we hope to be attending in 2024. I am usually pretty confident that we will be there, but with my recent health scare I’ve had a bit of a wake up call, and until I have had my operation it could flare up again.

Having said that, I have the determination to be at each and every one of these events and don’t give in easily, so it would take something major to stop me!

I always update my socials first so if you want to stay up to date go and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

Cari xx

There’s nothing quite like the sparkle of tree lights through glass, and we have plenty of glass baubles to choose from for your Christmas refresh.

Our classic glass star baubles with cute character inside are getting a restock and are available to order today. Choose from snowman, deer, Santa and penguin, or grab one of the last few Christmas tree baubles (but be quick).

These two new baubles are joining our glass range – which would you choose, Robins or Snowman?

If you love Robins these need to be in your Christmas tree decor for 2024.

If you want something a bit different we have this lovely wine glass to add to your tree – why not buy a few and make a feature of them?

Cari xx

P.S. Interesting fact – in writing this blog post I discovered that my website had randomly decided to hide a lot of my lovely Christmas decorations from you. Now is the perfect time to go and have a browse as you will see some lovely ‘new’ decorations to choose from ( no wonder they weren’t selling!)

We’re almost there with deliveries of the order we placed at the start of 2024, with our next Christmas decor delivery arriving early next week.

We have restocks of our popular glass Christmas tree decorations, plus restocks of the glass tractors arriving.

In addition there are new Christmas treats due, including this lovely box set of wooden dinosaurs.

We even have these quirky greenhouse baubles which are perfect for the gardener in your life!

Lots more baubles are coming, with robins, snowmen and glittery hearts all featuring. I really can’t wait to show you everything at our upcoming markets.

• 20th October Sheriff Hutton village market
• 26th October Crayke village market
• 2nd November Hovingham village market tbc
• 10th November Gisborough Hall Christmas Fayre
• 17th November Sheriff Hutton village market
• 22nd to 24th November Wynyard Hall Christmas Market
• 30th November Crayke village market

Cari xx

Where do I begin with this one?

All I can say is it’s brought home to me how much I do myself instead of getting my family to help. We are a family business after all. But when one person does the majority of the work, and that person becomes ill, well, it all goes a bit pear shaped.

Anyway, this tale of the life of a small business owner began on 27/9/24, when I started to feel a little unwell just before heading out for my part time job in a local primary. I soldiered on until I couldn’t anymore, got sent home and was at the urgent treatment centre by 8 pm, in pain and being sick. I’ll spare you too many yucky details, but it was the worst pain I’ve had aside from childbirth.

After treatment we were sent back home with instructions to return if things didn’t improve. Over the weekend, although the pain and sickness were under control I wasn’t improving, so on the first of October we got a last minute appointment with my GP.

It didn’t take her long to arrange a transfer to hospital, where I had treatment for sepsis – lots of antibiotics in one arm and bloods taken from the other. It transpires that I have gallstones (joy) and had perforated my gall bladder which had then got infected – I was poorly!

During this time, all you wonderful lot started shopping for Christmas. Our system works where I print all paperwork, find the items and relevant box to send them out, and my hubby packs the order as he’s very good at that. But with me out of action I quickly had to help my daughter learn how to send/find items etc, all via text message while feeling out of it. She’s done an outstanding job but I know not all the paperwork went in with your orders so I apologise for that.

I’m back home now, still on antibiotics but gaining strength every day. I’m now putting robust systems in place so that should I ever get ill again, or need time off for my operation, the business should run smoothly without me. Is your business able to keep trading without you?

Cari xx