I’ve managed to catch this weird cough/cold thing that’s going around (not surprising when you also work in a primary school), and this morning I woke with such a foggy head and sore throat I wasn’t sure I would get through my hour and a bit at work. I’m now snuggled on the sofa under a blanket feeling sorry for myself and regretting agreeing to go on the dog walk today.

It’s actually quite frightening having a common illness after being so poorly two months ago. My immune system has taken such a battering and I’ve been warned that any infection can mean a trip back to hospital. I’m starting to get used to the aches and twinges from doing too much, and learning to listen to my body a bit more, but I still worry. My heart rate/oxygen gadget is my new friend.

Combining all this with running businesses has proved very hard this year. My energy levels are non existent, used up by my school job during the week and trying to recharge on a weekend. I’m so grateful for all our lovely customers who have helped us keep going when I’ve found it particularly difficult. Attending Wynyard Hall Christmas Fair really didn’t help me as it was two very long days (12+ hours) in a draughty and leaky chalet during bad weather. I’m still recovering and that’s probably why I have this cold now.

We’re almost at the end of our event season though, and while I’m sad to be thinking about packing our stall display away for six months I’m ready for a good rest. The Christmas break involves stock take and choosing our Christmas decoration range for 2025, but there will still be time to spend on our family traditions – nightly Mario Kart rivalry and watching lots of films.

Right, think the kettle needs to go on again, a cuppa is in order as I’m just not warming up today (and it’s not even that cold outside).

Cari xx

We love our musical merry go rounds and ferris wheels, and we want you to enjoy them too, so for this weekend only (30th November 2024 to 2nd December 2024) you can save a lovely £6 off the normal price. The best bit is all you need to do is add one to your basket and the code is applied automatically. I have tested it so please let me know if it doesn’t work for you.

So now all you need to decide is whether to get one or all three!

Cari xx

As we approach the end of our trading season, with December just around the corner (have you got your advent calendars ready?) I always take some time to reflect on what has sold well and not so well from our product range. There’s always some surprises and the biggest for me this year was past reliable best sellers not doing as well this year.

Bestsellers for 2024

I wish I’d bought more of these cute wooden countdowns as they sold consistently at markets, with the last one being snapped up at Wynyard Hall Christmas Market last weekend. I can understand why they were so popular.

We only had a few of these musical trees in stock, but they flew off the stall at our first event.

Metal signs have been a slow burner until Wynyard, when we sold out of this gingerbread bakery sign and almost sold out of the Good things come to those who bake sign. I’m thrilled they have found new homes!

Ok, so this is a sneaky addition to the list as we only had four and I’ve kept one for myself, but these bells were very popular. I still have a white one available.

Big surprises this year

Our larger festive glass tractors have not sold well and I have quite a few still in stock. I suppose that means I don’t need to reorder for 2025 but still….

A consistent bestseller, our range of glass character baubles have been a slow burner in 2024 which is very unusual. Along with the glass trees, they are usually snapped up at every market but this year we still have quite a few left. The glass trees have been more popular online this year.

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New market

Well, sort of. We have been to Hovingham a few times with our stationery business but in December we are bringing our Christmas decorations as well. This is one of a handful of markets we have left in 2024, but we will be sending out online orders every working day until the last posting dates, so please don’t miss out!

Plans for 2025

So, we get a short break over the festive period and then January sees us heading off to the trade fair to choose stock for 2025. As things stand it will be a smaller order than this year unless I get carried away again. I do find it very hard to be level headed and not let my heart/love of all things Christmas take over. However as 2024 has been a difficult year for various reasons I need to be sensible as we simply don’t have the space to be adding a lot of new Christmas decorations to the stock room. Running a small business is tough for many reasons but the biggest challenge I have is cash flow, particularly because we are seasonal.

I can’t wait to show you what we find for 2025, but in the meantime you can visit us at Crayke Village Market this weekend, Hovingham Village Market next weekend and then Bowes Museum and Sheriff Hutton Village Markets the weekend after.

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