My Christmas

Competition in the Christmas Industry

2010-09-19T12:47:00.000+10:00

At this time of the year I always checked out the larger department stores to see what they have on offer in their new Trim the Tree departments. I think their philosophy has changed in recent years and is driving purely by the largest profit, rather than imaginative designs that customers want to see. I write this as a consumer of these products, not as a (minor) competitor to them. In the past I would always go in to these larger stores and find something that I bought. These days I see the same thing - their own branded products, brought out year after year. It is very disappointing.

I'm sure if you went to the larger department stores in the States or UK you wouldn't be treated so poorly -those companies wouldn't get away with it.

Anyway, as a company in the market I'm thrilled. I know I have a space in the market, and am able to offer my customers something that is different to the mainstream.

Melbourne Christmas Shop almost ready to open

2010-09-04T22:04:00.001+10:00

Finally we are in the home stretch of decorating the christmas shop ready to open on the 27th September.

A number of our themed trees are complete, and others are on their way. Not only do we have decorated trees to inspire, but we have created complete decorating kits for our clients and they are perfect for anyone starting with a new christmas tree.

I'm really looking forward to opening the doors. The lead up seems so long, but we are now so close. Stay tuned for more photos.

Where did July Go?

2010-07-27T09:18:00.000+10:00

Boy, I can't believe it is now the end of the month. Christmas in July celebrations have been going off around the country. I particularly enjoy the great number of British customers who enjoy Christmas in July so they can have a cold Christmas celebration with a succulent warm roast.

So, what's next? We move straight out of Christmas in July into the Melbourne Gift Fair. For those who haven't been to a gift fair it is held over 5 days at Melbourne Exhibition Centre as well as the showgrounds. It takes one full day to make your way through all the displays, and at the end of it your legs are crying out to sit down. As well as looking for new stock at the show we also help our Sydney based supplier on our stand throughout the 5 days.

What I love about the show is the chance to see the exciting new products and place my final orders for the season. What I don't like is being on my feet on the concrete surface for 5 days straight.

I look forward to sharing photos of the products we find with you in the coming weeks. The gift fair is on Saturday 7th August - Wednesday 11th August.

Christmas in July Season Started

2010-07-03T16:42:00.000+10:00

I felt like the first day of school this morning when I opened the doors for the first day of trade for 2010. It's amazing how every year, in fact every week, I get nervous hoping the stock ordered is what people want, the people will come from the advertising we've done, etc, etc.
While Christmas in July isn't huge, I was pleasantly surprised by the clients who came by for their bonbons, serviettes, etc. We also had a few clients pre-ordering their trees so that was fantastic.
Anyway, by mid October the opening of the shop doors in the morning won't come with a flutter of butterflies, but I guess for now it keeps me on my toes - which isn't a bad thing.

Christmas in July

2010-06-30T23:43:00.000+10:00

One of the things I love about Christmas is that it brings family and friends together, and it is great to see it has the same effect for the growing number of people who are now having Christmas in July celebrations.

We are inundated with people looking for bonbons. They are planning feasts for their friends, and many are having more than 10 people for a sit down meal (for a non-chef like me, that is incredibly daunting thought). As well as hot roast meals there will be a lot of eggnog, mince tarts and warm pudding consumed during July.

So to the many people planning celebrations, "Merry Christmas in July" and enjoy your special times.

Facebook update

2010-06-10T19:10:00.000+10:00

Over the past week we have had Artsy Tec Design re-working our Facebook pages - and what a great job Bec has done. It allows us to provide so much more information about our products and services. Check it out. http://www.facebook.com/mychristmas.com.au

Decorating our Store

2010-05-22T21:04:00.000+10:00

The worse part about signing a new lease is the prep work in setting up the shop. Finally the painting is finished (well, will be tomorrow). Now we can consider exactly where our shop fittings, christmas trees and decorations will go.

I can't wait to open the boxes of stock and be reminded of all the wonderful new products. Won't be long now.

Christmas Trees Everywhere

2010-05-10T10:29:00.000+10:00

Last week end Meredith (our fabulous staff member who has been with us since the beginning) went to Sydney to see our Christmas tree supplier. We went up to Sydney to choose from a range of samples which trees we wanted for 2010.

The first tree we chose was a new PE variety. PE is a molded plastic that is created from a mould of the original foliage. It is great because it is so realistic looking and also feels lovely and soft. The new tree has softly falling branches which also creates a really beautiful effect and will be fantastic for hanging decorations.

The second new tree, which we have created exclusively for our customers, is an 8 1/2ft version of the Monarch Evergreen Deluxe. We have had it in the 7.5ft for the past few years and it is one of our favourites (and in fact the tree I have at home). We can't wait to see the larger size.

The final new variety is a wider version of the Montana Pine. This tree has a harder needle and beautiful finely iced tip. This has been a very popular tree in the narrower version and will provide a great addition to our range.

We are also finalising our new trees from an additional supplier so stay tuned for this new an exclusive collection.

The new PE tree on the left and our ever popular Monarch Evergreen on the right.

Christmas World 2010

2010-05-05T10:04:00.002+10:00

Wow, I can't believe it was 3 months ago that I went to ChristmasWorld - the world's largest Christmas gift fair. We spent 4 days viewing the most amazing range of products - everything from traditional nutcrackers and glass baubles, to animated Christmas polar bears and Santas that would looking smashing in any window display. Anyway, we found some wonderful new German glass decorations as well as some traditional Swedish Christmas decorations. We also found some wonderful new whimsical decorations for us to enjoy.

Enjoy a few of the photos of this amazing fair.

How Time Flies - Christmas is just around the corner.

2010-05-05T09:51:00.000+10:00

I find myself in a difficult situation at the beginning of each year. Firstly, I need time to recover and not think about business for a few weeks. At the same time suppliers start coming and insisting we order for the coming year. And while this is all going on, I'm making decisions without even knowing where we will have a store, or what size it will be, for the coming year. I become quite anti-social as this all seems a bit overwhelming.

So from a work perspective I ignore January (and catch up with my beautiful kids I've hardly seen for 3 months), and then try and put my head in the sand during February and March as companies are asking us to make decisions. My April, even though I have a while before I must find a location I start to panic and spend more time on realestate.com.au than any other web site. And then in May it is all systems go - and I wish I hadn't wasted the first few months of the year.

So for now I will continue to work on finding the perfect home for our business, as well as choosing the most gorgeous and fun Christmas decorations, and beautiful Christmas trees you could imagine. And just hope it all comes together in the end.

Working in the Shopping Centre

2009-11-26T08:19:00.000+11:00

We are at The Glen Shopping Centre at the moment and will be there for two weeks (as well as the store in Malvern). It is a great place to people watch. We are right next to Santa and it is amazing to see the mix of very excited and very terrified children who see Santa.

And what is even more amazing is the amount of bribing we do to get a photo of the kids with Santa. I have probably been guilty of it in the past, but you see some of these little kids sitting there looking bewildered, scared, overwhelmed and you have to wonder why we put them through it.

It is also interesting working in the middle of a shopping centre. We are in an open display with no where to hide. We can get very busy for short bursts, and then not really have much interest for an hour. In the time when there is little interest it is very difficult to look and stay enthusiastic. The last thing people want to see is a bored looking sales assistant - but if you have been there for 6 hours and only spoken to a dozen people it is very hard not too. So my mission for myself today (and I'm there 12 hours) is to stay looking interested. In the shopping centres it gets busier later in the week so this should be a bit easier today.

I'll add a photo of the stand (which looks lovely) soon.

Have a great day.

Magazine Comes Out

2009-11-13T08:32:00.001+11:00

I was really excited to be asked to provide a Christmas tree for the cover of a national home magazine. The magazine has come out and the cover looks great. (see attached). It is amazing how clever these stylist are. I must say for that tree I have always used the silver tone decorations due to the blue in the tree branches, but the gold looks fantastic.

Cup Day is Over

2009-11-06T19:08:00.000+11:00

This is now our third year of trading and it is fascinating seeing how our Melbourne based customers divide their Christmas interests into "before the cup" and "after the cup" (I'm obviously referring to the Melbourne Cup). Before the Cup they are interested in having a good look but so often we hear "oh, it's too early for Christmas". Once the Cup is over, however, everyone feels like they are in the home stretch to Christmas.

Hence, our busy period really begins this week end. I must say I'm happy that we are as prepared as possible for this time and I'm looking forward to being so busy. It's now that we find out whether the planning is on track or not.

Once we get busy it is really hard to pull myself away from the shop and sit back and manage the marketing activities. I managed to complete the newsletter yesterday but before I know it the next will be due. Sometimes I feel I am chasing my tail, or never able to clear to the bottom of the 'to do' list, but boy is it worth it.

The other part of being in business (or simply working full-time) is fitting family commitments in with work commitments. The school fair is on tomorrow and the last thing I feel like is staffing the crazy hair stall and cooking for the cake stall. But these are the things the kids need and expect - so the feet will have to just put up with a bit more pain.

Anyway, enough from me - the cake baking is calling.

Have a great week.

A Day Off

2009-10-26T08:28:00.000+11:00

It is easy to get so wrapped up in work you forget to take any time off. I had a great day yesterday with family and friends celebrating my nephews birthday - and I feel quite revived today as a result of having the day off. It's so important to give yourself some down time both at the shop and back in the office.

Technology is great these days because we have the flexibility to be anywhere and still be communicating with our clients - but it is also a potential problem. I know when I finish at the shop, pick the kids up at school, and go home (where the office is set up), the first thing I do is check the emails. Then, I get caught up with whatever work is waiting for me from that day. I also tend to check the emails a couple of times on the week-end, even if I am not suppose to be working.

So, I guess to remind others, as much as myself I am writing this. Even during the busiest times of the year it is important to always have times when family comes before our pending list of emails, and we give ourselves a bit of time to smell the roses.

The competition

2009-10-11T09:05:00.000+11:00

Firstly, let me report back that I didn't manage to make any wreaths the other day - very disappointing.

One of the jobs I find quite nerve racking is checking out the competition. Obviously the department stores have fabulous budgets for setting up their christmas displays, and "Trim the Tree" departments. I visited the local large shopping centre yesterday and with butterflies in my stomach entered the first of the 2 big stores.

I can honestly say I was delighted to see they once again had a very disappointing range of trees. While our trees are a bit more expensive, they are far nicer looking. Ok, one done, one to go. The second department store has actually bothered to fluff out the branches of their trees this year (which they did an appalling job of last year), but the trees are still inferior to ours. Yeh!!!!!!

And while both department stores had bigger displays than I could fit in my store, even looking at them just as a consumer, they are focusing their efforts on buying direct from Chinese manufacturers and branding them as their own. There is very little innovation in the departments. Maybe this is because they do just fine as they are, but I could honestly say, I would have left both places with my money still firmly in my pocket, even if I didn't own my store.

So glad that job is done for the year.

Cheers for now.

Wreaths

2009-10-08T08:23:00.000+11:00

One of the areas of the business I plan on doing more in each year is creating wreaths. It's actually a lot of fun, but at the same time takes time and we always run out of time. So this year we are trying to start early.

I'm looking forward to being at the shop today because I'm going to create a few wreaths, like the one attached. Having said this, we are also expecting deliveries over the next few days, so if they come today then my plans will have to be abandoned.

Let's see how it goes.

Cheers

Judging the Market

2009-10-07T08:26:00.000+11:00

Early October is always the time of the season where we feel like we are on the launch pad, waiting for the count down to get to "blast off". We have clients, we have stock, but we are definitely not at 'full steam ahead'. So it is really difficult judging whether you have got things right.

I'm considering bringing in another container of trees, but it seems such a risky move when you primarily have people looking and not purchasing at this time of year. This is our third year of trading, but it was only really last year that we really focused on trees.

Anyway, today I'm not in the shop, I'll be mulling over figures and marketing activities. Hopefully at the end of it I'll have a clearer picture of what I should do.

Cheers for now.

Dressing the Trees for Launch

2009-10-02T20:07:00.000+10:00

The last 2 days have been spent decorating the Christmas trees in store with everything that glitters and shines.

I am happy with the end results, but I must say, as I'm not trained in visual merchandising it is always a difficult process - moving from the vision in my head to the actual vision on the trees. I'm sure there are also thoughts/rules on how elaborate to make the trees. I guess we tend to go for looks that clients can replicate in their own homes. I've added a few photos so you can see what we have achieved. The window tree really creates the "wow" that we were after and the apple green/red are my favourite colours for the season. (sorry quality of photo through the window is not great).

I also think the white tree looks particularly good. We created this look for a client last year in her home and I thought it was so beautiful we would display it this year. I would normally say I'm not a white tree person, but would be tempted with this look.

Only one tree left to create, plus a few more sets of lights to put on the un-decorated trees in the morning. It's amazing how the shop now looks so much more alive.

PR - what it means to our business

2009-09-29T19:34:00.000+10:00

We choose to support any magazines that contact us and want to use our Christmas Trees in their shoots. I see it as a great opportunity for free publicity. I know others don't think there is anything except expense and hassle at paying for couriers, and sending out stock - I find this a bit shortsighted.

Yesterday I found out one of our trees is going to be on the front cover of a fabulous national homemaker magazine. Fantastic news!!!! I can't wait to see how great it looks. We are also hoping to get one of our trees in another of the gorgeous monthly home magazines on the market.

To me, this is publicity we can't afford to pay for, and I'm just thrilled at the opportunity to get our name, and our quality trees, out to an even wider audience.

Last year we had a tree in Inside Out Living Magazine and we had a great response.

My philosophy - keep the doors open and hope that the contacts you make with these stylists and magazines continue to bring rich rewards for us both in the future.

SEO and SEM

2009-09-28T23:08:00.000+10:00

If you know what this heading means, you are probably like myself - working hard to get your web site noticed on the world wide web. SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is looking for free listings on google and SEM (Search Engine Marketing) involves the pay per click ads. (I know I’ve lost some of you already - I felt the same way 6 months ago).

We have recently updated the web site and changed hosts so all our previous rankings have been altered. We’ve moved up with some, and down with others. I feel like I’m learning a completely new language, and ensuring my web site has the word ‘buy christmas trees’ for example instead of just ‘christmas tree’.

I have paid for SEO before but felt we got very limited results for the money so I do it myself. I log on in the morning, open google and check whether we have improved (or god forbid), gone down in our rankings. I sense my shoulders rise or drop according to the results.

Anyway, I must check google again so must go for now.

Cheers

Chrissie

The season begins

2009-09-18T23:13:00.000+10:00

Haven’t written for a while. We’ve been through 2 weeks of exactly the same each day - stock arrives, mark it off, price it, try and decide where to display it (and most times move it multiple times), and then head to the recycling plant with a car full of cardboard.

Finally “officially” opened yesterday. We advertised a clearance of our 2008 stock to our clients and were very happy with the response. Always nervous at this time of year. Wages, rent, new shop fittings, etc. etc. continue to cost and there is very little money coming it. It’s a normal retail cycle - but it always makes my stomach churn a bit.

Our full trading days start 1st October but we have decided to open 2 weeks early since we are full of stock and pretty much ready. We still need to dress the trees but that will be fun. Otherwise, I’m feeling pretty calm about the state of the shop (in fact, this year I’m pretty proud of the way it is looking).

Speak soon.

Chrissie

I'm loving the new stock

2009-09-12T02:20:00.000+10:00

I don’t consider myself a natural buyer. Some people have a great knack for working out themes and only buying within those themes. I, on the other hand, often buy what I like and don’t think about how it will come together in the shop.

I’m pleased to say I’ve improved this year, and looking at what I’ve bought (that was ordered back in January/February) are very happy with the themes. When you run a small business you obviously have your own strengths and weaknesses, and I guess the key to growing is recognising your weaknesses and working on improving them -and I think I have made start in this area this year.

My favourite is always the whimsical ranges and I’ve attached a few of these. I see Christmas as being about having fun, and don’t take it too seriously, hence the whimsy style. But we have managed to find some great, more traditional products as well.

Anyway, today I’ll go back to the shop and we will finish installing shop fittings and will finally see the frame and how it has come together. Then the next step is dressing the trees, and adding the “wow” factor to the shop.

Check out the Melbourne pages of the web site for a few more great shots of the new range.

www.mychristmas.com.au

Cheers for Now

Chrissie

More Stock arriving daily

2009-09-02T23:24:00.000+10:00

Well, it has taken me a week to get over the 3 trips it took to get all the new shelving from Ikea - but it is up now and it looks great.

We have been unpacking stock daily and it is great to hear the ‘I want one of these’, ‘I want one of those’ from the staff as they see it for the first time.

We are looking set to open the store a few weeks early which is great. I can’t wait to see how it is all coming together in a few more days. We have a few more new shop fittings to arrive and we can put the decorations out on display.

We have finished the first of our instructional videos which is simple and cute and hopefully people find it helpful in putting their Christmas Tree together. The next step is to do one on lighting the tree and then decorating the tree. I’ve attached the You Tube link, or we are going to upload it on the web site shortly.

Basically, I love this time of year. Butterflies in the stomach as we try and ensure we are fulfilling our “to do” list, but also great to see everything come together and see if we achieve the end result that we were hoping for.

I’ll attach photos with the next entry.

Cheers
Chrissie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlGsdHLe4Ig

New Stock and Ikea

2009-08-25T01:34:00.000+10:00

Firstly, don’t you love the new decoration. We have just started unpacking the stock ordered in February, and it is a relief to love the stock as much now as when we ordered it.

You might be wondering why I’ve mentioned Ikea in this blog. As a small retailer shop fittings are always a bit of a nightmare. I’ve found a great supplier for some gondolas, but the best options for free-standing shelving is Ikea. My husband starts hyper-ventilating at this time of year when he thinks I’ll be asking him to assist me at Ikea. We need more shelving units, and I am hopeful they will have them all in stock. So, to Ikea I will go. It is always a slow process but I need shelving up to put the new stock out.

And it I buy what I need, I might need to give my hubby a good glass of wine before asking sweetly that he picks up his cordless drill, allen key, and heads to the shop to put the shelving all together for me.

Cheers

Chrissie.

Fair's Over - What's Next?

2009-08-07T23:36:00.000+10:00

Well, I can’t say I’m unhappy about the fair being over. It is great for business, and does what it is intended to do. But a week of long hours, child care, sore feet, and sitting in traffic takes its toll (I know some of you might do this every day so I’m sorry for whinging).

Now it’s full steam into preparations for the shop. We’ll be getting the sign writers in (Signwaves in South Melbourne who are fantastic at working with my short lead times), more marketing material, staff schedules, and waiting for stock to arrive so we can start pricing it.
We order stock so long ago it is hard to remember what’s coming. I took a few photos from one of our suppliers when placing the orders in February (see attached). Went out to see a few new items they had arrived and couldn’t resist. My key focus is getting the shop fittings right so everything fits in the store nicely.

Anyone have any suggestions, or have seen beautifully displayed Christmas products, I would love to hear from you.
That’s it for now.

Cheers

Chrissie

Day 4 is over. We are almost finished....

2009-08-05T01:52:00.000+10:00

Another day at the fair. Did my final purchasing of filler baubles, as well as some great santa sacks and tree skirts.

I think if you spoke to most exhibitors at the show they would say 4 days instead of 5 would be better. Today was pretty slow because most of the serious buyers have been through. And tomorrow I imagine will be slower.

I am so glad I work from home for most of the year. It’s not until you have to sit in the traffic for 1 1/2hours (9am - 10.30am which you would think was after peak hour) that you realise what a mess the transport system is. I was only going from Box Hill to the Show grounds which would take 1/2 hour on a good run. It makes it very clear to me I would not take a lease in the inner city because I would miss too much time with the family. And I believe it would probably take me the same amount of time if I tried to do that trip on public transport. I won’t be sad to see the last of the show grounds for a while.

Cheers

Chrissie

Gift Fair - End of Day Two

2009-08-04T13:45:00.000+10:00

End of day two of the gift fair. The Saturday is usually the day you get a lot of lookers, who are planning their purchases. It is amazing how many customers come from all over Australia for the fair. Yesterday saw as many clients from regional Australia as from Melbourne. We’ve had some good orders and additionally some excellent feedback and repeat visitors which is always important.

The top photo (excuse the quality - it’s from my phone) is a tree that is on display at the Show Grounds. Odette from Vixen and Velvet bought a tree from us a few weeks ago to display at two gift fairs they were attending. I popped over to their stand to see how it looks and it is covered in these exquisite birds in all sizes. While this may not be the style of Christmas tree you would put in your home, it is an amazing piece of design and looked absolutely stunning in their display (and was clearly helping to sell the ornaments that were being displayed). It is always great to see the designs people come up with in their trees. Odette also mentioned when I complimented her on the tree how many people had asked where to buy the tree- another sign that a great design is also a great seller.

Three more days to go. I can honestly say I can’t wait for it to be over. I don’t know how other mother’s go juggling full time work and children. It’s been really difficult for the first few days, but on an on-going basis it would be exhausting.
Cheers

Chrissie

Big Christmas Retailer being Liquidated

2009-08-01T12:49:00.000+10:00

I’ve just been informed that one of the biggest Australia wide Christmas retailers is being liquidated.

I have used them as a supplier and everytime I have been there they seem so busy (going back over a number of years). You think in business that bigger is better, but maybe that’s not always the case. It is really hard because as an independent retailer you try and compete against these big businesses, and they are bringing in direct from China by the container load, and there is no way we can match their prices. But it appears things weren’t as rosy as they seemed.
Anyway, food for thought and I guess it reminds us that we should concentrate on what we are doing, what is working for us, and not be intimidated by other companies size and apparent success.

Cheers

Chrissie

Dallas Gift Fair

2009-02-06T05:54:00.000+11:00

Boy, oh boy! We think we love Christmas in Australia but nothing can prepare you for over 400 suppliers who all specialise in Christmas products.

The Gift Fair was held in Dallas in January, and we needed all four days allocated to view the gorgeous range of supplies on hand. It is a little depressing to realise not everything can come back to the store (due to exchange rate and delivery expenses) but we worked hard to find a few products that are unique and simply gorgeous.

The most amazing part of the show is the huge range of suppliers with permanent large retail size stores set up with their latest products. The displays are inspiring, and while there were many products we can already get in Australia, we found a few treasures.

The colour trends were very clear. Apple green and red, or with the inclusion of silver. There were also a huge use of flowers and bows in decorating the trees. The apple green is such a fresh addition to the tree. It adds modern sparkle, without needing to replacing all existing decorations. The photo above gives you a great example of the freshness of the tree, but still maintaining a traditional colour theme. We can’t wait to make up a tree like this in our 2009 store.

Cheers

Chrissie

Who is Chrissie Kringle

2009-01-07T06:01:00.000+11:00

My Christmas began in July 2007. Based in Melbourne, Australia, its dream has always been to provide Stylish, Whimsical and Fun Christmas Decorations, and the best range of Christmas Trees Australian’s have ever seen.

Do you ever feel like, in life, you sometimes get on a roller coaster without even realising it, and then sit back to enjoy the ride? That’s how this business began. Visiting the gift fair with a friend I mentioned my interest in Christmas decorating - she said I was born for it (I mean, with a name like mine what other choice was there). So after doing the figures, investigating the market, and working a lot with my gut feelings, My Christmas was born.

What started as an interest in creating a small web based Christmas decorating and decoration business, quickly grew into a retail based business with a seasonal Christmas store that has opened in East Malvern, Melbourne for the past 2 years.

So who am I? My name is Krissy. This is my business. Friends always tell me I have an eye for Christmas decorating - ensuring there is a fab Christmas feel in every room, without falling into the “over done” basket. My passion is Christmas whimsy, and I love Christmas decorations that make me smile.

I love Christmas time, because it is a time that brings family and friends closer together. So often during the rest of the year it’s a case of ‘we must catch up’, but in December we do catch up. So the special Christmas lunch with family, or Christmas cocktails and other Christmas parties, remind us about all the special people in our lives.

So, what will you expect in this blog. I hope to give you an in-sight into some of the work that goes on in the back ground of our Christmas shop. We have trips to the Dallas Gift Fair, Hong Kong Gift Fair, buying from wonderful suppliers in Australia that we will report on. There will also be a few notes from my colleagues, and some of the processes we’ll go through in setting up the 2009 store.

Love to hear any of your thoughts along the way.

Cheers for now.

Chrissie