What if I told you … you could make a real difference this Christmas?
The run-up to Christmas is supposed to feel twinkly and exciting, but for many small independent businesses it is also the most stressful time of the year. Behind every handmade wreath, curated hamper, thrown pottery bowl, there is a person quietly hoping that this season will give their business a boost.
Christmas is make or break for many small businesses
It has been a hard year for almost everyone. Costs have crept up. Footfall has dipped. A lot of brilliant local shops, makers and producers have had to close their doors for good. And many others are just about keeping their heads above water.
For small businesses, Christmas isn’t just a hopefully busy period – it’s the moment that decides whether they can keep going into the next year. One good festive season can provide the breathing space they need. A quiet one can mean tough decisions in January.
We do it for the love of doing it
Running a small business owners is rarely the easiest or most lucrative path. We do it because we love it and genuinely care about what we sell and the people we sell to.
We are often the ones up before sunrise loading the van for the farmers’ market, or hand-making wreaths in a freezing cold shed, or sewing until midnight to get Christmas orders out on time. We pack your parcels ourselves. We recognise your name when it comes through. We remember what you bought from us last time.
Small businesses do everything: the creating, the cleaning, the posting, the photographing, the website publishing, the customer messages, the bookkeeping, the early mornings, the late nights. There is no team behind the scenes - just one or two people doing their very best.
Every purchase makes a difference
When you buy from a supermarket or a big high street chain, you are one number in a very large spreadsheet. When you buy from a small business, you make a very real human being smile.
One order can cover that week’s fuel for deliveries. It can pay for more stock. It can help a business justify carrying on doing the thing they love. It gives a business the confidence to grow.
And the lovely thing is that you are not just buying the product itself - you are buying the care, the skill, the hours of work and the personal pride that has gone into it.
If you can’t buy from a small business, support them in other ways
Buying is not the only way to help.
Promoting a business on social media can be pretty soul destroying. Most small businesses are not natural entertainers. They are trying to create posts between post office runs, cooking dinner and late-night admin. Very few have the confidence (or desire) to dance in a reel or film themselves in the workshop. And with changing algorithms, posts often reach only a tiny handful of people.
But you can change that.
Every time you like, comment or share a post, you push it further out into the world. You help more people discover a business they may never have found otherwise. It costs you nothing, takes seconds, and makes a huge difference.
If you really want to show support, you can also:
Leave a kind review
Tag a friend who might be interested
Recommend a small business in your local Facebook group
Choose a small maker when you need a last-minute gift
Visit a market instead of the supermarket for a few bits
Tiny actions add up.
So, if you want to make a difference this Christmas …
Please choose to buy from the small local businesses around you. From the shop who personally sources from Italy, to the florist who picks your wreath foliage by hand, to the person throwing pots in a snatched few hours at the weekend.
It really does help more than you know - and it keeps your high street, your markets, and your local community thriving.
A small purchase for you is a big moment for someone else. And this Christmas, that might be exactly what they need.
Grounded | A space for slowing down and embracing life’s simple pleasures | www.bulbtobunch.com/blog