It's About Time!

Welcome to your January 2009 edition of the PlanetChristmas newsletter! It is published regularly and covers relevant topics for the Christmas decorating professional and enthusiast.

Here's what you can read about in this January 2009 newsletter:

• Getting into the Christmas Business
• PlanetChristmas Magazine
• PLUS2009 our Annual Expo!
• Pretty Good Deal on Ropelight
• PlanetChristmas Shameless Commerce
• Tip of the Month
• PlanetChristmas Radio!
• Registering for the PlanetChristmas Newsletter
• And finally...

Getting into the Christmas Business

I subscribe to the Wall Street Journal and receive a never-ending stream of emails about our economy. It hasn't been pleasant reading lately. Bad news seems to breed more bad news and companies are laying off employees as they prepare for the worst. Job security is no longer a given. Depressing.

People tend to be the most anxious when they don't think any options are available. There are a lot of nervous people around the world right now. If you see potential trouble on the horizon, don't wait until the worst happens, start planning now for alternatives. I call it parallel pathing. You'll call it taking control.

My father retired years ago from small business. He wrote a book called "Buy a Business Close to Home" I read it and realized my dad really was a pretty darn smart at this stuff. He figured out long ago when you work for yourself, you don't have to worry about getting laid off.

Now, I come from a medium sized business background. Over my tenure, we had a couple of rounds of layoffs. The human resource people preferred to call it "reaching synergy." I felt awful for letting the employees down because there just wasn't enough business to support their fine work... but at least I still had my job.

My company was sold a few years ago to a big conglomerate. I lasted six months before I was let go. Luckily it worked out for me because I did well in the sale of the company. I ended up "semi-retiring" meaning I keep myself busy and out of the way of my wife. It's the best thing that could have ever happened for me. I no longer have to go to never-ending meetings or worry about others not doing their jobs so mine becomes tougher. I work for me. I pursue expanding the PlanetChristmas community and do a little bit of consulting on the side. I don't need the money but I really do enjoy making other people successful. Life is good.

The great thing about PlanetChristmas is I meet interesting people and visit a lot of companies. What I've observed over the years is the wide breadth of the Christmas market. There are countless niches much too small for the big guys where people are very successful. Think about how you might take advantage of this huge Christmas market as you consider parallel pathing.

You obviously have a love for Christmas decorating or you wouldn't be reading the PlanetChristmas newsletter. I'm willing to bet you've daydreamed in the past how you could make a living doing what you really enjoy. This might be the time to be thinking a lot more seriously about it and take control of where you're going.

I want to be very realistic about this subject. Most people like the security of working for others and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. For many though, working for themselves is a viable option and a way to insulate you and your family from bad bosses or being laid off. Working for yourself isn't easy but you're in full control of what happens to you.

I went to the holiday decorating show at Americas Mart in Atlanta earlier this month. Let's just say I was overwhelmed. There were hundreds of vendors wanting to establish relationships with other Christmas companies and no one was complaining about a bad 2008 Christmas. How refreshing! It was quite obvious that no matter how bad the economy might be, people still spend money for goods at Christmas time.

Then there are all the possibilities for Christmas services. Decorating houses or commercial venues can be incredibly profitable. It's grueling work the last quarter of the year, but you have plenty of time to rest until next season.

There are even Christmas franchises available. You do have to pay some fees but you don't have to worry about starting a business from scratch.

You might even consider buying an existing Christmas operation. Believe it or not, banks actually like Christmas businesses and credit is available for proven companies.

Now you're at least thinking of other opportunities that might be available to you. Exciting isn't it? Your imagination becomes your only limitation. You're starting to take control of your future rather than worrying and waiting for something bad to happen.

Take this time to explore possibilities. PLUS2009 has a Pro education tract this year aimed at people already in the Christmas business or thinking about it. Talk to your significant other as well as decorating friends. The best ideas always come from directions you never anticipate.

Good luck as you take control of your future!

PlanetChristmas Magazine is Becoming Real!

I've been talking about PlanetChristmas Magazine for a few months now. I had no idea how incredibly complex the publishing world was. Let's just say what I thought would be a simple task has taken much longer than anticipated.

The good news is PlanetChristmas Magazine is almost here. Advertising is already being sold, an award winning graphic designer is hard at work building the internals of the publication and I'm off to printing school next week. A circulation manager is being put in place and the basic infrastructure required to publish a magazine is being brought on-line.

Get ready. "PlanetChristmas Magazine, For the Serious Decorator" will be heading to your mailbox soon.

PLUS2009 Our Annual Expo in July

Really great Christmas displays don't happen spontaneously. Like anything well done, there's plenty of planning involved. Some of us think about our displays year-round while the rest seem to think about it at the most inopportune times. All of us need some nudging so we now have a yearly gathering at the end of July called PlanetChristmas Lights Up Symposium. The next one we simply call PLUS2009. Think of it as a head start on Christmas planning as well as a way to enhance a summer vacation and get the rest of the family involved during the holiday season.

Go ahead and mark your PLUS2009 calendars for July 29 through August 1, 2009 in Louisville at the Kentucky International Convention Center. It's our gathering of people that decorate for Christmas.

PLUS2009 is now 3.5 days of nonstop activities. We start Wednesday afternoon and go through Saturday night with our gala banquet. Last I checked there were over 50 different class titles offered in the course catalog.

Want an easy way to keep up with PLUS information? Go to the website at www.gotoPLUS.com. It's the first place official PLUS information is shared with others. PLUS2009 registration is now open with early bird specials but the best deals expire the last day of the month.

Looking for some Incandescent Ropelight?

Through a strange twist of events I've become the keeper of about 100 rolls of 3/8" 120VAC, incandescent ropelight. 150 feet on a roll and each in a sealed, factory fresh carton. Apparently this ropelight was manufactured in late 2007 and for whatever reason has been sitting in the corner of a warehouse. I hate to see any potential type of Christmas light sit idle so I've arranged to sell this stuff for $63/roll plus shipping. PlanetChristmas gets a few bucks a roll and the world will be a little brighter this holiday season. Seems like a pretty good deal to me... especially since I've already bought quite a few of the rolls... but even I have my limits. Interested? I've setup a way to order this ropelight in the PlanetChristmas store. Good luck!

PlanetChristmas Shameless Promotion

A brand new batch of exclusive PlanetChristmas shirts and jackets are now in stock. See all the details at the PlanetChristmas Store. Money collected from these sales goes toward PlanetChristmas and PLUS.

Logo on clothes

PlanetChristmas Tip of the Month

It's time to refurbish your decorations while the weather is not-so-nice outside. Set up an indoor workshop and go through all those strings of Christmas lights. They're a lot easier to fix inside while watching TV compared to outside on a cold day in November. Likewise, clean up the blowmolds and inflatables. If your garland is looking old, get out the compressed air to blow out the dust and then reshape the branches. You can also use this time to fix any broken pieces in your Christmas village. Consider this a slow and graceful way to ease out of last Christmas and make setting up for next Christmas so much easier.

PlanetChristmas Radio is on the Internet!

The PlanetChristmas radio station is available 24/7/365 to anyone with a fast Internet connection to tap into. Find the details at http://www.planetchristmas.com/PCRadio.htm

Registering for the PlanetChristmas Newsletter

I'm working with a company called Constant Contact to handle the PlanetChristmas email distribution and make sure we comply with all government rules and regulations. If you want to remove your name from the list, go to http://www.planetchristmas.com/Newsletters.htm and enter your email address. You'll be given an option to "opt-out" of future mailings. Likewise you'll also be able to remove your address from any future emailings by simply clicking a link at the bottom of the PlanetChristmas emails you receive in the future. For the record, PlanetChristmas values your privacy and does not share your email address with anyone.

And finally...

Don't limit that Christmas feeling to December. Help people every month of the year. You'll make a positive difference in the lives of others while at the same time making yourself feel pretty darn good.

Next time: look forward to more Christmas decorating tips.

Chuck Smith of PlanetChristmas