November is hurtling by and the swirling, crunchy leaves that play with the wind outside my shop window seem to be an ever present reminder this week that it’s time for all those Christmas plans to swing into action. Perhaps there was a time when being organised was linked to frugality, but I think we’ve all come around to the wisdom that being organised saves us time, money and heartache in the long run. Gathering and planning for December in a calm and orderly manner is always to be desired over panic.
One of the greatest things about maturing is how quickly the materialistic dulls when placed beside the things of real value. Give me family and friends all gathered together in a warm house, enjoying food and company over expensive and exclusive gifts any day. The memories formed are treasures that will last a lifetime, long after goods have tarnished or broken down. All those charity shops, second hand stores and Cash for Clothes/Gold/Phone outlets that have mushroomed in every town in the country are full of ‘stuff’ that was once shiny, new and, no doubt, a dreamed of and lusted after ‘must have’ for someone. This Christmas make it about the people and the memories, and there’s no easier way to do that than with full bellies.
At James Whelan Butchers we’ve created quite a few things to help out. Next week we have our “Black Friday” Turkey and Ham sale which is perfect for anyone with a freezer and more about that later. We have a great range of gifts from creative Beef Bonds to our Books, An Irish Butcher Shop & The Irish Beef Book, plus gift vouchers. These make great practical presents. They are talking points too and come really well presented and wrapped. We have plenty of great artisan sauces, chutneys and preserves that will not only add to your own store cupboard for a little creative leftover cooking over the festive season, but would make a lovely food gift. Over the coming weeks I’ll be explaining a little more about what we have to offer on the gift front, but this week it’s all about the plan. Stick with me and by the start of December you’ll be cruising to Christmas without a care in the world and well within budget.
There is no such thing as the definitive, one plan fits all. Planning is all about the individual. I use to think it was about a checklist and box ticking but everyone is different and so the plan has to work for you. There is one crucial rule though and that is, ‘Know Your Numbers!’ Money, people, time; once you have figures on these items everything else fits in around it. The numbers for your budget are first. Don’t go into debt for Christmas, it’s a madness and really quite unnecessary. You’ll be glad when January comes and trust me, it always comes! The second number is people. How many are you actually going to have for Christmas? Factor in a little margin for an unexpected one or two, but be realistic. How many of us are still looking at unopened boxes of biscuits and sweets in February? Avoid that costly mistake this year. And finally time is probably something we rarely consider properly. On the wintery November days we may fantasise that this December will be handmade from start to finish. We might aspire to the Nigella/Delia/Rachel way of creating everything from scratch, but we forget that this is all Nigella, Delia and Rachel do. It’s their job, profession and career. If you are holding down a full time or part time job or work full time in the home and don’t have a small army of house staff to help out, then doing everything yourself may not be feasible. Lack of time leads to the worst type of stress mainly because time is the one thing we just can’t make more of.
With the numbers sorted out one of the first savings you can make is on the turkey and ham. We started our Christmas Turkey and Ham Sale a number of years ago now as an experiment and we just haven’t stopped because it makes so much sense. It’s simply this; I use my regular Turkey supplier, but I get the bulk of our fresh Turkeys and Hams in November. This is great for the supplier as it is not during the big rush and so I get a better deal that I pass on to you. I can sell a fresh Turkey and Ham in November (to be frozen for the weeks in between) for €41.50 OFF the cost of the same Turkey and Ham in mid December! It’s a fantastic saving. The supplier also gets ahead with cash flow and orders and therefore everyone is winning. Our turkey and ham sale has become an anticipated date on the calendar for many of our customers as they know they are not compromising on quality or taste in order to save money. The only reason you wouldn’t want to avail of this great offer is if you didn’t have a freezer. The turkey and ham sale starts on Monday 25th November 2015 (only in our Clonmel shop) and is also available online now on our Christmas Hampers page for delivery on Black Friday (November 27th) only. Seriously, don’t miss out.
There is no need to fear the expense of Christmas this year. Just take a deep breath, plan ahead and keep your eyes on James Whelan Butchers as between now and December we’ll have some great offers both in store and online.
We hope you enjoyed reading this post by Pat Whelan of James Whelan Butchers. Pat is a 5th generation butcher, cook book author and the director of James Whelan Butchers with shops in Clonmel, the Avoca Food Market Monkstown and Avoca Rathcoole. Sign up to our newsletter for more updates from James Whelan Butchers
Tags: Avoca Irish Butcher, Black Friday, Christmas at James Whelan Butchers, Christmas gifts, James Whelan Butchers, Turkey and Ham Sale
