What a delight it has been – being on the phones, talking to hundreds of customers, answering many many emails in the weeks running up to Christmas. The things you learn.

At Christmas it is all hands on deck… watching everyone here from our HR Leader (employee experience manager) to the marketing manager get involved with customers is the most rewarding experience. Each of us seeing first hand the delight given when someone discovers the exactly perfect gift for someone. We have in the past weeks delivered 47862 gifts – now, of course, we would love to make that 50,000 and we do keep delivering even on Christmas day – so we are not finished yet.

To watch everyone pull together…this is my eighth Christmas at RedBalloon and I am so pleased to see that retails sales are strong… in fact up 41% on last year.

Thanks for your love and support throughout the year… I will be having a break with the family on a boat somewhere far away from an internet connection… see you in 2009.