Christmas means Presents and that means Shopping.

Retail therapy for some, dreaded duty for others.

The time to prepare is now. It takes time to prepare and list and promote. From those super organized people who have their Christmas shopping done by the beginning of November, to the person dashing out on Christmas Eve looking desperately for the last minute bargain, the ones who win and profit prepared early.

There are many markets and niches:

1. Parents looking for children’s gifts and toys and Santa Claus stocking fillers.(This is a massive market as Christmas is very much about kids)

2. Hosts and home makers looking for decorations, accessories like catering equipment, christmass lights, packaging, cards and gift wrap, napkins.

3. Women wanting special gifts for boyfriends, partners, husbands.

4. Men looking for gifts for women, wives and girlfriends, daughters and mothers.

5. Women doing shopping for for family members, mothers, friends.

6. People on a tight budget looking quirky, or cheaper items.

7. People looking for luxury Christmas gifts,

8. Corporate and office Christmas and New Year gifts.

9. Environmentally and socially aware people looking for green gifts, fair-trade and eco-friendly items, recycled, vintage and craft gifts.

10. Shoppers.  People even buy for themselves when they get on a shopping roll, including after Christmas splurges with gift money

About 5 years ago, in 2008, I renewed my interest in tennis and found a gangly Scot making his way in to the quarter finals at Wimbledon.  A bit of a nobody at that time, bit of a rough diamond. I thought he had a spark of life that made him worth watching and watch him I did every Wimbledon match possible from them on, believing that one day, he would win Wimbledon. Friends said who? and why? and I just said because he’s a fellow Scot, he’s from the next town, because he’s good!

Last year, Andy got to the finals, but lost to Roger Federer. In a famous understatement, he said with tears in his eyes, “I’m getting closer”.

Watching Andy Murray win Wimbledon this year was a dream come true. His playing was superb, instinctive and brilliant. No one doubted that this year, he earned his titlle and deserved to win.

We know he grew up in Dunblane, a small Scottish town in Scotland, and went to the school where a mad gunman massacred a bunch of 16 unsuspecting kids and their teacher one sunny day. We know how he practised in local tennis clubs until his parents eventually sent him a tennis academy in Spain where he worked hard to learn his craft and build his physical stamina. A knee defect where the bones in one of his knees didn’t join as they should has some times caused him problems as well as pain. Despite this physical problem, he has gone on to win Wimbledon as well as Olympic Gold and Silver medals and other tennis titles.

What is maybe not so well known is he comes from Braveheart country, the part of Scotland where despite overwhelming odds, legendary Scots fought to victory agains the English to win Independence for Scotland. First there was William Wallace, immortalised by Mel Gibson in his film “Braveheart” followed by King Robert the Bruce, King of Scots, who won the final defeat against the English at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314.

Andy comes from a line of fighting men who don’t give up till they have won and win he most certainly has done!!!