Countdown to Christmas

Now is the time to get crackin’ to make 2012 a successful year for your business.

Our upline Watkins manager Melody Thacker posted the following message on the Gold Team’s Facebook page: “Sixty percent of your annual sales will happen in November and December! You can make a good income if you work your business from now up to Christmas. But it's not enough to want it - you have to work it!”

How very true that is. Christmas is a wonderful time of year -- remembering those friends who made your 2012 extra special, and all those family members who are so important in your life. What about all those holiday parties you will be attending? Don’t you need something more unique than a bottle of wine for your host or hostess? Was this the year you established your Watkins business? Did you have an event to announce your new venture? This is the perfect month to do it. It’s a way for all those people important to you to learn that 2012 was the year you established your own home business. That’s big news. Your friends and family want your business to be a success. Don’t you think they are looking for suggestions for all the people on their gift lists?

Watkins makes that very easy for us this year. Here’s a few favorite things we know anyone would be happy to unwrap on Christmas morning. In fact, did you know Watkins has a new gift set that’s called “A Few of Our Favorite Things” Kit? How appropriate for this time of year! It’s a collection of some of Watkins’ best-selling apothecary items. This kit sounds like a fruit salad of scents: Lavender Bath and Body Oil, Coconut Milk & Honey Hand & Body Lotion, Raspberry Weatherproofing Lip Balm, Foot Repair Salve, and Lemon Cream Hand Cream. The kit is just $9.99.

Here’s another gift set that seems perfect for ladies preparing to make a stop or two under the mistletoe. It’s called the “Hands and Feet Retreat.” It contains Foot Repair Salve, Lavender Shea Butter Hand Cream and Custom Nail File and Buffer.  The kit is just $13.99.

Let’s turn to the chefs on your gift list. Watkins has been producing its own Gold Medal Assortment in distinctive Watkins gift boxes for many years. It contains the 11 fl. oz. bottle of the Original Double Strength Vanilla, and 6 oz. tins of Cinnamon and Black Pepper. It carries the Gold Medal title because all three Watkins products have received gold medals at the World Fair. Unfortunately, there has been such a demand for the 11 oz. size of the Double Vanilla that there only a limited number still available. The Gold Medal Assortment is priced at $33.99. Is that too much to ask your customers to shell out? That does not stop the creative among us. Why not design your own Gold Medal Sampler? Find an attractive box (gold is a good choice for obvious reasons.) Then select 2 oz. bottles of Watkins Double Strength Vanilla Extract, add 2 oz. tins of the black pepper and a bottle of cinnamon. That way, the contents ($4.19 for the vanilla, $3.49 for the pepper and $4.98 for the cinnamon) will only cost your customers $12.66 if you throw in the cost for the box and bow. You can collect $3.17 for every box you sell with your 25% discount.

A perennial gift favorite that Watkins has been producing for some time are the Natural Sink Sets. It’s the perfect gift for your host or hostess. It comes it three scents: Lavender, Lemon and Aloe and Green Tea. Each set contains an 11 oz. bottle of liquid hand soap and hand & body lotion. The two bottles come in a distinctive black metal holder with the Watkins name engraved on black metal plate. $17.99 is a realistic price for such a handsome gift.

Let’s not forget your own holiday baking. You should have been at the Thanksgiving table of your manager Alan Lukes. He covers his yams with butter, brown sugar and Watkins cinnamon, then bakes them. What a heavenly aroma fills his kitchen! In the last 10 minutes of baking, Alan covers the yams with miniature marshmallows. Yum! 

The turkey gained its golden glaze and distinctive flavor with a mixture of Watkins Poultry Seasoning and All-Natural Grapeseed Oil. Adding to the turkey’s moisture, as well as a rich taste to the mashed potatoes, was Watkins Roasted Turkey Gourmet Gravy Mix. Guests will think it took hours to fix, but all you have to do is add water and simmer.

Don’t forget Watkins Gourmet Snack & Dip Seasonings. The Watkins General catalog offers a number of baking tips, such as stirring the Cucumber & Dill Dip mix into mash potatoes or sprinkle on your baked potatoes. We could go on. But don’t forget. You only have until Dec 11 to guarantee that your holiday shipment will reach your front door before Christmas. If you are planning your own Watkins holiday party, you better work on your order this week!

This year, we donated three Watkins gift baskets to our church Christmas bazaar. They are easy to make. Line your basket with red or green tissue paper. Fill the basket with an assortment of Watkins products. Make sure each one has your re-order information, and include a Watkins catalog with your name and contact information. Top it off with some realistic evergreens and pinecones. Here in Big Bear, we like to add a stuffed bear. We have a number of grandmothers in our church that fondly remember the Watkins label. Today, they also love our teddy bears for grandchildren!

Alan goes a bit Christmas-crazy this time of year. He’s in a state of depression because the exterior lights are yet to be up on the house. He likes to have them up the day after Thanksgiving. His house is known as the Beary Christmas Cottage, with its green exterior color, white trim and red front door. His kitchen tiles have images of Christmas trees, Santa, wreaths and holly. His depression does not lift until Big Bear is covered in snow. But above all, we never forget the true meaning of Christmas. Even though it’s still early in the month, let’s keep in mind why we celebrate Christmas every year.