Black Friday when Christmas shoppers start pouring into the high street is quickly followed by Cyber Monday when they begin to order en masse online.

It's interesting that four weeks before Christmas is always the time when Christmas shopping begins in earnest. And worth remembering when you hear major retailers alleging every year in early November that Christmas is starting later or people are hanging on to their money. This PR exercise is as predictable as Cyber Monday.

At Your Life Your Style, we're now in the eye of the Christmas storm. Most of my day is currently spent helping get the online orders processed. Our target of getting them out the same day is coming under severe pressure and as a result I find I'm starting my day earlier and earlier.

While the orders are rolling in to yourlifeyourstyle.co.uk, customers are also piling into our Winchester shop. The start of the Cathedral Christmas Market is a major boost. It will get busier and busier for the next few weeks and we can't afford to miss a penny.

In keeping with most other retailers, this is the time of year which makes the difference between profit and loss. So we all expect to work long hard hours. Even so, it's a great to meet the challenge and huge fun.

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