Did the holiday season seem particularly long and slug-like to everyone or was that just me? I feel like I lolled around on my sofa, needle pointing (attempting to, rather), gobbling treats, and watching old movies, for eons. We did squeeze in a lovely few days in Nola with family but somehow that seems like months ago as the “twixmas” period was so very indolent and interminable this year.
I would like to claim that I spent that stretch reflecting on the year gone by and making very well intentioned resolutions for the year ahead but that would be a big, fat lie. I would also love to brag that I spent the time deep cleaning and uber-organizing my house but that would also be a big, fat lie. I did manage to put away the Christmas decorations, so there’s a plus.
Now that we are back in the office, I shall belatedly take time to gather my thoughts on the past year and perhaps even try to get my head around my expectations and hopes for 2026. Fair warning... these musings are likely to be off the cuff, overly long, and meandering, much like my “twixmas”, so you might want to bow out now.
I found 2025 to be a doozy and am relieved to have gotten out without any visible scars but I sure wish I was more confident about what the future holds.
Hmmm…that sounded bleak. I think I’ll start again by counting my blessings.
Our children are all alive and well and seem to be blossoming into competent, responsible, and in my opinion, entirely engaging and lovely young adults. That is huge and makes me both very happy and proud. We traveled a good bit in 2025 and were able to spend time in some particularly lovely locales and for that I am very grateful. September marked the 30th anniversary of our first ever gift show at the Atlanta Market which means that we are in the midst of our 30th year in business. Such an altogether mind blowing milestone! I doubt that anyone that knew us 30 years ago would have ever imagined that we would have achieved any sort of success, let alone durability, with our kooky, little business venture. I’m not sure we entirely believed in it either, to be honest. And speaking of accomplishments, the Dog managed to hold its own throughout the past year's turbulent economic environment. For that I am also astounded and grateful. Our sales figures were down, but only by a smidgen. When all the tariff talk began early last year, I fully expected a 20% drop in sales, at the very least. Thank you, thank you to all of our wonderful, loyal customers whose support keeps us up and running. And thank you, thank you to all of our talented employees, partners, and artisans that are the heart and the soul of our Stray Dog.
Apparently 2025 was the Year of the Snake on the Chinese Zodiac calendar and we have until the 16th of February to entirely shed that skin. I don’t know about you people, but I feel like I have been about to jump right out of my skin throughout the whole year. The political chaos and ensuing business unpredictably have really had me spooked. As many of you know, we even put our house on the market in the fall with the intent of moving full time to Mexico to be closer to our shop and, frankly, to escape the political upheaval and ugliness that seems to be swirling all around us in the States. It did not sell quickly and we soon changed our minds, but I mention it to emphasize the level of my discomfort and unease in 2025.
Sadly, I now should mention that today is the 7th of January and as I was writing this an incredibly ugly and unconscionable scene unfolded in Minnesota and now I am feeling even more rattled. Truthfully, I am feeling so disturbed by the footage I have seen and the counter narrative being presented by our government that I think it best I wrap this up here and return to it in a week or so when I can more clearly and calmly delineate my hopes for 2026.
According to the Chinese Zodiac, 2026 will be the Year of the Horse. I was born during a year of the horse so I hope that is a good sign. I, for one, am wishing for a lot more peace, love and understanding this year (as in the song by Elvis Costello & The Attractions - "What's So Funny 'Bout Peace, Love And Understanding"). On that note, I can not thank you enough for all the love and encouragement you have provided to our company in 2025 and all the preceding 30 years ! We feel so privileged to know that we can always count on your support and understanding and hope that includes forgiving this somewhat off-kilter end of the year post. ✌️
