Many shops produce smaller items, things like cutting boards, pepper mills, candlesticks and boxes, the list is long. And this is the time of year when most of those items get sold.

It can be a bonanza for smaller shops and for many, it is in the last two months of the year when they bring in the largest percentage of their annual income.

There are a lot of people who have learned the wisdom of getting off to an early start. I know people who start making their "seasonal gift items" right after the 4th of July. These are the ants and they are prepared, by now, with a warehouse full of goods.

Others, not so much. For one reason or another, the production of seasonal items is put off until the last minute. The result is a frantic rush, 16-hour days, overtime pay enough to eat the profits, and a mad rush to the get the stuff shipped before the buyers go ballistic.

Grasshoppers have it rough this time of year!

D.D.