I hope by the time this goes to print, we are all sitting back sipping Pina Colada’s in the sunshine and reflecting on the year that was, and the year that will be, but right now if I’m being honest, the reality is far from that!
Having said that, it’s at this time of the year my heart often skips a little beat.
I don’t know about you, but I love the anticipation of this time of the year. It’s the little rituals and traditions that come along with summer holidays that make my heart sing.
You know what I mean, when you wake up to the incessant chirping of cicadas and there’s a stillness to the air; you know it’s going to be a scorcher and there’s no place to be other than the beach (or in the aircon).
But of course “real life” must go on...
Businesses still need running and for us personally, this is the time where we welcome a massive influx of visitors and it’s full steam ahead catering for a totally new, albeit transient clientele.
We love this time of year in town. The atmosphere is in full Holiday Mode and there’s a buzz wherever you go. It’s no secret that most of us who choose to live in Port have a little bias when it comes to how easy our town is to negotiate on a good day, how you can normally get a park pretty much directly outside your fave coffee shop... but it’s important to remember too that sharing our slice of “paradise” (as so many refer to our part of the world), is part and parcel of what we signed up for.
Without a regular influx of visitors regional towns like ours just wouldn’t be the same.
The thing I love most about many of our visitors is that most of them have Generational Stories that come along with them year after year.
This takes me back to my reference to rituals and traditions. So many families have spent the last 40 years (give or take!) coming to Port on an annual pilgrimage that everyone looks forward to all year... they’ve witnessed the growth and expansion of our town, and in turn we’ve witnessed the growth and expansion of their families too.
We’re into our second decade of running a local small business, and I cannot tell you how nice it is to see our “regular visitors” return; all bringing with them stories of what’s happened in the past year since we saw and what they plan for the year ahead.
For some 2023 has been a year to tighten our belts and reign in on the unnecessary, but when all is said and done, it’s often the old cliches that continue to prove true time and time again. It is in times like these when we’re reminded that “the best things in life are free” and fortunately for us locals, we have “things” like that in abundance right here on our doorstep.
Don’t get me wrong, as a Retailer, I cannot undervalue the power of a little retail therapy every now and then, but it’s absolutely true that the best holiday memories are made doing the things you love the most, with the people you love the most.
So as we begin another year, it’s time for a gentle reminder to do what makes your heart sing.
Spend the entire day at the beach, drink the coffee and the wine, eat the oysters and the crayfish, buy the dress (and the earrings!) and make sure you come back and do it all again next year... we’ll be ready and waiting for you, as always!
