Ah yes, here it comes! The Super Bowl of grooming. The Mega Marathon of grooming! The absolute madness of getting all the puppies ready for Santa’s big arrival! In the grooming world, you can ask stylists how they feel about the holiday season and you will receive a myriad of answers.
Personally, I love the rush of it all. The entire salon is decked out from top to bottom with garland, Santa sculptures, Christmas hats, and sparkly trees. The usual grooming playlists will be substituted with my favorite Christmas songs: those that are free of the usual whine of the radio and range from the sublime to the ridiculous. Six-day work weeks are now a thing until the end of the year, yet I still have enough time set aside to create some holiday baked goods for the family. Am I just an adrenaline junkie looking to squeeze in as much holiday activity as possible in a mere 24 days? Perhaps. But I also know which things put a damper on my Christmas cheer.
The number one complaint I hear from other groomers about the holiday season is how many dogs they have to cram in every day in order to get everyone ready. I will never do this. It compromises the quality of my work and is a bad fit for many of my nervous clients. Some households can bring more stress to these dogs – why would I add to that? This is where the six-day work weeks come into play. There have been a few years where I ended up working a few evenings as well; luckily these are few and far between, as the schedule *usually* has a way of evening things out.
What happens when clients had their haircut, but would like to freshen up for family members flocking in that they haven’t seen in a while? It’s possible to set up days of doing only bath-and-tidies, especially as that special day draws closer. Pups leave, ready to strut their stuff for their uncles and aunts, with happy pet parents who wanted their furry companions “presentable”. Now, my schedule is a little more free to fit in those who are definitely due for a trimming – win win!
Occasionally, the schedule is a little ill-timed, especially Saturday and Wednesday, my two busiest days. I often compare them to playing that last level in Tetris, where your playing field is filled with awkward bricks as pieces just come crashing down upon you. Sometimes I feel like that level is easier than scheduling these days! My strategy here is to book these dogs as close to Thanksgiving as possible, that way their groom will *hopefully* carry them through the rest of the holiday season. Hello, New Years!
Christmas is indeed a challenging time for everyone. We groomers are feeling the pressure as well. With a little bit of planning, scheduling, and even knowing our own capabilities, we too can enjoy this festive holiday season. Hopefully your Christmas is an equal balance of madness mixed with cheer. Everyone who’s seen the movie “Christmas Vacation” can relate to this, I’m sure!
However you and yours choose to celebrate this time of year, I hope it is filled with joy, love, warmth, and magic – all of the GOOD things humanity has to offer!~
Bath to Bows LLC 