Quiet

I blame the church. Fancy allowing Christmas Day to fall on a Saturday. Does the church understand what this has potentially done for business? : ) A Saturday Christmas means yesterday was the last weekend for Christmas selling in Rhuthun (there being few open in Rhuthun today, though you'll find Popeye among them). And the weather put paid to any significant sales.

Not even yesterday’s free car parking throughout town could persuade people to move from their firesides, their aelwydydd. For, it was snowing till about 9.30 a.m. (and there was a brief flurry at about 2 p.m.). The town was the quietest before Christmas I've ever seen. Not that I did anything other than drive through.

A fortnight ago, it was the same, with Friday's snow still on the ground. And the Saturday before that was equally bleak, having seen snow the previous day. Without an adequate seasonal boost, where will this leave Rhuthun's shop keepers as they face an uncertain 2011?

It's not all doom, though. Several retailers have commented that the run up to Christmas has been busier than in previous years. No one knows precisely why. I suspect that in some cases people have shopped locally rather than venture further afield.