Have Yourself a DIY Christmas

Jolly St. Nick is a great guy, but the c-store can be a source of holiday magic, too.

Everybody has their favorite holiday traditions. There are so many that you can easily overlook a few.

Our vote for most underrated is do-it-yourselfing. It seems like a no-brainer—someone has to decorate that tree! (Most of the time.)

And think about all those funny holiday movies with hi-jinks driven by the underqualified trying to hang their own outdoor lighting. And what about the overachievers who manage to blow out the entire neighborhood because of it!?

Inspiring. Because they get back up the next day and start all over again (this time with non-conducting gloves). Why? Because you can never underestimate the pull of the Holidays on a DIY ‘er. Or the inspiration that can be found in an icon like Tim Allen, the greatest do-it-yourselfer in TV history, a guy so good he turned that gig into a steady one as Santa Claus that continues to this day!!

Yeah, do-it-yourselfers and the holiday season. They go together like magnets and metal. So what does this have to do with convenience stores?

Glad you asked. As the industry evolves to include variations on the basic retail petroleum model, the inventory mix can overlap with items that used to be carried exclusively in other retail channels. Take drug stores, for example.

Since this is the case, we thought it would be timely to mention the c-store’s as a potential for do-it-yourselfers looking to create a little magic, albeit on a less grandiose, more low-fi scale than the roof dancing Santa with the laser beam eyes.

Here are a few ideas:

Candy Cane Wreath

You’ll need: Multiple packs of candy canes, ribbon, hot glue gun with glue sticks.
Instructions: Arrange the candy canes into a heart shape and use the hot glue gun to stick the pairs together. Arrange these pairs into a wreath with the hearts pointing outwards, and glue these together. Finish it off by tying a ribbon on top. Please be careful with the glue gun as SSCS is not responsible for glue burns and other gluey mishaps; remember what happened with Baron Zemo and Adhesive X.

Christmas Light Bulb Garland

You’ll need: Christmas string lights, plastic cups in red, green and white, a pack of permanent markers, and scissors. Please don’t run with scissors. Or otherwise jeopardize your health with them!
Instructions: Cut X’s on the bottom of the cups. Decorate the cups as you wish, such as turning them into Santa, elves or snowmen. Stick the bulbs of the string lights through the X’s.

Snowman Door Decoration

You’ll need: White and black construction paper, a pack of orange markers, double-sided tape.
Instructions: Cut three large circles from the white construction paper for the snowman’s body. Use the black paper for the eyes, mouth, buttons and hat. The nose can be colored orange with the marker. Assemble your snowman on your door with double-sided tape.

Christmas Lanterns

You’ll need: Mason jars, paint markers or acrylic paint, ribbons, tealight candles
Instructions: Paint holiday scenes or patterns on the outside of the mason jars using paint markers or acrylic paint. Tie ribbons around the jar necks. Once the paint is dry, place tealight candles inside and light them up in the evenings for a warm, festive glow. SSCS recommends battery-powered tea lights for the ultimate in safe celebrating.

Pine Cone Ornaments

You’ll need: Pine cones (found outside or in some stores), glitter, string, craft glue.
Instructions: Apply a thin coat of craft glue to the pine cones and sprinkle them with glitter. Allow them to dry completely. Attach a string to the top of each pine cone for hanging. You can use these to decorate a tree, mantel, or as window decorations. Don’t let the pine needles scratch you!

That’s a lot of DIYing! And, as we noted, only seasoned DIY ‘ers need apply (see previous warnings)!

Now at SSCS, we may not be able to rig up that drone with the reindeer and sled (although some of us can!), but we always can help your store run better using our technology and the intense dedication to support we place behind it. Nothing warms an operator in the chilly wintertime like increased profit. If you’d like your business to begin heating up now, please call us at (800) 972-7277 and we can have a chat.