This year I had probably my worst week for a very long time. If you don't like pets you won't understand. My adored mongrel, Bruno suddenly disappeared on a walk, and we heard nothing for seven long days. Eventually I got a call from the dog warden at Eastbourne who said she had him safe but thin 36 miles away! That week I didn't sleep. I felt utterly wretched and stricken. And afterwards all I could think was how much more intolerable that would have been if he'd been a child. How much stronger must the emotional bond be between a parent and child (and honestly just losing the dog was devastating!) And it's this inherent emotional parent-child connection that makes the nursery trade more recession-resilient than many others. Parents place their children's needs way above anything else. They simply will not be able to settle unless their baby is safe, comfortable, well fed, well cleaned, calm, happy and humoured. So don't feel too glum when you begin to feel the inevitable squeeze. There are sales to be had out there, always.

 It's been a good year for our Nursery Industry magazine. We've given ourselves a fresh face of colour, design and features. We've introduced new faces and increased the editorial pages with input from many people you know. We think it matters to be part of the nursery goods community and wherever possible we include stories about your market, your firm, even you! But we've got many more features planned for 2009 that you'll want to delve into. So whatever you do before Christmas, make sure you email our advertisement manager, Mandy Reynolds (mreynolds@datateam.co.uk) and ask for her forward product features list, to enhance your planning.

Finally from myself, Sophie, Mandy and all on the Nursery Industry team, may you have a Very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Emma

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