12 Days of Christmas

A letter to our loyal customers….

posted on : November 20, 2015
Dear Friends-
 
First, I wanted to thank you all for your support and loyalty to us over all these years. We really do all that we do for you, our followers and customers, and we are always so happy to see that you are excited about our new products and fabrics. It makes our day around here… really does!
 
Thanksgivingsmall
 
We want to remind everyone that our company is primarily about fabric design and patterns. That will always be the core of who we are and what we provide to the fabric industry. At the same time we are retailers at heart and started off that way before we were ever designers and when we see a need for something that we can offer, we want to meet it. We want as many of you as possible to have access to as much Fig Tree as you need and want! There are SO MANY wonderful stores out there that carry our fabrics and patterns and WE LOVE THEM so much. We will always support them and encourage you to shop with them as much as possible! We also recognize that so many of you are not anywhere near stores that love Fig Tree as much as you do and we want to be here for you!
 
4woolies72
… our upcoming "FIGS & WOOLIES" patterns. More info soon.
 
But we are also not set up as a traditional shop and don't have the capacity to meet all the demand that you all seem to have LOL! Both our kit pre-order program and our BOM programs have grown tremendously and we try to keep up with you guys as much as possible but we can only do so much. In fact we started the kit pre-orders as a way of ensuring that everyone who wanted a Fig Tree kit, could get one and that we wouldn't run out. We don't do pre-orders on BOM's because we are only able to create a certain amount of spots based on space, fabric and time!
We are purposely a small business with some wonderful and committed help and we couldn't do any of it without them! But they don't want to work 24/7 either :-).
 
Ellahexies
 
We always do the most that we possibly can when we see that the demand is greater than we originally offered but we are limited by space and time. Please understand that this is not because we don't understand the business or because we can't manage our inventory [both have been suggested to me as reasons why we seem to sell out of some things so quickly] but because we stay smaller on purpose in the interest of serving our needs and those of our family.
 
We hope that you will continue to support us as even though you know that we might not always have enough of something that you really want. We love you guys!
 
41a2c90d-1cb0-4afd-a6fd-29b4032645a8
 
12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS… LET THE GAMES BEGIN
 
Okay, now on to the insanity that is the 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS SALE! Speaking of not being able to meet demand… geesh! This is the 5th year we have done this crazy sale and each year you all amaze us with your desire to shop with us! We love it but again, we literally only have so much space and we are not planning on purchasing a nearby warehouse anytime soon. So if you decide to participate with us during this sale, please know that most everything will sell out the day it is offered. It really will. The folks who are most successful in getting what they want have found some way to set alerts on their phones and laptops, etc. so that they know exactly when the items go live. I am not your technical help on how to do that… maybe you should ask the teenagers in your life for some help! Just remember that this kind of a crazy sale that rewards those that are willing to shop like crazy and sit by the computer and wait, is just not for everyone. We completely understand that and want you to know what you are getting into before you jump in!
 
Again, it is a crazy amount of fun and lots of great things will be offered but you have to be prepared! So here is some info…
 
 
PREPARING FOR THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS SALE:
 
 
IN PAST YEARS, MANY OF YOU HAVE ASKED WHAT IS THE BEST/MOST ACCURATE WAY TO KNOW WHEN WE HAVE POSTED THAT DAY'S SALE. SINCE WE WILL CHANGE THE TIMES THAT WE POST THE PRODUCTS TO GIVE PEOPLE ON BOTH COASTS AS WELL AS INTERNATIONAL A BETTER CHANCE TO PARTICIPATE, YOU HAVE TO "FOLLOW" US IN SOME WAY.

EACH DAY WE WILL SEND OUT OUR NEWSLETTER, WRITE A BLOG POST AND TRY TO LET YOU KNOW VIA INSTAGRAM.

THE MOST RELIABLE WAYS ARE THE NEWSLETTER AND INSTAGRAM. IF YOU SUBSCRIBE TO THE BLOG, THE SUBSCRIPTION OFTEN COMES LATE OR THE FOLLOWING DAY. THE DESCRIPTION OF THAT DAY'S PRODUCTS WILL BE ON THE BLOG EACH DAY BUT YOU MIGHT WANT ANOTHER FORM OF FINDING OUT THAT WE HAVE "GONE LIVE" FOR THAT DAY. Generally the blog subscription is a wonderful way to know what is going on around here and to see updates and will often give you info that won't be in our newsletter. But for information that is as timely as updates about the 12 DAYS sale, the newsletter or IG are the ways to go because they are immediate and you can see/notice them right away.

IF YOU HAVE THE CAPABILITY TO CREATE SOME KIND OF AN ALERT, YOU MIGHT WANT TO DO THAT.

12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS INFO…
PLEASE READ ALL THE DETAILS
AS SOME INFO HAS CHANGED
 
* The Fig Tree 12 Days of Christmas sale starts on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, and lasts for 12 days [usually with a Sunday off here or there].  
 
* Each day a different kit, stocking stuffer and/or home dec goodie will be advertised- on some days several of each! WE HAVE SO MANY YUMMY GOODIES THIS YEAR! Each day a special DAILY DEAL will be made as well.  
 
* Each special offer will only become available on that one day. Each goodie will only be available while stock lasts. Most of the items offered will sell out on that day, some will last a few days. Please believe us that some items will sell out crazy fast [in minutes] and some will last all day based on popularity and stock. Although we try and anticipate the demand, we are often surprised by your enthusiasm and are limited by how much stock we can carry of any given item.
 
* We never know which ones will sell out the fastest! If we are able to get more in stock of any popular product, we will try but we can't guarantee that anything that sells out will come back in stock. If they can, it will not be a part of the sale but something that we offer after Christmas for a separate January delivery. 
 
* For those of you who want to continue to purchase items throughout the 12 days of the sale but want us to hold your purchases for one shipment, YOU NEED TO BUY-A-BOX. SEE MORE INFO BELOW. The box is an actual product available on our homepage.  You only need to purchase it once either before the sale starts or on the first day that you purchase a 12DAYS item- but you need to purchase it as an actual product once. Then for all the remaining purchases you make, you will simply choose the "I BOUGHT  A BOX" option in the shipping directions during the checkout process. PLEASE READ BELOW FOR NEW INFO on the BUY-A-BOX option.
 
*** PLEASE READ CAREFULLY AS OUR SHIPPING OPTIONS HAVE CHANGED THIS YEAR ***

Just like in past years of the 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS we offer you the choice to hold all of your daily goodies to be shipped together at the end of the sale so you can save money on the shipping costs and keep adding goodies throughout the 12 days! Its an awesome option and a lot of fun! This year we are continuing our special shipping system, called "BUY-A-BOX" and have added the "BUY-A-ENVELOPE" option.

This is how it will now work:
Given the crazy, popularity of this sale for us, each year we have to make some adjustments based on the past year's sale. This year, just as last year, in order to "play along" with the 12 days of the sale, you need to first BUY-A-BOX or BUY-AN-ENVELOPE.

If you think that you will mostly buy small items and are primarily interested in the daily deals and the stocking stuffers, then you should BUY-AN-ENVELOPE. If your goodies "spill" out of the envelope, we will upgrade you to a medium box… AT NO EXTRA CHARGE. Once your medium box fills, we will send it to you along with an email that your box has shipped. Depending on what day of the sale it is and if you plan on continuing for the remaining days, you will then be able to decide if you wish to buy another envelope or box in order to continue with the sale or not.

If you think that you will be trying to get kits, fabrics and some of the "bigger ticket" items and you are a die hard 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS fan, then you should BUY-A-BOX. If your goodies "spill" out of the medium box, we will upgrade you to a large box… AT NO EXTRA CHARGE. Once your large box fills, we will send it to you along with an email that your box has shipped. Depending on what day of the sale it is and if you plan on continuing for the remaining days, you will then be able to decide if you wish to buy another box in order to continue with the sale or not.

If your envelope or box does not fill throughout the sale, it will remain until the last day and it will ship on that day.

The biggest change from last year – for those of you who have participated before- is that once your allotted box has filled, we will need to ship it and you can decide if you wish to purchase another box. This is still a fabulous shipping deal! Not only because we will be upgrading you one shipping category at our cost, but because you can keep shopping knowing that we will continue to put items in your box until we absolutely cannot add anything else! The reason we are changing the shipping from the past is because of the sheer volume of customers that outgrew their box multiple times. The result was a bit more chaos than the elves knew what to do with around her toward the end of the sale!

So here are your steps:

1. Decide if you want to BUY-AN-ENVELOPE or BUY-A BOX.
2. Purchase either before the sale starts so you are ready. Only buy it one time!!
3. When you are buying your goodies, select the "I BOUGHT A BOX" choice in the shipping drop down menu so that you are not charged for shipping each time you place a new item in your box. This is basically your free shipping option for the rest of the items [until you fill your box].
4. If you do not select "I BOUGHT A BOX" as your shipping option when you purchase items, we will assume that you wish to receive the product right away and you want it shipped right away and you do not wish to accumulate items. Believe it or not, there are many customers for whom this is their own personal Christmas and they look forward to receiving the packages each and every day. Enjoy!
Please know that if you forget to select the "I BOUGHT A BOX" option for shipping during checkout, we will not be able to change it. Due to the sheer volume of 12 DAYS customers, we really only have the opportunity to see what is chosen and ship or not ship based on the info you have provided during checkout. Thank you so much for understanding!

Remember you will BUY-A-BOX only once before the sale begins. This will make all of us- you and us- ready for the sale before it even begins!! You can of course still BUY-A-BOX on the first day of the sale or on any other day that you begin shopping the sale. Basically if you want to accumulate your goodies, you must BUY-A-BOX first. If you fill up your box, we will ship it to you and email you right away to let you know that you will need to purchase a new box if you want to keep shopping.

Like we mentioned above, if you prefer, we can still ship things out to you each day and you will be charged shipping for each order. If you want to do that, then do not BUY-A-BOX at all and simply purchase your goodies and select regular shipping during checkout.
For international customers, charges will be adjusted to equal actual shipping costs.

WE ARE SO EXCITED FOR THE SALE TO START NEXT WEEK!

About The Author

Joanna

Related Posts

NEW PATTERN SHEET: HOLIDAY GIFTS

Another fun 12 DAYS SALE offering was our PRESENTS UNDER THE TREE/HOLIDAY GIFTS quilt…

December 10, 2023

NEW PATTERN SHEET: CANDY CANE & STAR GARLAND

During our annual 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS SALE, we offered a limited kit to create…

December 1, 2023

23 COMMENTS

  1. Wendy | 20th Nov 15

    Love your fabric and patterns – and TOTALLY understand the desire to keep small enough to put what is truly important FIRST (ie: your family). I have the attitude that if something sold out, then perhaps I was not meant to get it 🙂 It keeps me calm and my head in the right place during the Christmas “rush.” Thanks for doing your sale every year – I always look forward to it.

  2. Stephanie | 20th Nov 15

    I think that’s what makes you unique and special. Small businesses can only do so much! I’ve only being shopping with you for a few years, but I’ve been amazed at the lengths you’ve been willing to go to try to fulfill every order – from catch up boxes to personal emails. Except for a couple very exclusive offers, I’ve been able find your fabrics in other places even when your kits sell out. While it might not be identical, I can get close enough. Stay true to yourselves!

  3. Laurel | 20th Nov 15

    Is there any possibility of being able to buy just the patterns for the BOM? I really wanted the kit, but I understand there’s a limited amount and I missed out. I have plenty of fabric though and would love to be able to get the patterns. Just an idea. 🙂

  4. Joanna | 20th Nov 15

    Stephanie-

    That is so very kind of you and so lovely to say. Thank you so very, very much,

    Joanna

  5. Sharon | 21st Nov 15

    Love the website, and look for your posts on Instagram daily. Sorry I missed signing up for the BOM. I’m going to be vigilant next year. I’ve admired your fabric for over a decade now. Hope you and your family have a wonderful holiday! Thank You for sharing so much beauty with us all!

  6. mp | 21st Nov 15

    Ha, funny how many businesses would love to have this problem? Your position is totally reasonable and I fully understand. Yet I wonder if there is answer that would both satisfy demand and allow your family to keep it under control. It got my “business” mind buzzing. There are some compelling options. I’ll be interested to follow and see if you eventually try any ideas that are popping up in my brain. Think about, it can be done. Oh I’d piddle my pants to be a part of that, but I will watch. You are so talented and have done well. I love working with your fabrics. Somehow the colors are comforting and calming to me. Thank you for your contribution to our industry.

  7. Jenny Y | 21st Nov 15

    Makes perfect sense! I ordered my envelope already!

  8. Marisa Adams | 21st Nov 15

    What a beautiful letter…to put family first instead of all the corporate greed we face each day! I can’t wait to see your 12 days of Christmas offerings!

  9. Lisa Zook | 21st Nov 15

    I commend you for doing all you can to keep your family foremost and to hold to your priorities. Sorry that you have been the recipient of some unhappy comments. I love your fabrics and designs and appreciate all you do to help all of us access them.

  10. Patty Flynn | 21st Nov 15

    Let me know if you need an extra hand.

  11. Joan | 21st Nov 15

    I missed out on the BOM twice. Just a case of bad timing. No hard feelings at all. I love your fabric, patterns and all things Fig Tree, but fully understand the need to balance family/work. Stay true to your beliefs and continue to love what you do.

  12. Joanna | 22nd Nov 15

    Thank you Sharon! Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving as well!

  13. Joanna | 22nd Nov 15

    Thank you so much Marisa!

  14. Joanna | 22nd Nov 15

    Lisa-
    I appreciate your comment and thank you so much for following along!

  15. Joanna | 22nd Nov 15

    Will do!

  16. Monique | 22nd Nov 15

    much as I love all your products, I don’t even want to participate in the sales…I don’t like seeing all the negative responses from people as it really is not what this season should be about…
    you keep on doing what you’re doing….I like that you are focused mainly on family and then the business. I will always support Fig Tree because I think you and your family are great and your products are lovely.

  17. Joanna | 22nd Nov 15

    I hope you have a wonderful and joyful holiday season Monique and thank you for the support!

    Joanna

  18. Suzette | 24th Nov 15

    I was fortunate enough to reserve a spot in both the wool BOM and the Mystery II BOM (thank you Instagram). I also love the 12 days of Christmas. It’s a fun thing for me to wait for products to pop up-sometimes I win and sometimes I’m too slow, but it is part of the excitement of the season. You all provide such a beautiful product with such great value, I have never been disappointed. Stay small and put your family first-it energizes your creativity. My husband says no one’s tombstone ever says “Dang, I wish I’d spent more time at work”.

  19. Sinta | 24th Nov 15

    I love the upcoming Figs and woolies I see! I have always been a big FT fan and love the fact that you do kits and have these BOM projects going on in the last couple of years! Please don’t stop! I don’t always get there fast enough… but it doesn’t mean I don’t still love you! You all work so hard at making us happy… and I appreciate it! Oh, that’s going to be my “what I’m thankful for” at Thanksgiving. My 3yr old GD said she is thankful for princesses!

  20. Marcia Reel | 24th Nov 15

    Love you guys! Will always be a loyal follower and customer. 🙂

  21. Debbie | 26th Nov 15

    Joanna, I am thankful for your willingness to open more spaces and even more appreciative you stay true to you and your family.

  22. Joanna | 29th Nov 15

    Thanks so much Sinta. That is so very sweet!

  23. Joanna | 29th Nov 15

    Love you too Marcia!

Leave A Comment