Custom Christmas Gifts: A Brief Tale of Disaster, Ingenuity, and Christmas Spirit

Everyone loves to say that holidays are the most wonderful time of the year, but with all the hustle and bustle it’s not uncommon for disaster to strike. Last month one of our clients, Callcap, contacted us looking for custom Christmas goodies to send to several of their major clients. With access to thousands of products here, we were happy to help.

Typically when someone reaches out to us for customized products, we create a presentation with a handful of options best fitting their needs. This is what we did for Callcap. They picked a cute mason jar filled with brownie brittle and adorned with a beautiful bow and decal, and we ordered the product.

A few days after placing our order, the vendor called with terrible news— they were out of Christmas goodies until 12/22. Thus making our pre-Christmas deadline unfeasible. Don’t get us started on how a food vendor runs out of food. We’re still not sure how that happens.

We pride ourselves on being good problem solvers, so we quickly got to work looking for alternative products. No luck. Either our vendors couldn’t meet the deadline or their costs were astronomical. It seemed the only solution would be for us to do the jars ourselves.

We’d find the jars, fill them with goodies, put decals on them, and then figure out how to tie a proper bow. But what kind of story would this be if disaster didn’t strike again? So, we ran into another dilemma. Michaels was out of stock of the plastic mason jars we wanted, and it seemed like nobody in town or online stocked them.

The search for the perfect jar didn’t take too long. Walmart offered a cute jar that allowed a ribbon to be laced through the lid. Knowing our luck at that point, we quickly purchased all the jars we needed for the project.

Since we had deviated so much from the product our client originally wanted, we felt it best to put together a sample product before creating a bulk batch of them. Normally our vendor would send us a photo sample before we approved the order. If you’re ever ordering custom products, it’s good practice to request at least a virtual proof.

Luckily Callcap was pleased with the product and we were able to move forward. Once the jars were finished, bows and all, we boxed them up individually and shipped them out to Callcap’s clients. At the end of the day, we were quite happy with the results. Check it out.

The most difficult part of this project might have been learning how to tie a proper bow. It took LOTS of practice to get it right.

 

Sometimes you’re just going to have a project that seems to be one disaster after another. But we firmly believe that with a little ingenuity and a lot of hard work, you can always find a solution. To browse our promotional products, click here. You can also request a quote here.

 

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