Countdown to Christmas 2025….Day 4

Last night I stood side by side with my friend Kim for what I think is my twelfth Christmas Walk in the little shoppe she owned for 25 years. 

We did our dance around each other as I rang up items and she wrapped and beautified purchases and chatted with customers. 

The Christmas Walk is an annual downtown event that is always held the first Wednesday of December. People crowd into restaurants and shoppes throughout the various merchants that make up our local downtown small business community. 

Last year was bittersweet. 

Kim had announced her retirement in the summer and we had spread the word that Tournesol was available for purchase. 

We prayed through the summer and fall. As the Walk approached, we thought there might be a perfect answer as someone had considered buying it all, but the timing of life was wrong for this one to take the reins. 

And so we entered the evening pushing back tears and embracing what appeared to be our last Christmas together behind that counter. 

But God was chuckling because the next morning, Kim’s daughter Anne went to her father and mother and told them she wanted to buy it. 

Seriously, it was the stuff of a Hallmark movie only better. 

Anne has done a wonderful job her first year as owner, and so there were her mom and I back at our posts last night. 

This time wiping away grateful tears, we enjoyed every moment. 

Near the end of the evening, a young mom stood with a few purchases at the counter. She asked if we could wrap them as a gift and Kim set about to work her magic while I finished the register process. 

While Kim wrapped, the girl looked me in the eye telling me how beautiful the store is. She said she could have just kept walking around taking it in for a long time. She said there was a peace there and such lovely things to look at that it made her heart happy. 

And that is why I say I have the best job in the world. 

I have always enjoyed retail, but Tournesol is something more. 

It’s like walking into a different zone. 

There is no pressure to accumulate. It is more like opening your grandma’s china cabinet and enjoying all the pretties.

There is not a sense of envy or comparison or coveting. It is an appreciation for blending vintage with practical living. It is a lifestyle of choosing to make your home charming and warm and a place of inspiration for your family and guests.

And yes, of course, we are happy when people do find things to purchase…it is part of the gig. 

But for me, it is more like people adding memories and treasures that enhance what they already have or to gift someone in a way that says you thought about your purchase. 

It is unique and I am so blessed to be a part of this team. 

The thoughtfulness and kindness of both Kim and Anne, plus a hefty dose of creativity that is woven into every single counter top and shelf is the heart of it all. 

So thank you God for another year with these women who love You so much and serve You through their art, business and lives <3