Greetings Today, January/February 2026 — Diary of a Sales Agent | Dave Langdon
“Dave Langdon on why Christmas cards are still king, as he reports back on festive sales, and looks ahead to this year’s standout ranges, and of course, the trade shows…”
“The post-festive verdict from my conversations with customers has been just how well Christmas cards actually performed.”
“Several retailers are already telling me they saw around 85% sell-through before the January sales even began.”
This instalment of Diary of a Sales Agent appears in the January/February 2026 issue of Greetings Today from Lema Publishing.
Dave reports from East Anglia after Christmas with a simple message for the trade: Christmas cards are still king. For a category that has been written off more times than he has parking fines, the feedback from retailers was genuinely encouraging.
He was even asked by BBC Radio Cambridgeshire to talk about Christmas cards through the eyes of a salesperson — and fielded the inevitable “are Christmas card sales doomed?” line. His answer on air matched what he sees on the ground: that narrative simply does not align with sell-through in independent stores.
Several customers reported around 85% sell-through before January sales began, with top-up orders running into the first week of December — momentum that still matters on the high street when wallets are under pressure.
Looking to 2026 he highlights new ranges landing in the agency: Angela Harding with Museums & Galleries, Meg Fatherly with Ohh Deer, and Alchemy Ages from Paper Salad — plus the usual round of trade shows, including Harrogate Christmas & Gift Fair.