Cindy Cluett is the owner, horticulturist, and landscape designer at Beyond the House in Russell. At this time of year, she starts getting lots of questions about Christmas trees, such as the Fraser Fir beside her. Tinkess Photo

RUSSELL – If you have a green thumb and live in the Russell area, you’ve probably heard about Beyond the House, the combination garden centre, landscape design company, and gift shop located at 144 Craig St. in Russell.

If you don’t have a green thumb, then maybe you’ve already waited too long but can still improve your relationship with plants, shrubs, and trees by stopping by. There is no time like the present.

On October 31 and November 1, Beyond the House held their annual Deck the House open house as a way of giving a gentle nudge to those who were a bit reticent about starting to consider the fast-approaching holiday season. It was just the start of some of the amazing activities the Russell business will offer during the holiday season.

There is never a bad season to stop by Beyond the House, but when you add Christmas, and decorating, and greenery, plus home baked cookies and hot cider into the mix, it’s almost impossible to keep a smile from your face.

Cindy Cluett is the owner of Beyond the House, and as usual, she was busy being everywhere and speaking with everyone but was able to take a few moments to talk about what Christmas 2025 could look like, considering how this year has been difficult for many people and businesses.

“It (2025) has had its ups and downs honestly,” said Cluett, “But overall, good, flat with last year, which is great in our industry, because some people are down, but, you know, with the tariffs and all that, there’s been an impact.  People are reigning in on non- discretionary income. It is good, it’s been a good year. It’s just not one of those…it’s not like Covid.”

Does she get the impression that Christmas is something people are looking forward to this year, that we need something to make us smile?

“People, you know, they’re still shopping, they’re still getting out there and doing things, but they’re just doing it on a smaller scale,” adds Cluett. “We hear it often in the store, it’s like, oh, you know what? No, I can’t buy anything for myself. I just have to buy a gift. I Really want that, so, you know it’s coming. It’s just the uncertainty, and it’s wearing thin on everybody.

“But that’s what any business, any business is feeling that, you know. You just keep chugging along and doing what you do.”

It’s now November, and a common question that will come up is about Christmas trees. How soon, for example, can you get a tree and still expect it to be looking good and not dropping all its needles before Dec. 25?

“I think it depends on what you’re getting, like, Fraser fir,” said Cluett. “We cut a Fraser fir down. We get it from a tree farm, a local tree farm, and that was cut down just this week, and it will be fine until Christmas. A Fraser fir, that’s it, it’s the only one that you can do that with.”

In terms of decorating trends, Cluett explained that what we see in Christmas 2025 is decided very shortly after Christmas 2024 at the major gift shows, and for those the trend was muted colours.

“Anything that happened in Europe, we’ll see it in two years,” said Cluett. “So sometimes you’ll see a lot of golds and silvers. There was some color this year, but not tons of color. We were amazed. When we go to the Gift Show, and we go right after Christmas to buy for the next Christmas, right? We didn’t see a lot of color. There was a couple of suppliers that it’s like, whoa, stop. Get some colours.

“More neutral, more muted tones of everything, still greens and reds, but hard. We have some years where you can tell it’s like you’re looking for hope, and it’s like they want great, vibrant colors, and it’s just not that right now.”

Even more reason to look for that thing that helps to bring a smile to your face. It could be a fresh-baked cookie and cup of hot cider, or perhaps the smell of a fresh-cut Fraser fir, or maybe even just the smile on the face of the employee helping you to find that special gift. No surprise, all of these you can find at Beyond the House, and why if you’ve been there once, you know you’ll be returning soon.

For more information on Beyond the House, you can visit them on Facebook or on their website at beyondthehouse.ca.

If you would like to have a light shined on your business, please contact us at: editor@etceterapublications.ca or call us at 613-448-2321.