Are there still supply chain issues? And are they affecting Christmas? The supply chain is still wrought with backups, backlogs, clogs, and shortages of eggnog.
Am I joking about the eggnog shortage? No. That’s real. In the U.S. this Christmas, there is a shortage of eggnog. This represents a bigger problem. The supply chain is still not like it was before the pandemic. Ongoing supply chain issues include labor shortages, oversea manufacturing delays, high cost of fuel and freight, inflation, etc. Let’s look at how some of these problems are “grinching” things up:
Did you notice that you paid more for your Christmas tree this year? Like, maybe 50 bucks more? Or, did you notice you were able to get a tree but it wasn’t the color or size you wanted? It’s happening to people. That’s because the transportation costs for tree sellers increased by 20%. Artificial trees come mostly from Asia. Additionally, Christmas tree growers can’t find enough trucks to even transport what they’ve produced for the season. So sellers can’t buy the trees they’re willing to pay for, sometimes only 90% of their orders get delivered.
However, the supply chain is only part of the problem. What’s making everything worse is that demand is only increasing on everything compared to previous years. Lets go back to the eggnog example. The demand for eggnog is up 60%. Companies can anticipate increases in demand. Or at least they try to. However, with eggnog, they underestimated the increase to the toon of 25% under what the increase actually has been. Hence, the shortage. The pattern in rising demand for things is widespread.
We might not get what we want this Christmas. We can take it as an opportunity to rediscover the things that Christmas is really about- tidings and good will to all people, the gift of giving, time with family, gratitude for what we do have, and helping the disadvantaged. The spirit of Christmas isn’t inside a cup of eggnog, or underneath a Christmas tree, or the Christmas tree itself. It never was. The spirit of Christmas is in the heart. The supply chain problems are our chance to be reminded we’re still alive to have problems.