2021: Both Ends Burned

Hope burned bright this year, Strange Hearts...maybe too much.

Greetings & Salutations! Welcome to what I hope will be a semi-regular newsletter on all things, Strange Gent. It’s the end of the year, that time when we take stock of all that’s happened, all that’s been gained, those we’ve lost along the way, and the path we hope to travail in the coming calendar’s cycle. In other words, it’s almost Christmas, and my melancholy but overly sentimental heart wishes I was with you all, around a fire, with snow outside and light plots found only in the sad bastard bars of New York City illuminating your faces.

I will keep this short, but I just wanted to take a moment to say “Thank You.” Truly and deeply, from the bottom of my burnt black but still beating heart, for making this year of our pandemic, 2021, the most successful yet for my brand. This has been the most trying year of my life, and I know I am not alone in saying that, but at the very least, I am beginning to feel like we may have something here. These candles are my way of telling stories, for as of now it seems my skills in the other arenas of story telling are in low demand. It’s my way of sharing my hopes, my tears, my tributes, my sense of humor, and above all, my deep abiding love for humanity. I really don’t like people all that much, but goddamnit, I do love mankind. You all are an amazing group of individuals, and each of you has brought joy and light to me, making me feel some kind of way. My hope is that my candles can do the same for people who try them.

In the new year, I hope to expand the brand, and to that end, am now in the process of scaling up with custom boxes that will be looking mighty fine, if I do say so my own self. There will be a new scent dropping just in time for Valentine’s, and I’m planning on some exciting new offerings for 2022, like sampler packs, subscriptions, and with the help of my sister from another small business mister, some really cool merch.

I also want to make these missives a chance to let you behind the curtain a bit, as it were, and tell you more about candles, and my inspiration and process for what it is I do. Don’t worry. I wouldn’t read it either. I’d just look for the discount codes.

To say thank you for all your support, I want to give you a code for 35% off all purchases from the day after Christmas through New Year’s Eve. Use code GIFTRECEIPT starting Sunday, December 26th. Code will work through New Year’s Eve. Also, I made a year end mix. It’s an odd bag of new stuff, covers, and old favorites that reminded me of some times, and people, no longer with us. Enjoy.

Take a moment this weekend, away from all the madness, the commerce, the pandemic, the political maelstrom, the disintegrating environment, to find something to be joyful for. Something worth holding onto. Something worth being grateful for. Something worth staying alive and present for. Like all of you have been for me.

Happy Holidays, Strange Hearts.