E&S Comment: Perils of getting it wrong at Christmas

This has been the case for years, of course.

Without it the high street and anyone in retail would likely suffer a huge dip in takings as the run up to the festive period offers an enormous boost to see them through the leaner times of the year.

Parents are determined to give their children the best.

They want the must-have toys on Christmas Day but they also want to offer a magical experience and build a lifetime of memories.

All this the creators of The Magical Journey, based at The Belfry hotel, knew when they were creating their winter wonderland with the help of celebrity interior designer Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen.

Everything about it and the people and organisations involved suggested high quality.

Complaints of lacklustre decorations, unwrapped presents and high prices resulted in the wise decision to temporarily close it, refund tickets for the first few days and spend time getting it right.

We hope it all opens again as planned tomorrow and that everything runs smoothly.

Yet it is a cautionary tale for anyone in business at this time of year and a timely reminder that for many consumers Christmas is simply too important to get things wrong.

The lights are going on all over the West Midlands and are beginning to brighten up what would otherwise be a grim and depressing time of year, with the nights getting ever longer.

Even so, there will also be tensions as people crowd into shopping centres, struggle with bags and possibly even quarrel over whatever items are going to be in huge demand this year.

Customers of The Magical Journey have every right to complain and to have demanded the situation be rectified after it failed to meet the expectations of the ticket price.

Any business that does not deliver what has been promised to this extent will suffer the consequences of an online backlash, as has happened at The Belfry.

Even so, we should also remember the enormous effort that is put in to the festive season by many people working behind the scenes to give everyone a welcome and much needed bit of relaxation and cheer.

We are about to enter the season of goodwill, after all.

When things go wrong they must be put right.

But when things go exactly to plan, a thank you to those who have spread a little Christmas joy never goes amiss.