I can’t be the only person who found it distressing to see a picture of Kylie Minogue turning on the flashing lights of Oxford Street on November 1.

Nothing against Kylie – I have to confess that I simply cannot get her out of my head – it is just that I thought that Christmas lights (unlike dogs) were supposed to be just for Christmas. Even the Wakelets don’t start celebrating until December 1.

I like the rhythm of the year as the seasons come and go – where each month has its own unique style. But business has been fickle recently, and the usual reassuring pattern has been absent.

From what I can gather at Aito meetings, where we share information about how the market is performing, Kirker is not alone in suffering from slow late bookings in September and October.

But whenever there is a challenge or a puzzling booking pattern, I call up one of my Aito friends to find out what they think – it is difficult to quantify the value of this aspect of the Aito partnership, but for me it is priceless to be able to speak to someone outside my business to hear their views.

The recent terrorist atrocities are a tragedy for those directly involved, and will of course diminish bookings to the affected destinations – at precisely the time they most need support.

Thankfully, although it is very difficult to find positives at this challenging time, consumers are pragmatic and have experience of ongoing security matters, and bookings often recover quickly.

Clients are well-informed and often quickly realise that any threat is not restricted to specific destinations – indeed, there are risks associated with staying at home too, and some take a view that visiting a destination such as Paris could be a good idea if security has been heightened – and the welcome from grateful locals is warmer than ever, as it was in New York following 9/11.

As we race towards the end of November, it is a good moment to make sure that marketing plans for January and February are firmly in place – just because advance bookings for next year are looking promising does not guarantee anything.

In fact, we find it tends to lead to complacency. So we are gearing up for a busy January with plenty of marketing activity and a series of events with agents. One of the key items on my calendar is the Aito agents UK conference on January 9 and 10 – it has become a crucial part of our first-quarter marketing strategy, and it continues to grow in popularity each year.

Of course, it is a very busy time of year for us all, and it can be tricky to get away from our offices, but I consider it to be a must-do event that is now a permanent fixture in my diary. In the meantime... if it isn’t too early, may I take this opportunity to wish you a very Happy Christmas, and a very prosperous New Year.

Ted Wake is deputy chair of Aito Agents and joint managing director of Kirker Holidays