I used to drive an 18 wheeler and Christmas through to middle of March an economic slowdown is a national phenomenon, except for the food industry which pretty much remains steady. Still even it slows down a little in late Winter. The holidays involve extra food purchases that stop come New Years. Imagine driving truck and for three months freight drops like a rock and your paycheck is halved. I did a lot of finish work on my knives when driving truck as there is a lot of down time.