Christmas Shopping!

I only shop for me myself and I! make up pouch from Quest, Abbeygate St.

Much as the message shown in the picture above may appeal ;-) , this is the season to shop for others, and I have been out and about in Bury buying Christmas gifts.

NOT LONG TO GO NOW FOLKS! But you don't need me to tell you that. Most people seem to have last minute presents to buy - whether it's a "biggie" for someone special, or a little something for a friend. I'll tell you what though, Bury is the place to shop - I spotted three new gift shops on my travels around town - as well as the established ones - and the selection to choose from in all the shops seems better than ever this year. Here's a selection of what caught my eye.

Car Documents Wallet in Candle and Blue, St John's Street (01284 765522). This little wallet with plastic pockets on the inside to keep all your car documents ordered and safe has been a best seller in Candle and Blue. Another delivery of them will be in by now - an ideal gift for any car owner. By the way, Candle and Blue has moved and is now higher up St John's Street in bigger premises.

Lovelinks glass bead jewellery in Thurlow Champness 2, High Baxter Street (01284 723158). A personalised gift for someone special, you buy the necklace or bracelet and then add the beads and/or charms of your choice. The beads pictured are made from Murano glass and prices start from £11.50 per bead. Charms are made from sterling silver, and you can choose from both funky (mini handbags, ladybugs etc) and classic styles.

Lillypad novelty light in Abbeygate Lighting, Abbeygate Street (01284 754440). I do like this. It's battery powered, and can be floated in water for a table decoration if you wish. Otherwise, just sit it in a convienient corner, and observe the colour changes. Cost £9.50. Glowing froggies on lillipads were also available.

Book Lite from Clement Jocelyne, Langton Place ( 01284 753824 ). On the school run last week, when I asked my friend Amanda where a good place in Bury for Christmas gifts was, she said Clement Jocelyne. But it's a furniture shop, I protested. Yes, but they have tables set out in there, with all sorts of gifts on. She was right. There was a big choice, but I picked out this, perhaps because I seem to know a lot of couples where one person likes to read late, and the other wants the light out. I think this is a fab present for only £4.95.

Retro Italian Car pictures at the Hatter Street Picture House, Hatter Street (01284 725379). These mounted prints are from the Colourful Cars series by Nelson Figuerdo, and only cost £15 each. I picked out these because they grabbed me instantly, but there are pictures to suit all tastes - and work by local artists too.

Art Deco Perfume Bottle at Vanilla Fayre, Hatter Street (01284 767444). Vanilla Fayre is one of the newly opened shops I noticed. Staying with retro, we're back to the the 30's with this reproduction art deco perfume bottle, a great gift for the glamour queen in your life :-D, Very heavy, beautifully made item, and the price tag is £120.

Terramundi Money Pots at Quest, Abbeygate Street (01284 763255) . Would you believe that these were first used by the Romans and there are examples of the originals in the British Museum. "Once the first coin is dropped the money pot must be fed until full upon which time it must be smashed whilst making a wish. It is customary to replace the pot and spend the money on 'good things', they bring good fortune." They hold approximately £200 in mixed silver, so not quite enough for a Ferrari, but perhaps some help with next year's Christmas shopping! The pots cost £16.99 each.

Amber jewellery at Ian Goldsmith, Hatter Street (01284 768390). There seems to be a big revival of interest in amber jewellery at the moment. Ian Goldsmith has a cabinet full of it, including many with a mix of hues in the same piece of jewellery, which look stunning.

Just a very small selection of what's available - a look round town is higly recommended. Hopefully the parking situation is better now than the 1st Dec weekend when the Christmas Fayre was on ;-)

So how's your Christmas shopping going? Do you still have things to buy, like me, or have you been all done and dusted since mid-October? Do feel free to chat back to me in the comments section below.

Happy shopping!