If you’ve read my blog before, you might know that I work in retail, and I will actually be working out in shops for the last couple of days of this festive season. But for my own shopping, you could not find me further from the high street, and the crowds. Although hopefully lots of you don’t share my aversion, otherwise it’s going to be a very lean year next year on the salary front!
But if you cannot face the shops, and you still need to do some/all your gift buying, what can you do at the last minute, from the comfort of your own chair, and still be in good books on Christmas Day? Here’s some thoughts for you:
* Travelling by rail this Christmas? Well, if you’re passing through St Pancras, I think you can do all your shopping there and still have happy relatives on Christmas Day.
* In a similar vein to the first one, but definitely for the food lovers, this is my best list of a lot of gifts that can be bought and something downloaded and printed, even whilst your loved one is in the shower on Christmas morning.
* Bake. Not sure it matters what, but I would go for something easy and always welcome, like chocolate brownies. Doesn’t take long, and it’s hard to be mad at anyone bearing a plate of deliciously gooey chocolate brownies. The corner shop may even be able to yield up a suitable tea towel to wrap the plate up in, so that it feels like a present.
* Try the corner shop but don’t buy anything that looks remotely festive. Wooden spoons, always useful (although perhaps avoid a rolling pin), and likely to be in stock. If they’ve got an extra virgin olive oil then go with that. Bottle of champagne, not original, but better than nothing (move away from the Lambrini though). I know my corner shop is not typical, but they stock Tiptree jam and a range of local pickles and chutney. If yours does anything similar, then good choices. They’ve run out of wrapping paper? Buy the Financial Times and wrap in that!
So, no need for last minute panic buying at your local garage, not like this lot!
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