Nothing to beat the thrill of Christmas shopping in real life


So intent was I on reading about the “heritage” retail units and the restoration of the original Victoria mezzanine on the ground floor, that I didn’t notice that I was causing a blockage, until a second, then a third person barged into me. I quickly moved on.
Princes Street was rammed with visitors from across the globe, no doubt here to enjoy everything Edinburgh has to offer in the run up to Christmas. My fear of heights means I will never, ever, go on the big wheel but it looks amazing against its Old Town backdrop, particularly at night when it is lit up. And I can’t remember the last time I went to the Christmas market. I don’t like German sausages – particularly overpriced ones – but it seems as popular as ever with tourists and residents alike.
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Hide AdThis year, like previous years, I will do some of my Christmas shopping online. I have already enjoyed the thrill of ordering Hearts and Hibs calendars (our family is a broad church) at breakfast time which were delivered just after I had my supper. Of course not every one of my Christmas deliveries has gone to plan, but even when M&S mucked up an order last week, they apologised with a £10 gift voucher.
But while ordering my sister’s Christmas gift in my pyjamas does have its attractions, I still like to do the bulk of my festive shopping in real life. There’s nothing to beat the thrill of the queue at Sostrene Grene, the new-to-Edinburgh lifestyle store that has just opened in Princes Mall, or the race to get the last chipolatas in a packed M&S food hall.
Retailers are worried that a poor start to the festive season – sales in November were down compared to last year – means that it is unlikely to be a bumper Christmas, and most make their profit for the year in December. Let’s hope for their sake that we are all just biding our time before rushing out to the shops and spending like there’s no tomorrow.