The 13 best places for Christmas shopping in the UK

‘Tis the season to be jolly and all, but ‘tis also the season to spend, spend, and spend some more. Everyone one of us who celebrates Christmas knows all too well that it ain’t a cheap time of year, whether you’re clutching some not-quite-warm-enough mulled wine wandering around a Christmassy town, or frantically trying to find stocking fillers for random relatives. 

But, let’s press pause on that scrooge-like attitude and look around. The UK, after all, is blessed with brilliant shopping destinations, plenty of which come into their sparkling own around the festive season. Anyone who’s still panic-buying tat on the internet this year will be on the naughty list for sure, as there’s an abundance of wonderful independent, second-hand and sustainably minded spots to do your Christmas shopping. Read on for our top picks from all over the UK.

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Ellie Walker-Arnott is a writer and author based in London who was previously Time Out’s Travel Editor. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.