Christmas shopping; we love to hate it. It’s one of the most important parts of the season – the pride of finding that perfect gift and picturing the lucky recipient’s face when they open it; you simply can’t beat it. That’s why it is so stressful when it you just can’t find anything for a particular person at a price the miserable remains of your student loan will accommodate. If only there was a shop with an affordable gift for everyone…
…drum roll please…
Have you seen Cats? No not the musical, (although tickets to the theatre are always sure to keep you on the nice list) I’m talking about the award-winning gift shop in the student union! It’s fabulous all year round, with something for everyone: grow-your-own herbs for your cooking-crazy auntie; grow-your-own boobs for your rather immature though actually quite funny housemate; beautiful bath bombs for your sister; memory journals for your grandpa and personalised wine glasses for your vino fanatic of a mother. But during this festive season they step it up even more with extra-Christmassy gifts for everyone and anyone. Overwhelmed with choice, HC pounced on the nearest shop assistant to guide us through the array of delights on sale. Introducing, Jess!
She’s a new addition to the Cats team, having been with them for only a few weeks, and it’s clear to see why she got the job – she loves it there!
“There’s just such a nice atmosphere here; you walk in and you’ve got the music, and it always smells really good because of the new bath bombs.” Hold up: Bath bombs? We scuttle over to the back of the shop and low and behold, among a scent of everything sweet and lovely; rows of pretty bath time delights, almost good enough to eat. They look and smell incredible; an obvious best-seller.
“It’s the sort of place you should go if you need to buy someone a present but you can’t quite think what to get them. There’s a big gift range with something there that most people would like.” Oooh, for example? “Well, I really like this family tree photo frame. It’s nice and personal and just looks really good. Plus it’s only a tenner which is a bonus.” Agreed.
Another particular favourite display of Jess’s is “all the owl stuff.” Hmm, intriguing. Turns out she’s referring to the Sass and Belle gifts owl range. Such cute designs, from cushions to bags, to doorstops to bunting! You can check them out at www.sassandbelle.co.uk. (We loved the bookmarks the best!)
But what about Christmas? It’s so easy to get side-tracked in there. Jess decided on a most practical Christmas gift range; the Lolita drinking glass designs. A glass for every drink; port, whisky, champers (but then when were we really ever that fussy regarding our choice of vessel?). The bigger the better for this time of year, we think, and as our accommodating shop assistant points out, “a nice big Christmas goblet; what everybody needs.” How very true.
While you’re at it, why not pick up a few shabby-chic touches for the house to put you in the mood for the festive season? Such as, I don’t know, this Christmas tree and/or its little decorations… just an idea.
The thing is, purchasing the whole shop now seems like the only sensible thing to do, but can poor students really afford to splash out for their loved ones? Pah! Stupid, rhetorical question (Jess explains why).“The best thing about Cats is the pricing of the gifts; sometimes I go into Urban Outfitters and see gifts in there that we sell for so much less.” Nice. And speaking of students, how convenient that we have this right under our noses, neigh, our feet. For the information of those few who have never really ventured past Essentials in Leeds University student union, this delightful gift boutique is situated between Unipol and Ozone Hairdressers. You won’t miss it.
But apart from the range of stock, the good music, the gorgeous smells, and the friendly staff, Cats is such a pleasure to peruse because it’s just so pretty. You walk in and are greeted by a festively decorated stand piled high with all sorts of gift possibilities and a friendly little Christmas greeting. Behind it is a table full of Christmas cards to suit all tastes; funny; cute; traditional; religious, and many of which are nicely discounted, so there’s no excuse to slack on the cards this year. Well, no acceptable and strictly true excuses anyway! Merry Christmas and Happy Shopping!