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Christmas Scrapbooking
Christmas scrapbooking holds a special place in our albums.
Offering lots of special dreams and fond memories because there
are so many themes to follow - beginning with the snowy
weather and ending with the religious meaning of the...
How to shop for Christmas gifts
Okay. Christmas is coming, fast. It's time to panic. After all, you don't want to relive last Christmas Eve. There you were, at ten to five in the evening, standing in a large department store, with two gifts still to buy and a distinct shortage of...
New Ways to Use Old Christmas Cards
Forty years ago when I was growing up on our dairy farm in Wisconsin, my mother always saved the Christmas cards she had received in the mail. In those days, people sent many more Christmas cards than they do now. Today, I still find myself...
Tips For Christmas Shopping For Babies And Infants
A baby's first Christmas will always be treasured by his parents and when it comes to gift-giving this is a perfect time to start your own tradition, like buying a special holiday ornament representing the events of the year - either personally or...
Use H-O-L-L-Y to Beat Christmas Cooking Stress
What does holly, that untidy traditional greenery you just have to festoon your house with every year, have to do with not tearing your hair out before it's even Thanksgiving? Plenty. You can use H-O-L-L-Y to help you get organized. 1. H:...
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Christmas Shopping in Spain
Thinking of flying out to do a bit of Christmas shopping? Maybe
a good idea if you want to escape the crowded UK stores. In
Spain, the shops tend to be more individual with specialist
shops selling specific products, whereas in the UK, you can
often almost buy everything under one roof. This offers
convenience in a fast paced life and enables you to do all your
shopping without getting wet.
However, here weather is not normally an issue and you can enjoy
a dry browse along the high street in Estepona, Marbella or
wherever you choose to shop.
If you prefer the convenience of buying everything under one
roof and shopping in a mall, you still have that option here
too; choose from Miramar in Fuengirola or La Canada in Marbella
amongst many others. Even some of the high street names will be
familiar to you such as Dorothy Perkins and Wallis, but that's
not really the point of doing your Christmas shopping in Spain.
If you plan to buy everything in Spain, be warned that there
isn't half the choice that you find in the UK and you probably
won't save any money. Having said that, you could save money as
you are more likely to buy only what you need due to the lack of
choice and temptation.
There's no doubt that Christmas shopping is a far less stressful
process than in the UK as the Spanish have managed to keep it in
perspective. Coming from the UK you may even find it a bit of an
anti-climax after the imaginative array of gifts on offer in
stores such as Marks and Spencer, Boots etc.
If you do decide to do Christmas shopping in Spain, take care
with sizes when buying clothes. Sizes do vary considerably and
where you might be a 40(12) in the UK, in shops such as Mango
and Zara, you may find yourself needing a 42 or a 44. A man who
wears an extra large in Marks and Spencer will have difficulty
finding his size in Spain. The Spanish people tend to be smaller
than
the big boned Brits and the clothing manufacturers haven't
yet grasped the concept of putting a smaller size label on the
clothes to make women feel good and buy more. Likewise, for
obvious reasons I would avoid buying shoes even slippers in
Spain as the shoes are often narrower than our UK fittings. I
was always a size 5 (38) in the UK, but I now wear a 6 (39). I
can explain why I now need much bigger clothes here, but unless
the food is going to my feet, I can't think why my feet have
grown.
If you are thinking about buying toys for your children, there
isn't half the choice that there is in the UK. El Corte Ingles
has a good selection but some might find it a bit sexist how all
the 'girls' toys are clumped in one section and the 'boys' in
another. You will find small toy shops in every town which are
quite reminiscent of those that we had in the UK twenty plus
years ago. A slightly more educational toy shop, similar to
Early Centre but again not the same choice is Imaginarium. If
you want your children to learn the Spanish language, it is
certainly worth your while coming to buy books and DVDs to use
as learning aids. In the larger shopping malls, there are book
shops, some often combining music and books.
I personally will be visiting the UK to do my Christmas shopping
and I can't wait to soak up the commercialised Christmas spirit
to the beat of Slade's classic track. So, I don't know about the
rest of you but I'm heading for Marks and Spencer to try on some
clothes and feel thin again!
About the author:
Susan Pedalino is Masters degree qualified in Intercultural
Communication and teaching English as a foreign language. Susan
regularly writes for Eye on Spain (www.eyeonspain.com). Having
moved to Spain to set up a business and buy property, she has
gained invaluable experience in buying off plan property in
Spain.
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