Christmas shopping for kids in London – Covent Garden

Christmas shopping can be a bit of a challenge at the best of times, but helping the kids engage in the process, buy their gifts and actually enjoy the experience is an even taller order.

But yesterday we seemed to have cracked it. We went up to Covent Garden. Whilst I’ve heard mixed reactions to the lights on Oxford Street and Regent Street, the decorations in Covent Garden piazza cannot fail to impress. Using a traditional theme of huge red baubles, nestling amongst walls bedecked with greenery bearing tiny white lights it really is both festive and exciting. Then there’s a huge green reindeer and an impressive Christmas tree with more of those gorgeous red baubles. It’s magical.

And the stalls (Saturday is the Guild of London Crafts – on other days there are different themes – like antiques) in Jubilee Market offered lots to entice young folk. There were puppets (loved the T Rex) and dolls (the dumpling dolls were a bit creepy), hand made soaps, shell ornaments and crystals, key rings and scarves (some with those charms on the ends), all manner of jewellery (we particularly liked a bracelet made of a row of turtles), puzzles, toys, heraldic signs, old telephones and spyglasses in cases, puzzles and clocks made out of CDs.

For the boys there were bugs in acrylic (there were huge spiders), little guitars in glass cases with a variety of rock bands and groups, robots and bottle holder ornaments made from metal and a variety of other crafts including wood engraving and ceramic animals. And most stalls had items from around a £1 so there was bound to be something to suit everyone’s budget. Above the stalls there are lots of places where you can get a quick bite to eat – so no worries about hungry kids getting the grizzles.

And then there’s more in the actual piazza itself. Pirate loving chaps will enjoy Nauticalia and upstairs in Pollack Toy Shop there are old fashioned puppets, masks, toy theatres and musical boxes and dolls. There appeared to be rather a lot of grown up kids in here yesterday. There were the usual street entertainers (magicians and knife jugglers) out in force and one or two human statues. Then, of course, there are favourite kid friendly shops such as Disney and Bear Factory and even the iconic Apple Store.