Surprisingly good gifts in store

Ding dong merrily on high, it’s Christmas again. Whether or not we’ll be allowed to meet up in person, we’re always going to give each other gifts and cards. We’re obviously hoping that lockdown restrictions can be relaxed in December, but remember that whatever happens UOE Stores & Post Offices will always be open, and we’ve got a lovely range of cards, gifts and stocking fillers to choose from.

Clockwork Soldier

We love Clockwork Soldier’s range of ‘Create Your Own’ crafts. Designed to encourage imagination and fun in the way children play, they’re cardboard-based, eco-friendly and educational. With some of the products available at pocket money prices, they make great stocking fillers, and are nice and easy to post too! Whether you’re creating robots, dinosaurs, nodding cats, fairy doors or fancy exploring the Solar System, they’ll be a great way of keeping the kids – and possibly the grown-ups – busy, at the same time as keeping them away from electronic devices!

Travel S’well

Reusable drinking bottles are helping us to divert plastic bottles away from the world’s oceans. They keep your water cold or your tea hot, plus save you loads of money being able to refill from the tap rather than buying expensive branded water in the shops. We love them because they’re practical, efficient, and help ensure we’re doing our bit to save the planet. But with many reusable bottles there’s something missing – fun! The S’well Sip cups that we stock in our Stores bring extra joy into saving the planet and their bright colours and fun designs make them excellent gifts at any time of the year – they’re something that’ll appeal to everyone.

The games we used to play

Remember marbles? Blow football? Tiddlywinks and dominoes? Pranking relatives with whoopee cushions? Wouldn’t it be great to revisit those days, or show the kids how we entertained ourselves when we were young. Well, these kinds of nostalgic childhood games make brilliant stocking fillers and we sell them all!

Alice Scott

Stationery lovers will love the Alice Scott range of notebooks and gifts. Beautifully made with elegant and simple designs, they nevertheless have a quirky, fun side that works so perfectly and is why so many people love them.

Stock up for next term

Kids love going back to school with new pens, pencils, crayons, erasers, pencil cases etc, and our Stores all stock lots of fun, novelty stationery they’ll simply adore. So if you want pencils with pom poms, pirate erasers, secret pens or washable crayons, come and have a look at what we’ve got.

Washi paper tape

Having bought your gifts, make sure the wrapping is secured with eco-friendly Washi tape. Washi is made from the pulp of a variety of Japanese shrubs which give it strength and durability – it’s even waterproof! It’s made from renewable sources and is biodegradable so your giftees won’t need to worry about putting it into the recycling bin (Tip – also make sure you use recyclable wrapping paper). However, the best thing about Washi tape is that it’s beautiful! Coming in a huge range of designs, it will enhance your gift wrapping – tape no longer has to be a transparent necessity you want to hide. Use it to be creative.

The best thing about buying cards and gifts from UOE is that you can post them here too! To make sure they arrive in time to sit under the tree, check out the UK’s Christmas posting dates.