6 things we love about the John Lewis Christmas Shop
From a treasure trove of decorations to personalised chocolate – what's not to love?
John Lewis & Partners has opened the doors to its dedicated Christmas Shops around the country with a whole load of festive treats on offer. Here's a list of our pick of the must-visit pop-ups, brilliant ranges and exclusive offers available from now until the big day.
Related: John Lewis says that THIS will make your Christmas tree Instagram-worthy
You can personalise your Quality Street
Last year, John Lewis teamed up with the iconic Quality Street to offer personalised tins, but this was only available in select stores. This Christmas, tin personalisation has been extended to 17 stores across the country, with the added option (for My John Lewis members only) of filling it with just one flavour of their choice - perfect if you have a firm family favourite! The shops will also selling a new flavour - Crispy Truffle Bite - exclusive to John Lewis only. Yum!
It's a treasure trove for Christmas decorations
Buy now: Campfire tree decorations, from £2, John Lewis & Partners
This year, the brand has a hefty seven decorating trends to choose from, ranging from traditional reds and frosty whites to a party disco theme packed with neon shades. The Christmas shops have all of these on display, both in situ on trees and in colour co-ordinated shopping sections, making it very easy to find what you need. What's more, there are plenty of wreaths and garlands, co-ordinating cards and wrap, fairy lights and lit decorations... basically everything you need to transform your home for Christmas.
Buy now: Sanctuary tree decorations, from £4, John Lewis & Partners
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Regarding the ranges on offer this year, Dan Cooper, John Lewis & Partners' Christmas Buyer says: 'When it comes to decorating their homes, our customers are getting bolder and more confident every year, using lights, trees and accessories both inside and out. This year the most stylish, on-trend trees will be those that create a natural look and an informal silhouette. In artificial trees, we expect sales of prelit styles will overtake unlit styles for the first time this year.'
Related: The Elf on the Shelf is back for Christmas 2019 – with a new look and a reduced price!
You can create your own posh Kit Kat present
Buy now: The KitKat Chocolatory, from £7.50 for a six-finger bar, John Lewis & Partners
You may have heard that the nation's favourite teatime treat has taken a turn for the luxe this season, with a choose-your-own range of flavours available in special, personalised packaging, perfect for gifting to friends and family (or lets face it... ourselves).
John Lewis & Partners has two special pop-ups this Christmas in London's Oxford Street and Manchester's Trafford Centre offering you the chance to create your own expertly handcrafted KitKat from a wide range of delicious chocolate and toppings. If you can't make it to the stores, don't worry - you can choose one of the six ready-made flavours available online, priced from £7.50 to £25 for the bling-tastic gold-leaf covered version.
They're big on 'Experiential' gifts this year
Whether you're buying for the person who has everything or simply the hard to buy for, look no further than an experiential gift. John Lewis & Partners is going big on these this season having more than doubled its existing range, all of which are available to buy in store. From 'Inspiring Interiors' - a 90-minute, in-store appointment with one of the expert Home Design Stylists which is available in all 50 shops nationwide, to a choice of four 'Masterful Cooking' classes covering kitchen knife skills, parent and child baking, pasta making and baking basics, available in seven selected shops, there's really something new and usual for everyone.
Buy now: Snowflake Christmas stocking, £15, John Lewis & Partners
It's THE place to get the perfect Gin & Tonic
As the nation's enduring love of Mother's Ruin continues, so does the ever-growing array of gin and tonic flavours on the market... but what's your perfect poison? John Lewis & Partners will help you find your ideal pairing with its special Fever-Tree pop-ups! Offering a wide range of gins from Sipsmith, Hendricks and Chase to name a few, alongside Fever-Tree's various tonic flavours, they'll help whittle down the options to find your top tipple. Once you've made your selection, you can buy your chosen combo in cracker form for £8 for a miniature gin and tonic, or as a set of four for £32.
Buy now: Fever-Tree Gin & Tonic Christmas crackers, £8 each or £32 for four, John Lewis & Partners
They have ALL the festive lights you need...
Finally, Christmas isn't Christmas without covering everything in bright lights and there's a massive range on show at the John Lewis & Partners' Christmas Shops. From Alistair the LED Snowman to the cool two-tone neon penguins and the brightly lit bauble garlands, you'll find heaps of different ways to decorate your home indoors and out this season.
Buy now: Christmas lights and lit decorations, from £4, John Lewis & Partners
Back on the shelves this year are the brilliant Twinkly range of smart fairy lights, of which we're big fans. Pair these these ingenious colour-changing LEDs with your smartphone and you'll have full control of the colour, speed and rhythm at which they flash. Alternatively, sync the lights to music so they flash to the beat and you can even link them to your Google Assistant or Alexa to voice control them. Prices start from £85 for 150 lights (L17.5m) so they're not cheap, but being LEDs they should last you years and years.
Related: The iconic Jo Malone advent calendar is back for Christmas 2019 – available now
So now you know what's on offer, what will you be heading there for?
Ginevra Benedetti has been the Deputy Editor of Ideal Home magazine since 2021. With a career in magazines spanning nearly twenty years, she has worked for the majority of the UK’s interiors magazines, both as staff and as a freelancer. She first joined the Ideal Home team in 2011, initially as the Deputy Decorating Editor and has never left! She currently oversees the publication of the brand’s magazine each month, from planning through to publication, editing, writing or commissioning the majority of the content.
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