Christmas Tree Competition 2016 - The Winners

We have had a massive response to our competition this year and we loved looking through your entries, some tasteful, some inventive but all bauble brilliant!  The competition was so tough we have decided to award not one but 3 prizes this year.

Always a sucker for a bit of nostalgia we love this tree from Helen Andreou, with 15 years of our decorations embellishing every branch! Thanks so much for sending in your picture, please call in to receive a £25 voucher!

We thought Jodie Fernandez packed such a lot onto a small tree. We loved hearing about the children's favourite baubles too! Such fun, thanks for sending in your pictures we'd like to award you a runner up prize, please call in to collect your £25 voucher

.....and the £50 prize for overall winner goes to Sheila Dobey for this stunning tree.  We loved the traditional theme the shape and impressive size of the tree but mostly the lovely attention to detail, decorating with so many decorations.  It looks beautiful.  Thanks so much for sending in your picture.  Please call in to collect your £50 Gift Voucher.

Have a wonderful Christmas

Ian and Kathryn 

and the whole Map Gift Shop Team

Damn Fine Ideas for Dapper Chaps!

What's Great for your Best Mate?

What's best for my Bestie?

What to buy the kid who has Everything?

What do I buy for my Gadget Guy?

For the Gadget Guy in your life, who is also up for a bit of fun - these are the top ideas for you.  The Selfie Clip is essentially a wide angle lens that clips over the camera on any phone and allows you to take a wider shot to include more people.  The Smart Phone Microscope is a powerful 30x zoom, enabling you to capture images with your camera phone in fantastically minute detail.  Is your Gagdet Guy also a Star Wars fan?  This fun heat changing Light Saber Mug will definitely make him smile.  Finally our top selling gift this season, Virtual Reality Glasses - Simply insert your smartphone into the secure visor, then let the glasses transform your movies and photos into a boldly impressive, fully immersive 3D environment.

Buyer's Pick - Ian Morris

Renowned locally for his cheeky wit and most excellent advice when it comes to buying gifts...here are Ian's chosen 4 products, guaranteed to raise a smile and entertain this Christmas.

Transform your empties into lamps with this rechargeable light. Shaped like a cork with a super bright LED that recharges via USB.  You can make interesting lights with vintage drinks bottles or create a cosy, improvised Christmas table feature. 

Ian doesn't need a  drinking buddy, even one who looks great in a pair of chaps! But you can hang a hunky cowboy on the side of your glass to mark your drink and avoid mix ups at your Christmas Party or hen parties, girls’ nights, picnics in fact anytime the drinks are flowing.

I really love this brand new candle range from voluspa. The candles are beautifully crafted and fragranced. but what makes them really special to me is the packaging.  It's a really clever ceramic jar with a hinged lid.  It's printed with such a beautiful image too which reminds me of some of the early work I did in Printed Textiles.  Any discerning candle lover would be delighted, I'm sure to receive this gift.

Finally Mr Morris is Gadget man himself and can spot a good gadget when he sees one!  These VR Glasses have been a best seller this season - Simply insert your smartphone into the secure visor, then let the glasses transform your movies and photos into a boldly impressive, fully immersive 3D environment. The Virtual Reality Glasses are compatible with most types of smartphone, and work by downloading the Discovery VR app and inserting your phone into the glasses. With impressive 360 degree image panning, this is a unique virtual reality experience like no other, right in your own home. A great gift for anyone who loves gadgets and discovering new experiences, this in an innovative product to astound the senses and provide a mind blowing glimpse of the future, right here and now in the present.

Maybe it's because you're Londoners

I have enough Jewellery......