Shop local this Christmas

We love this city every day of the year, but at Christmas it is extra special.

The Christmas lights; the way the frost sparkles on the Corallian limestone of the colleges; people from city, county, college and (much) further afield thronging the shops; pubs with log fires and mulled wine; Christmas markets on Broad Street and beyond.

You don't need us to tell you about the Westgate, with its blingy window displays and queues for Sephora. But if we can tempt you away from the bright lights, here are our top tips for shopping locally and supporting our incredible independent retailers, whether you're new to the city, visiting, or just in need of inspiration. Some of them have online outlets, but where's the fun in that?

Christmas market

Wander through Broad Street for the atmosphere; enjoy a drink at the Alpine Lodge bar; have a go on the carousel or look out over the rooftops of Oxford on the Ferris wheel. It's kitschy, but it's Christmas. And then go and do your real shopping at any of these other outlets instead...

Covered Market

Increasingly where you might head for a coffee stop or a mid-shop pit-stop, the Covered Market does also have some fantastic gift offerings. For art and stationery, head to James Taylor, find handmade soap at the Oxford Soap Company, pants at Y.O.U., incredible socks at Socktopus, all kinds of gifts and accessories at Next to Nothing, astronomy stuff at The Space Store, plus wickedly good chocolate (and other good things) at Wicked Chocolate. A plant will bring cheer for weeks or months: find them at The Garden of Oxford or Jemini Flowers. And, of course, this is where you can buy your Christmas cheese (for those Boxing Day local government discussions).

Menswear

For the man in your life who needs another pair of socks, or a belt, make it of lasting quality. Try Walters (‘The Man Shop’) on Turl Street, or Shepherd & Woodward on the High Street, where you can buy anything from cufflinks or a cotton handkerchief to bespoke suits. In these stores you will find a unique brand of service that has almost disappeared from chain retailers and fast fashion. Quiet, unassuming, helpful, quality, but let us say you get what you pay for. Both also sell gift vouchers.

Uniquely Oxford

Even if you're not a tourist, the various museums’ gift shops still have treasures in store for young and old, and spending there will support the museum to boot. You can buy online, but it's much more fun to shop in person. The Bodleian gift shop is a box of literary delights. The Ashmolean and Pitt Rivers have history-related treasures from children's gifts to jewellery to this £6 bronze cannon pencil sharpener (you won't find that in Marks & Sparks). It can be spendy, but Oxford University staff get 10% off. Don't forget the Museum of Oxford either which has a thoughtfully curated range of Oxford-y gifts.

Sadly the rumoured Warner Bros mega-Harry Potter emporium is not yet open. For those with budding witches or wizards in the family, there is certainly no shortage of Harry Potter shops in Oxford, though the Mini Clarions report ruefully that the magic wands on offer don’t light up at the end. For an entirely free Harry Potter gift, why not take them on a self guided walking tour?

Books

There is nothing quite like a well chosen book to say 'I thought of you'. And in Oxford you are spoiled for choice. We love all bookshops, but we particularly love independent bookshops. Extra love to those staff who patiently field requests for help with book recommendations. They’re seldom wrong. If you've got someone tricky to buy for, head to a bookshop and ask for help. This is why you shop in person. AI cannot curate the way these people do.

Central Oxford: Try Gulp Fiction in the Covered Market, where you can pair book browsing with a cocktail. The Blackwell's empire is no longer independent but are we still allowed to love it? It has a big children's section and is great for local authors. As we go to press, Waterstone's is racing to reopen on Queen Street in time for Christmas, with an in-store café.

In East Oxford, head to quirky Caper, fantastic for children’s books and cookbooks. (Then take your book to The Larder next door to start reading, or visit any of the homeware shops like Nordic inspired Lofgrens and foodie shops like Wild Honey on Magdalen Road to add to your haul.) In Summertown, the well-travelled, ever-literary Daunt Books is where it's at.

If you have more time, head for the Oxfam bookshop on St Giles' – two storeys of second-hand books. You'll have to sniff out the gems but signed books and first editions have been known to crop up in this academic city.

Add a bar of chocolate (try Wicked) and a thoughtful inscription and you have a wonderful gift. (Credit to creator Ruth Crilly for this idea.)

Toys and games

Everyone needs a board game to bond over at Christmas. Head to Hoyle's on the High Street – it’s a fair way down, but dozens of buses stop 100 metres away – for board games, jigsaws and stocking fillers. From there go to the Grand Café or Queen’s Lane Coffee House, one of which is the first coffee house in Europe (and we really need Morris Oxford or the Oxford Sausage to do a deep dive on this). Or if it's a fresh winter's day, take a river walk through Magdalen College (free to Oxford residents with proof of address).

Do you want a 7,000 piece jigsaw? Or a puzzle advent calendar? Or perhaps your loved one is into role-playing games. Thirsty Meeples in Gloucester Green is far more than a board game café (though their coffee is indeed excellent).

Blackwell's successful science fiction and manga shop, opposite the main shop on Broad Street, has a wide range of board games and card games. Don't miss Jamie Smart's Hero Slam if you have a Phoenix reader in the house, from the creator of Bunny vs Monkey, Looshkin, Megalomaniacs… if you know, you know.

If you're doing a clear out to make space for incoming presents, toys will find a new home at Cowley's Oxfam superstore (easy drive-up or cargo bike access from the ring road). New toys as well as donations are welcome at the Oxfordshire Toy Bank in the run-up to Christmas. Everyone deserves some Christmas magic.

Jewellery

Bit of bling? We've got you covered. Perhaps your gift recipient likes a touch of the vintage? Try Norah's Antiques on Turl Street, and then imagine the romance of the past life of the ring. Remember to stealth-measure their ring finger if you're doing this! Also try John Gowing in the Covered Market, who must be doing something right if they've been there since 1946, or Payne & Son on the High, founded in 1790 and keeping up with the times ever since. We've mentioned it before but the Ashmolean gift shop could also be your route to glory; its range of trinkets and trimmings is thoughtful and unusual.

This one is online only but deserves a special mention: handmade feminist protest jewellery by a maker in Chinnor. Unique, raging, sparkly perfection. Have a browse.

Pens & stationery

Letter writing may have gone out of style but journalling and notebooks have not. Scriptum on Turl Street is a tiny wonderland with handmade notebooks from Florence and lovingly crowded window displays. We love this sticker book for gift wrapping and this Rad Cam journal. Pens Plus, next to Hoyle's on the High, is your go-to for statement fountain pens. When we were last in there we couldn't miss the Harry Potter Lamy fountain pens – one for each house, naturally – and the Lego stationery. Might be just the thing if you're trying to persuade your little one to write neatly. Relatedly, Broad Canvas on Broad Street has an enticing selection of quality art supplies for the creative people in your life, from oils to pastels and chalk to canvas.

Music

If music be the food of love... give the gift of music to your loved ones. They like rock, folk or jazz? You want Truck, for music, merch, or just a voucher. They prefer to create the music? Blackwell's will sell you sheet music for karaoke belters, Taylor Swift, beginners piano, or a full score of Handel's Messiah (can we get a Hallelujah?) There’s also a treasure trove of second-hand sheet music at the back of Antiques on High.

Food and drink essentials

Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without the Christmas food. You're spoiled for choice in Oxford – here are the edited highlights.

Cheese: Oxford Cheese Company in the Covered Market – come early or be prepared to queue outside. Or go to one of the two branches of the Jericho Cheese Company, which specialise in British and Irish cheese.

Wine & spirits: The Oxford Wine Company has never let us down. They love recommending something we've never tried before. They deliver too, if you picked too many things in store and can't carry them home.

Meat & fish: David John in the Covered Market has a small fresh meat section but is known for pies and sausages. For your Christmas joint, browse or pre-order at Alden's in Osney Mead and its sister Fishmarket – they're both worth the trip. If you're there on Friday or Saturday you can try the best fish and chips in Oxford (no, really), upstairs in a hidden café.

Potpourri

Ok, we ran out of classifications. But here are the best of the rest that defy putting in a box. Unless it's gift wrapped, of course.

Objects of Use, we grant you, is not the cheapest store on our list. But in terms of cost per use? What's sold here are perfectly made household objects, impeccably sourced. Try the hidden corner at the back for gardening gifts. This £17 Japanese hand hoe is the garden tool you never knew you needed, or this, even more versatile Spanish one. (They do deliver, if you decide you don't want to take your new broom home on the bus.)

One of our writers reckons that the The Crafter's Emporium is the only good shop on Cornmarket. We couldn't possibly comment (there is also a rather good hat shop), but it is an outlet for handmade goods from Oxfordshire. From fidget toys to greetings cards to pottery, this place is good for a nice long browse. And you'll be supporting local crafters.

Do you have a cyclist in your life? (Are you a Clarion reader? Of course you do!). Head for Walton Street Cycles or Warlands for lights, locks, hi-viz, or that all-important kids’ bike. You know, the one you have to hide implausibly until Christmas Eve so as not to spoil the magic... (if this is you, here is how to wrap a bike).

And last on the list for physical stores, Wild Honey's three outlets across the city are where to seek out the fair-trade, the organic, the natural. You'll find foodie gifts and skincare, such as Mujo, handmade skincare and soap made in Oxford (or buy it online).

Vouchers

Perhaps your gift recipient already has All the Things, or maybe you've just left it a bit late. In that case, consider an experience or a voucher. The Ultimate Picture Palace will sell you vouchers for cinema tickets, and both Escape Hunt and The Story Museum are the promise of a future adventure. Dodo Pubs (the Rusty Bicycle, Rickety Press, Up in Arms and Slow & Steady) will also sell you vouchers so you can gift beer and pizza, and frankly who wouldn't want to open that on Christmas morning? A spendier option would be becoming a Friend of the Botanic Garden (but you do get access to both the Botanic Gardens and Harcourt Arboretum). Both Oxford Cheese Company and Jericho Cheese Company sell vouchers too.

Charity

Perhaps you prefer to give a gift that keeps on giving. A donation to a local charity in someone's name is a different way to go. We couldn’t list everyone, but here are a few donation links: Asylum Welcome, Oxford Mutual Aid, Helen and Douglas House, Cats Protection Oxford, Oxfam, Yellow Submarine, The Porch.

For a lower impact (and sometimes thriftier) Christmas, Headington has the most charity shops you can get to in one hit. Summertown has the poshest if you're prepared to hunt. Oxfam on Broad Street was the UK's first ever charity shop; it will sell you Fairtrade goods and Ukrainian honey, as well as the usual clothes and books. Head to the Cowley Superstore for the full Oxfam experience – it even has a café.

There and back again

We hear a little thing called the Congestion Charge has happened recently. It's just as easy, and in some cases, easier to get to Oxford as before. If you're still getting your head round it, here is our explainer. Are sleighs exempt as business vehicles? Asking for a very special friend…

If you come in on two wheels, a hidden gem for shoppers is the Westgate Cycle Hub. You have to be a member, but membership is free and you can access under-cover secure bike parking, with space for cargo bikes. (While we're on the Westgate, if you are shopping there, they will deliver for free via their Plus service.)

And there's our Christmas round-up for this year. Did we miss your favourite? Tell us via email (news@oxfordclarion.uk), Bluesky or Twitter. And if you found any inspiration in this article, do share it. Oxford's indie retailers are the jewels in the crown of this incredible city. Let's support them this Christmas.