Working up the food chain of delightful pressies we can start with the bestest friends’ pressies, the family mutt. Dawg’s Biscuits, Norman Road’s especial Dog Treat Emporium has Christmas treats du jour, that jour being Christmas, and are open right up to Christmas, except 22nd when they are in Tunbridge Wells.

Just up the evolutionary ladder, Kids, Love have just a fab selection of gifts for all ages including Dads. Christmas from all over the world, eco-xmas, funny-xmas, beautiful-xmas.

Xanadu have a terrific selection of Retro clothes, (I quite fancied the Leopardskin print, calf length All Star sneakers for my mum, but they’ve gone…), Skylon have 1960s, as do Why?

Some Nearly Normans/Friends of Norman are Artists and are selling fantastically desirable work: these are pressies that will last for years, give pleasure for years…worth more than just a thought in our throw away age. Check out Alex Leadbeater and Anna Keiller

For Pressy pressies there is McCarrons of Mercatoria, a veritable universe of prettiness.

And then there are the antique shops, the galleries, the places to refresh, the far-from-the-madding-crowd ambience, and last, but not least for fabulous felted goods, brooches, necklaces and scarves there is the wonder of Nunovalenki.