The Nutcracker Christmas Shop

You would think that a Christmas shop would only fair well during the Christmas period, but the Nutcracker has a year long charm.
It’s dimly lit and cosy inside like a wee Christmas grotto, and its darker interior only sets the sparkling baubles off even more. It’s a little cave of Christmassy wonders.
As previous reviewers have outlined, this is a more traditional, classy Christmas shop than you normally see. The hanging tree decorations are largely of Victorian design, and there are some traditional items on sale from that era, such as wreaths and snow globes.
Some decorations are pricier than others, but the quality speaks for itself. Great for a quirky gift or getting your Christmas planned early (which is why my mum loves this place so much). Makes you want to don some ice skates, a big red coat, a fluffy white hand muff and go skating on the lake. Just a shame you have to wait most of the year to put your tree up!

The shop involves Christmas. Instant five stars.
I’m like some sort of deranged elf when it comes to the festive season, and I can’t see myself ever growing up and not wanting to drape every available spot in my house with fairy lights, or a time where I won’t play Fairytale of New York on repeat for the whole of December.
I do often wonder how Christmas shops stay afloat throughout the whole year. As much as I love Christmas and all the trimmings, I don’t think it’s ever occurred to me to start buying decorations midway through the year. However, this is irrelevant to the fact the Nutcracker Christmas Shop is absolutely delightful, with its mix of quirky and classic Christmas tree decorations and hanging decorations for other areas of the home. Going with the name of the shop, my preference is towards the slightly evil looking, but loveable all the same, nutcracker range.

These sorts of shop baffle me. They must be pinning their entire profit-​making hopes for the year on the couple of months in the lead up to Christmas itself. And yet, in July, they are happily open for business. Maybe people get their decoration-​buying in extra early?
I happened to be walking past here the other day, and thought I’d pop my head in. There was not a single customer inside at the time; just three workers talking. The walls are filled with the more traditional decorations, rather than today’s commercialised rubbish. It harks back to Christmas as it might have been hundreds of years ago.
I agree with the other reviewers — save this shop for the Christmas season, when it can be enjoyed in the time of the year that it should be.

Want a shop where it’s always Christmas and never winter? Then come to The Nutcracker Christmas Shop where all your dreams come true! As long as they pertain to the availability of Christmas related decorations.
I actually do genuinely like the Nutcracker Christmas shop. Inside it avoids selling the really tacky crap, and focuses on the more tasteful pretty crap. It has a more traditional aesthetic, keeping to more Victorian-​esque gifts and decorations like pretty rocking horses, Christmas trees with modest white lights, elegant Father Christmas ornaments that at least look handmade. There is quite a range of decorations but they all keep to a theme (besides Christmas) and as a display it all looks very pretty.
I agree with Stephanie about working here. I would go mad. Maybe all the staff are elves. Maybe it’s just a Christmas miracle.

I love Christmas, who doesn’t? But Christmas 365 days a year is overkill. I would like to sit down with the staff here and ask their feelings about Christmas. I wonder if they are those crazies you read about in The Sun who keep their lights up all year and eat Christmas dinner every day? I think working here would drive me a little insane and perhaps take away a little of that magic that Christmas has.
This shop does what it says on the tin, and actually does it quite well. At Christmas I would probably find good use for it as they do have some pretty little festive treats. I guess this shop is aimed more at tourists. From my lurking on Trip Advisor forums of various destinations there always seems to be someone on the look out for a all year round Christmas shop wherever they go. I imagine that is so they can look at their tree and say ”Oh that shiny bauble came from Abu Dhabi, that tinsel is from Maguluf and the star if from Edinburgh!” I don’t know.
But this shop is actually very nice and the staff are full of Christmas cheer!

It’s permanently Christmas at the Nutcracker Christmas shop and there’s no escaping those Christmas carols. I’m just surprised that the staff who work here aren’t going mad, rocking back and forwards in a padded cell.
I love Christmas but I prefer a more low key celebration, you know maybe with a nice pine tree with a couple of bobbles and maybe a snowman snow globe. My mum on the other hand goes the whole hall, so at Christmas time literally everything lights up and you can’t move without setting off some kind of singing Santa or reindeer, it’s ridiculous. My mum loves popping in here and will get couple of bobbles for the tree each year, I’ll usually get her a little something too and they have some really pretty traditional decorations.
They stock everything Christmas in here, reindeers, snowmen, they even have a Santa wearing a kilt and playing the bagpipes. They have Mueller Pyramids which are traditional German Christmas decorations, they are essentially Christmas carousels and each level has various different Christmas characters., they’re a lot more tasteful than some other Christmas decorations but don’t come cheap and are around £400. This seems reasonable as when I was in Germany I saw these bad boys for £1000+. Even so, it’s not something I would personally dish out any money for.
Oh, if you subscribe to their mailing list then you will get e-​mail updates about all the new stock they have in plus you are entered into the monthly prize draw where you could get you mitts on your very own Nutcracker!
Overall, I guess the Nutcracker store is something different for people who want to be in the Christmas spirit 365 days a year but not really my thing to be honest. Baa humbug! I’m still awarding four stars though as it serves it purpose doing exactly what it says on the tin and the staff are always really friendly.

An all year round Christmas extravaganza can be had at The Nutcracker. Aptly named perhaps, because the majority of people who shop there in summer are most likely to be nuts.
I absolutely adore Christmas, and God help my future housemate or boyfriend when I get into the full swing of decorating my own place. There will be tinsel round the toilet seat, holly in the hallways and inflatable snowmen everywhere, but even a Christmas fanatic like me would go loopy if I worked in here or had to go here all the time.
The word that springs to mind is unnecessary, really. There is no real call for an all year round Christmas shop, but this wee place seems to do not too bad, mainly out of the tourists I’d imagine! It does sell some gorgeous Christmassy fare, and is incredibly magical but just not when the sun is splitting the trees. That kind of ruins it for me a bit.
Summing it up, The Nutcracker is a nice novelty for a one off visit, but I would recommend you leave it alone until December.

With smells of fresh cinnamon and the lyrics of Frosty the Snowman chiming in the background, this little shop is a magical wonderland of colour and charm. The walls, corners and shelves are adorned with Christmas decorations that reach beyond the imagination. From ceramic hedgehogs pushing wheelbarrows, to crystal Santa Claus wine stoppers, one could easily spend hours perusing the shelves.
All items are on open display and are uniquely decorated which does push the price up a bit. While you may pay a little more for your decorations in this shop, rest easy that your decorations will bask in originality and beauty.