With less than a fortnight to go until the big day, the scramble truly is on for the rest of the presents, those final food bits you always leave until the eleventh hour and anything else you might have forgotten.
But here’s the question; looking back to Christmases of the past, which were the Sunderland shops always making it on your must-visit list?
From a flying visit to Santa’s grotto at Blacketts or Joplings, gift shopping at Hills Bookshop or collecting your Christmas cake from Milburns, here are eight of your festive favourites from down the years.
1. Binns
Fawcett Street as it looked in 1974, with Binns on both sides of the road in this photo. Photo: Sunderland Echo
![Michele Arkley said: "Blacketts on [the] high street always had a fab Christmas grotto with Santa Claus."](https://www.sunderlandecho.com/webimg/b25lY21zOmRhYTc2NjQ1LTFiMWMtNDdlOC05NjEzLTQ1ZDk2MGI0OGNkNjowMThmZjI0Ni1jZmU1LTQ2NWEtOTRjZi1lMDE1YTNjNDc0NjI=.jpg?crop=3:2&width=640)
2. Blacketts
Michele Arkley said: "Blacketts on [the] high street always had a fab Christmas grotto with Santa Claus." Photo: Sunderland Echo
3. Hills Bookshop
Who doesn't love a new book for Christmas? You were guaranteed to find the perfect gift for your nearest and dearest at Hills. Photo: Sunderland Echo
4. Joplings
Pictured in 1994, many families always visited the Christmas grotto at Joplings. But it was also a go-to place for the year's best toys. After all, Santa was there! Photo: Sunderland Echo