Bermuda has a bounty of wonderful items beautifully displayed all around the Island.

All of the major stores are spreading the Christmas spirit and many of the store windows have their special festive displays beckoning shoppers to enter. Many stores extend their hours during this busy season.

EAST END

Starting from the East End at St. George's shopping is bound to be great on the eve of the National Trust Walkabout, December 5, from 6.30 p.m. to 8.30 p.m. It will be a night for the whole family and you can see Santa at St. Peter's Church Hall.

St. George's isn't as hectic as Hamilton, so it's a great place to enjoy some leisurely holiday shopping.

The best place to park is behind the old Town Hall near the old Chick's Bar and Grill as there is free parking all day. The traffic warden is very diligent and does not hesitate to ticket vehicles parked longer than an hour around town.

St. George's charming "Country Club" located on York Street hosts two Santas surrounded by exquisite dolls and an enchanting window of fairies. Their Christmas ornaments are 40 percent off. They offer a nice selection of candles, picture frames and garden statues, wind chimes and some very interesting kitchen trivets $12 and up.

Just up the street is the heartbeat of the old town, Robertson's Drug Store, filled to the brim with lots of attractive gifts like fine English soaps, chocolate biscuits and candies, candles and an excellent choice of books for the entire family.

Up the street, beside the Police Station, is a new store, Antique Garden, laden with antique furniture, linen, mostly English china, silver, books, framed pictures, teapots, plants, pots, pet supplies, and dolls. Your purchases can be gift wrapped too.

You can wet your whistle at Temptations opened daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m except Sunday. The staff are very polite and friendly as they serve up the finest and the most tempting desserts in town. Their hearty soups and sandwiches are very popular and the toaster is the busiest around. Satisfied, you can now walk over to Trim's Gifts, where the staff are extraordinary helpful and pleasant. From sweaters to china to chocolates and even books, they offer beautiful things sure to please and they gift wrap.

The Book Cellar on Water Street has a varied selection of popular titles. Anne Spurling has a new book, "Bermuda: Nine Parishes" which is bound to become a classic depicting the many faces and places of Bermuda.

Don't miss a quaint and unique new store called, Seaglass, on Penno's Wharf with unique gift items made by owner, Kelly Diel and several members of her family. For the season are lovely glass plates with painted poinsettias Sterling silver necklaces for $35 and earrings for $20. The glass Christmas ornaments and the olive oil jars are very attractive too.

If there is a golfer in your family St. George's Golf Club ffering a 50 percent off special until March 31, 2004. The greens are half price and with the money you save you can have a round of drinks or a delicious lunch at Mulligan's. The pro shop is great for buying new gear, especially new clubs or shirts for Christmas!

HAMILTON

The big event here is the late shopping on Friday nights when many stores are open from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The department stores like Smith's, Trimingham's and Coopers have a terrific inventory of quality items.

Smith's mens wear is a great place to shop for casual clothes such as sweaters and shirts to formal business suits or sporty jackets, especially their lambs wool for cooler weather as it is relatively lightweight but warm.

The wonderful new A.S. Cooper Men's Store on Front Street has a host of Columbia Jackets for $ 135 and California Outerwear for $48.95 along with Filasport Black Fleece jacket and pants selling for $50 each. Their selection is extensive and they carry a great selection of sweaters for casual dressing and fancy dress clothes.

The selection of crystal, picture frames and elegant gift choices at Cooper's main Front Street store is outstanding.

For the ladies Triminghams and Trim's Plus offer attractive dressing for all occasions. In Trimingham's the Jennifer Moore Sweaters are great buys at $29 in blue, pink, and beige. The Italian hand bags are very handsome and range from $95 to about $150 and come in brown or black. On the third floor you will find cookies and chocolates from around the world and numerous items for the home. Their selection of pots and pans and various cooking tools is quite extensive.

Have you considered a chocolate fondue set as a special gift to the social butterfly in your life?

Gibbons Company has a nice array of decorative mosaic candle holders for about $20 or a set of wine bottle stoppers for $12.95.

Stuart's on Reid Street has a great choice of Pentax cameras such as the Pentax IQ Zoom, a 35 mm to 60 mm zoom lens brings the scene up close. This is a great first time camera for a young person to take family shots at $89. The Pentax Optio 33LC and the Pentax Optio S range from about $529 to $600. Another great gift for people who enjoy bird watching, sports, concerts, or boating is their Pentax 10x21 UCF binoculars for $115. Their Sony pocket radio is always a hit with teens and sells for about $20 and offers AM/FM, plus an earphone jack.

The Harbourmaster, located in the Washington Mall, offers a fine collection of leather jewellery boxes and other wonderful leather selections as well as a wide range of luggage for that next trip.

Phoenix Centre is offering custom gift baskets which are perfect gifts for corporate clients and holiday parties. You have three sizes to choose from. You tell them what you want and they will customise the contents and have any quantity made up within two to three days.

The toys are well stocked at Phoenix with board games such as Monopoly or Pictionary for $45.95 and Disney Princess awaits at $34.95.

For boys there are plenty of Rescue heroes for $19.95 and Huffy bikes sell from $135 to $250 - these are suitable from about age 12 to adult.

Wheels Cycles on 13 Dundonald Street is offering sales on selected models of bicycles to suit every family member. Check out the Rialto cross trainer for $266 while supplies last. They also carry Raleigh, the traditional name in bicycles.

What about the gift of winter art classes? Bermuda National Gallery is offering art to children aged 8 to 12 before and three days after Christmas. Each day has a different theme and activity so students can sign up for either one or more of all six sessions from 9 a.m. to noon and the cost for each day is $27 for member or $33 for non member per child per day. Contact Judy Wong 295-9428 or email: educationbng.bm

With this in mind how about art supplies from Santa? The Royal Gazette's Artcetera store on Burnaby Hill has lots of paints and art pads while the Stationery Store next door has calendars and diaries for the whole family.

Thistle Antiques on Park Road, Hamilton is just the place to find a rare gift or a collectible. You never know what you might spy that you can't live without.

If you are shopping for jewellery, Crisson Ltd., started in 1921, offers a friendly and helpful atmosphere with several stores in St. George's, Hamilton, Dockyard and many hotels. You will discover nice bracelets, brooches, necklaces and are renowned for names such as Rolex Raymond Weil and Seiko. Teens will love their I.D. and charm bracelets.

Likewise Front Street's E.R. Aubrey Jewellers offers some of the best prices around. Their diamonds, Colombian emeralds, sapphires and tanzanite are bought in bulk directly from the mines and the jewellery is manufactured and designed by Aubrey's designers.

Bluck's on Front Street offers gold-rimmed porcelain, Rothschild Oiseaux, each bearing one of twelve variations of a naturalistically painted songbird pair with colourful plumage, perched in the branches of a stylised tree. Spode has its Christmas Rose china and the store is filled with totally beautiful selections to please any lady of the house.

Marine Locker, on Gorham Road, is offering seasonal specials on Walker Bay Punts starting at $625 and they have Helly Hansen rainwear at US prices.

For items for the kitchen, drop by International Imports Ltd. on For items for the kitchen, drop by International Imports Ltd. on Par-la-Ville Road and have a chat with Reeve Trott. He has many new cook books that catch the eye such as "French Leave" for $46 or "Real Food" for $35. There are several interesting cutting boards, picnic boards and carving boards just in time for the feast of turkeys and hams. He has a nice Krups Expremio Autocappuccino outfit for $220.

Make your teens very happy by taking advantage of holiday sales on many brands of cell phones - those objects you see growing from teen ears!

One of the best buys is the Nokia 3595 at $99 or the tiny Sagem X-5 for $199 offered by At&T Wireless at the Washington Mall, Church Street. Cellular One and Mobility also offer a wide range of cell phones and accessories.

For a he-man gift, try Standard Hardware Co., Bakery Lane, Pembroke for a Nikota circular saw for $99 or a variable speed jig saw for $42.59. There are many handy items for the home like the six-foot aluminium stepladder for $75.89. Masters, Gorham's and SAL also offer a plethora of tools, materials and safety equipment for the DIYer.

Also fun for the family can be had from Sports "R" Us in the way of table tennis tables from $350, soccer tables from $225 and a magnetic dart set for $39.

M&M offers the best in stereo equipment, DVD Players, recorders and VCRs. They carry brands like Toshiba, Sony, JVC and Pioneer. Also the big screen TVs and theatre systems are available.

WEST END, DOCKYARD

The Royal Naval Dockyard Shopping Extravaganza is going to be Sunday, December 21 from noon to 7 p.m. There will be a raffle draw for a travel voucher and other prizes. The Dockyard events are listed below:

The Calvary Gospel Hall Puppeteers will start at 3 p.m. followed by the Bethel AME Church Choir at 3:30 p.m.

Santa Claus will be there from 4 to 6 p.m. along with many local craft vendors. The Salvation Army Corps Band will perform at 5 p.m. and the Warwick Gombey Troupe will be at 6 p.m. At the end of the evening egg nog will be served.

The Bermuda Arts Centre has a great selection of art by local artists including paintings, note cards, and jewellery. It is well worth a stroll through for a one of a kind gift for any occasion.

SHOPPING FOR PETS

Don't forget the furry people around your house. If you are leaving for Christmas and need to shop for animal accommodations book now.

Endsmeet Animal Hospital does a wonderful job of caring for your loved ones and they also have lots of critter toys, pet food and pet gear.

Also for pets, one of the best places to shop is Noah's Ark where you can find all sorts of pet accessories from leashes and collars to hand-painted dishes for cats and dogs and placemats too. If you have a child take he/she with you and have fun choosing a a pet gift.

The Animal and Garden House also has a wide range of aninmal toys and gifts. For the pampered pet, Pet Care on South Shore Road, Devonshire provides washng and clipping services.