TODAY is All Saints' Day. And after last night's ghoulies and ghosties and instant scary monster kits, the Undead have presumably gone back to where ever they came from and we are in calmer mode.

Not quite a day of good works and reflection, but we thought we would mix sanctity and commerce and see what out great cathedrals have to offer in the way of shops.

Cathedral shops are the weirdest institutions. Clearly they are out to make money - why else have a shop? But they are also mindful of where they are. Sort of.

The result is bizarre - exquisitely good taste with holy overtones combined with total tack. Imagine the National Trust running a seaside souvenir stall, and you have the general idea. But, like all odd assortments, there is plenty worth buying if you can hunt around a bit.

They are also big on angels. You want guardian angels, angel pins, angel poems, angel Christmas tree decorations, angel pictures? They are here - a whole heavenly host of angels.

There is also the added joy of some strange juxtapositions.

YORK MINSTER

The shop at York Minster is a wonderful crowded jumble with little apparent rhyme or reason. So there are olive wood nativity scenes, crosses and heads of Christ in agony - and on the next shelf there's a jolly snowman with a banner wishing you A Happy Holiday.

Something for everyone.

Most expensive item we found was a 14 piece nativity set for £699. There was also Lady and the Unicorn hangings for £399.

There was a good range of jewellery, including many crosses, plus some splendid models of misericords and some fine olive wood crosses, including some interesting modern designs. Lots of icons, and small nativity scenes some of them very cheap but appealing.

There was a small religious book section, including wedding guides and God's Little Book of Calm, pictures, including The Light of the World, plus prints of local scenes, pictures and plaques and a good range of CDs.

Otherwise, it was pretty much your usual tourist stuff - tea towels, mugs, old maps, lucky horseshoes, fridge magnets, key rings, lollipops and lots of books about cats. There was York Minster wine (£8.99), a decent selection of locally hand made cards and some books about local history, especially Richard III.

VERDICT: There are some interesting buys here, especially among the jewellery, otherwise it is typical tourist stuff. Seems somehow amateurish for a place like York Minster and also, strangely, almost embarrassed by anything religious.

DURHAM CATHEDRAL

The shop here is actually three shops in one. A gift shop, the Great Kitchen Bookshop and another small shop full of pocket money souvenirs and discounted goods - which is where we found our Durham Cathedral snowshaker and a copy of an A to Z of Feminist Theology at a knock down price.

The gift shop is very swish, if sometimes a bit twee. There are hand painted reproductions of the great window for £15.75, Russian Christmas dolls, mini porcelain cups and saucers (£7.25, icons, crosses and Celtic jewellery.

You can smother yourself with Taylors of London Frangipani Body Lotion or play golf with cathedral golf balls at £1.99. There are counted thread cross stitch kits next to treasures of Jewish Art. Pooh's Alphabet and silk scarves with a Lindsifarne design (£19.99).

There's also Scottish jewellery, teaspoons with the Lord's Prayer written on the handle, prints, pictures and reproductions of the sanctuary knocker, lots of angels, terribly good taste mugs and teddy bears wearing a rather fetching Durham Cathedral fleece (£11.99)

The Great Kitchen Bookshop is a delight. Shelves of serious theology, local history, spirituality, human relationships and practical ministry. "How to Make Yourself Miserable", "Preaching with Power" and "The Gospel According to Harry Potter, " as well as Bede's History of the English People, Bibles and hymn books.

Plus self selection reading glasses in case all this print's gone blurry.

There are charity Christmas cards, local cards, proper Advent calendars and an excellent collection of CDs - many recorded in the cathedral plus joys such as Thora Hird's favourite hymns..

Good selection of children's books including, of course Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, CS Lewis and lots of Terry Deary.

VERDICT: Here is a shop that manages to be an upmarket gift shop - brilliant place to buy presents for aunty and Granny - as well as a good tourist shop, plus a decent theological bookshop, whether it's serious theology or New Age stuff that grabs your fancy.

A well planned, well stocked shop that manage pretty much to be all things to all men. Well worth a visit. The cathedral's not bad either.