Living in London is amazing all year round, but at Christmas I just LOVE it! However, I feel like I take it for granted so this year I've taken some time to investigate all of the Christmassy things going on here, and have scheduled some of my favourites over the next few weeks.
1. Winter Wonderland
Every year Hyde Park hosts a market-funfair-shopping extravaganza and it's always fantastic. This year I will be donning my earmuffs and ugg boots and heading there one weekend, ready to drink up some Christmas cheer...and mulled wine!
2. Pantomime
I cannot tell you how much I love Panto! As a child I danced and was in the local celebrity pantomime for a few years. I met Paul Hendy from the Disney Club when we did Dick Whittington - remember him?? How retro! There are lots of Pantomimes running across London so I'll be booking one soon.
3. South Bank Centre Christmas Market
I do love a good Christmas market, and this one is practically on my doorstep. There will be German-style huts and a vast array of Christmas gifts, food and drink. I can't wait! Check it out here: http://www.timeout.com/london/shopping/southbank-centre-christmas-market-3
4. Christmas at Kew
Kew Garden is beautiful but it's getting a sparkly makeover for Christmas with lots of light installations from various UK artists showcased along the trail. There will also be vintage rides and festive music, so it's worth the £16 entrance fee. Read about it here: http://www.timeout.com/london/things-to-do/christmas-at-kew-gardens-2013
5. Real Food Christmas Market
One of my all time favourite things to do in the run-up to Christmas is go to a food market. I normally go to Borough but this year I'm going to try the Real Food Market outside the Royal Festival Hall. It promises to serve copious amounts of cheese, mulled wine and chutney - divine. My mum likes plum pudding but it's really hard to find; I'm hoping I'll find one here.
6. Make a ginerbread house
In recent years I've discovered a passion for baking, and am actually rather good at it! I like to make interesting cakes, and biscuits but have never tried decorating a gingerbread house! At work, a magazine sent my team a giant box with a pre-baked house and everything we need to decorate it, so naturally I jumped at the chance to construct it! The pieces are sat in my kitchen awaiting my attention. There are little iced people and even an iced dog - it's so cute. I can't wait to get started!
7. Shopping on Oxford Street
I work just off of Oxford Street so it's lost some of its magic for me, as I run along it on a daily basis when I'm late for work. But at Christmas the lights transform it and I'm like a kid again. When it's dark I get quite nostalgic walking along staring at all of the glittering window displays - I feel like I've just landed on the set of Love Actually and am on my way to meet Hugh Grant! My friend Rachel and I used to work together and it was a tradition to go shopping after work - starting at Tottenham Court Road and making our way all the way down to Marble Arch, stopping for a Garfunkel's on the way! We've decided that this Christmas we are going to rekindle the tradition so I will be using the time to finish my Christmas shopping.
8. Visit Christmas lights
What is it about Christmas lights? They just fill the atmosphere with so much festive cheer! This year both Covent Garden and Trafalgar Square have great decorations up, and on 8th December there will be a torch lit procession for the Blessing of the Crib at the steps of St Martin's in the Fields. There will also be carol singing in Trafalgar Square - pure Christmas escapism!
9. Christmas Past Exhibition
I am a bit of a history geek - I like going to museums, and enjoy reading about days gone by. Whilst on my Christmas hunt I came across a museum in London that I'd not heard of before - the Geffrye Museum near Hoxton. The museum shows how interior design has changed from 1600 to the present day, with lots of exhibits showing period room settings. At Christmas the rooms are updated to capture how our ancestors decorated their homes at this time of year. It is such an interesting concept, and the best bit is that it's free!
10. Watch Christmas films
Is there anything better than a Christmas movie? Quite frankly no! Whilst I love a good festive film, I am guilty of having never seen some of the classics, such as Elf, Nightmare Before Christmas and It's a Wonderful Life. This will be rectified next month. My list begins with the following but no doubt I'll watch more - Elf, Love Actually, It's a Wonderful Life, Nightmare Before Christmas, Muppet Christmas Carol, Home Alone, Miracle on 34th Street, the Holiday.
If you know of any other fun London or South East events, let me know.
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