Results tagged “Christmas”

The Connaught hotel on Mount Street in Mayfair has hosted a special Christmas tree designed by an artist for the past few years. This year's Connaught Christmas tree is designed by Suzy Murphy, who is from east London. The Christmas tree is nine-metre tall British Nordmann Fir, and it contains several white neon dogs, each decreasing in size from the bottom to the top of the tree. The neon dogs are a tribute to sketches of the artist's childhood pet dog, Toby. They symbolise a childhood experience through the pet.

Previous Connaught Christmas trees that I covered on my blog are below:

At the end of November, I visited National Trust's Wimpole Estate to see their Christmas lights trail and illuminations. Members of the National Trust can get a discount on their tickets. This was my first visit to Wimpole's Christmas light trail, and I wanted to try a different Christmas trail this year. Wimpole is located in Cambridgeshire and has a lot of parkland, a hall, and a farm to visit. It is one of the larger estates and is popular with children due to the working farm that visitors can explore. The light trail covered the grounds of the hall to the farm and back again to the stables area. 

The first part to visit was the funfair, which had a few small rides for children. There were also a couple of food and drink trucks here.

Then, there was a woodland walk with some illuminations. 

On the way down to the estate, we saw some light sculptures and illuminated trees. Christmas music played.

Last year, we saw the LED trees at a couple of the estates, and there was one at Wimpole.

The front of the mansion was lit up with a Christmas tree at the front of the estate.

After walking around, we walked through a light tunnel...

...before seeing a beautiful mansion lit up with light projections with different colours and patterns. This was played to popular Christmas music, the song "Last Christmas" by George Michael.

After watching the light projection, we saw some illuminated hoops in trees....

...and icicles that were glowing.

Another tree was covered in stars with enchanting instrumentals. 

Disney music played "When You Wish Upon a Star" with some glowing orbs.

Along the trail, there were illuminated snowdrops....

...A fire garden...and thousands of lights.

We headed through the walled garden. The gate was open, and we heard vintage Christmas music in this part. The lights led us down to an impressive sculpture.

This continued via a red heart trail, which we also saw last year.

Outside of the walled garden was a field of "tents" or Christmas trees, which glowed different colours and set to the music from "The Snowman".

Around the corner was Santa's grotto with an illuminated tree and other Christmas items.

The half-way point was located here, and I had a hot chocolate before continuing on my way.

The glowing poppies in the trees were one of my favourite illuminations, and I saw them last year on another trail as well. 

Some of the stumps and limbs of trees had been illuminated along the trail on the way back.

Another tree has a few orange orbs hanging on it.

And another display included illuminated gifts and a robin.

Along the trail was a row of glowing roses, which I've also seen on previous trails.

The trees glowed with different colours along the trail.

One place had a lot of green lights that sparkled and moved around. 

Snowflake shapes with mirrors were set up to catch the light, but they did not work too well as there was a lot of shade here really.

The last part of the trail led back to the beginning with an illuminated walkway, showing different colours and patterns on the ground. 

The Christmas illuminated trail at Wimpole was not my favourite. Several of the illuminations I'd seen in previous years, and there wasn't really a large display. They could have added more lights on trees and more illuminations. There wasn't a lot of space around the trails themselves, and it would have been good for them to utilise some of the space around the larger areas. 

See my other posts featuring Wimpole:

Pre-Christmas Visit to Wimpole Estate
Autumn Visit to Wimpole Estate (Lockdown Edition)

At the end of November, I visited National Trust's Wimpole Estate in Cambridgeshire. The estate is one of the ones that has decorated for the Christmas season with a few of the rooms on the ground floor and the servants' quarters on the lower floor being opened with Christmas trees and other decorations on display. The estate has been farmed for at least 2,000 years and was an Iron Age settlement. The current house was re-lived in during the 1930s. The 1930s era is how the current house rooms are presented to visitors. In additon to the house and farm having decorations, Wimpole Estate has a large Christmas light trail for visitors to see at an additional cost.

The working farm has many animals to see, and two horses were wandering the grounds with their handlers. We saw them in the stables later, and they were dressed with green and red.

The first room off of the hallway when entering the house contained a Christmas tree and decorations on the fireplace.

The beautiful room through the hallway on the left, with the impressive dome, contained illuminated reindeer. Visitors could just peek inside.

On through the room was a Christmas tree, decorations, and wrapped boxes that children could stack.

This led to a smaller room, possibly a withdrawing room in an intimate size that contained a smaller Christmas tree and decorations.

The dining room was most impressive, laid out with Christmas decorations and set up for Christmas lunch.

After this room, we saw the staircase decorated with lights, and we headed down to the lower floor. The first room to see is the chapel room, which was lit up with candles and had people singing Christmas carols and playing the piano. I stayed for "Silent Night" and "Away in a Manger".

On through the hallway is the main housekeeper's room, which was decorated with a Christmas tree and set up for tea.

Next up was the butler's room, also decorated for Christmas.

There was another Christmas tree located next to the staircase in the servant's hall, and this led to the outside door at the side of the hall.  

The was a pleasant walk through the garden and views of the folly ruins, which I want to see sometime. Last time, we could not find the way inside the parkland until after we had walked across the entire estate (after visiting the walled garden and farm) and decided that we would visit it on a following visit with hopes of dry weather.

We visited the farm and saw the cattle, goats, rabbits, horses, chickens, and pigs.

Previous visits to Wimpole:

Autumn Visit to Wimpole Estate (Lockdown Edition)

I visited Belton House's Christmas light trail at the beginning of December. Belton House is owned by the National Trust, and the construction of the house dates to the mid-1600s. This was my first ever visit to the property, and I will have to return when the house and grounds are open to epxlore it sometime. I visited it to see the Christmas lights trail, and I was amazed at just how much there was to see. Overall, the website states that it will take ninty minutes to walk the trail, though I think I walked it in about two or two and a half hours with some stops for photographs and to enjoy some of the more interactive installations more.

In addition to the light trail, visitors could enjoy some food and drink set up in the stable grounds of the house before (or after) the light show, and there was another space about halfway around the trail where visitors could purchase a hot drink or buy gourmet marshmallows to toast over one of the fire pits. 

The first part of the trail led us past through the front of the house where the name "Belton" was lit up. The front of the house was drenched in blue light with snowflake motifs.

Then, we walked through the light tunnel, which is always popular for photographs. Every light trail now seems to have one of these.

After this, there was a section of colourful trees and a colourful walkway with blues, reds, greens, and purples.

Next up were the singing lit-up trees that played two different songs. One of them was a vocal chorus that I am unsure who sings, which was a little eerie, and the other song was "Wonderful Christmas Time" by Paul McCartney.

The trail then led us through some mirrored hearts, which I remember seeing last year when I visited the Christmas Light Trail at National Trust's Stourhead.

There were a few different places to get photographs through the trail, but I did not bother as there was a queue, and I don't really like my photograph taken at the moment anyway. Some of them were the selfie "Christmas at" windows, and the one pictured below was a bench decorated with pine and bauble garlands.

After this, the trail winded around through heart tunnels, which I thought were really fun. Unfortunately, a couple of the heart arches were not lit up on my visit.

Next up was a little section of woods, and we went over a small bridge which was lit up blue underneath to appear like water. The trees were lit up in greens and blues to a nice effect.

Through this section was an area of lit-up white orbs hanging from the branches of trees with some positioned on the ground.

Continuing on, the magic increased with bright lights spiralling and moving across overhead in blues, whites, and reds. This was set to soundscape and looked magical. 

Ahead of us, it ended into a small field of orbs that reminded me of fireworks exploding. This was set to the Disney song "When You Wish Upon A Star" (I think that was the correct Disney song).

The trail then ended on the side of an expansive lake, and we could see the trees along the other side of the banks lit up to music, which I believe was "Once Upon A December" from the Disney film "Anastasia". I watched the light show a couple of times and had to replace my camera battery here. This looked much better in person as it was more than the frame of my camera could capture.

After the lake light show, we came to the middle of the trail. Santa was there to greet the children, and there were a couple of kiosks selling the hot drinks and marshmallows. We bought a drink but did not linger.

The next part of the trail led us through singing lights. At each pitch of the vocal assigned to one tree, the lights would scale up (or down) the tree to match the vocal range.

After this was a lovely little cove with red poppies suspended in air. This was one of my favourite parts of the trail.

Finally, we headed through a lit-up hedge to complete the rest of the trail, which would lead us back through some familiar areas.

This tree was covered with pink, purple, and green lights and mirrored balls.

And we were back at the coloured forest of trees with the music that we saw toward the beginning of the trail. This time, instead of watching the trees at a distance, we got to walk through them.

And finally, we came to another pond with a temple on the far side. This was sequenced to colour-changing pond lillies to a soundscape. I stayed to watch the display at different angles.

We were almost at the end of the trail now and stayed to watch a soundscape of hundreds of coloured orbs in a field which would change colour and pattern depending on the music. 

After this, we came to a lit-up glasshouse, and in front of this was a field of flames.

We walked through the field of flames to leave the trail, and that was the end of the trail.

Back in the stable yard, we were able to get some food and drink, and we admired the Christmas trees and decorations on the way out.

That concludes Christmas at Belton House. The trail itself is currently on and booking until January 2. I really enjoyed the Christmas trail at Belton House.

I love to see a glimpse of the National Trust properties dressed up festively; they look so magical. While in Yorkshire at the beginning of December, I was able to see the property in its full festive glory. I first visited Nostell in 2020 when a couple of National Trust places had reopened after being closed for months during the pandemic. Only the ground floor was open, so we did not get to see much, and I was pleasantly surprised that we were able to see a few rooms upstairs on this visit. (You can read about my first visit and see photographs here.) Nostell was the first stop of the day, and we arrived early for a snack and a browse around the shop before the house opened.

It is a short trek from the parking to the house and cafe. Near the parking is a little information kiosk, and it had a gingerbread village inside it.

The stables near the house was the first stop as this is where the cafe and shop are located. There were also some decorations here. One of the little rooms of the stables was decorated as a "retired reindeer home", and a little poem accompanied it, hung on the wall for all to read. 

The stables courtyard had some other decorations and a Christmas tree. I enjoyed these gourds arranged like snowmen.

When inside the house, the first proper room to visit (outisde of the servant entrance hallway) was the dollhouse room. The dollhouse was on display and dressed for Christmas. The chef was also dressed festively in the kitchen of the dollhouse, and the little mouse can be discovered here if you have a keen eye to see it. Children love to spot the mouse.

The main entrance hall contained three trees, and the fireplaces on either side of the room contained festive garlands. The theme of the Christmas decorations in Nostell this year was woodlands. Each room had a hidden woodland animal to discover on a board when you enter the room. So, that was a fun game to enjoy while looking around the house.

After exploring part of the ground floor and locating some woodland critters, seeing a few other decorations, and having a chat about a large painting, we headed upstairs. The dining room was laid for a Christmas meal.

The next room was amazing, and I did not expect it to be so beautiful. It was the "wow factor" when I entered the room. The fireplaces on both sides of the room were decorated, and the largest Christmas tree in the house was set as the feature for this room. This is the musical room. We had a chat to the volunteer in the room about the owner of the house and the scandals of the family.

The next room contained a lot of paintings, and we learned a little about one or two of them. The Christmas decorations in the room were blue, and it was a fox in this room. He is sitting on the sofa.

The bedroom was next, and we had a good chat with the volunteer while we took in the beautiful room. We learned about the fire damage that happened to this room. This was the last room to visit before heading downstairs. The volunteer mentioned a library, but it didn't appear to be open as we were directed downstairs.

There was a final room to check here, and the other more "museum" rooms were shut. This room was the kitchen, and it was laid out with some festive treats and jelly moulds.

I loved seeing the Christmas decorations in this house and speaking to the volunteers here. I can't wait to go back to visit when the whole house is open to the public.

Merry Christmas! I was not ready at all for Christmas this year, and I'm not getting (and did not get) any time off of work to sort things out. (Actually, more on the work situation is coming soon.) So, a lot of it has actually been delayed until Monday. Regardless, I ended up booked into Christmas lunch at The Apple Tree at Gerrad's Cross on a whim. Readers may remember that I went here in 2019 for Christmas, and you can see that post here: Christmas Lunch at The Apple Tree, Gerrards Cross in Buckinghamshire. It was a novelty then. The second phase of renovation was in its final weeks, so we wanted to get away from it all. Overall, the meal was not nearly as good as 2019. The service was not attentive and unfriendly, and I had to get up to tell the staff twice that they left off some items on my plate and then again when I found a hair in my food. For the cost of it, I expected more. 

The deal we got was the same as last time with the five course meal. This came with a small selection of olives and bread to start. Last year, we got larger portions each. I purchased a soda separately, which was not included in the cost. The five-course meal came with a glass of champagne, which wasn't even topped up (glasses above in photograph have not been sipped), and a cocktail. The second course was the appetizer. It was thrown in front of us without any explanation of what the food was or any polite courtesy. The bloke and I both had the carrot and parsnip soup to start.

For the main, I had the turkey. It was missing the stuffing and sausage/bacon (pigs in blanket). The cranberry parcel, which was delicious last year, came with a hair in it. It was only two thin slices of turkey, contrasted with last year. We had a selection of vegetables to share. By contrast, the bloke had the venison, which came topped up and with a lot more meat.

The bloke had the dark chocolate and raspberry delice, and I had the chocolate and orange bomb. This was served with a pot of caramel, which I had to pour myself. Again, there was no explanation of what you had to do here, but I knew the sauce was to be poured over the chocolate bomb because I've had a similar dessert a couple of times. However, others may not know.

Overall, it was a disappointment at the Apple Tree in Gerrard's Cross this Christmas, and I won't be visiting again.

After the meal, the bloke and I went home to tidy up as we are having visitors tomorrow. This evening, a group of us on the road headed a few doors down to have drinks and a toast to Christmas day. They set up a bar in their garden this year and have an outside area. We had drinks and had a good laugh. So, in the end it was a decent day. It just has not felt like Christmas this year at all. 

Anyway, I hope all of my readers had a lovely Christmas day.

Christmas has returned to London with a more normal display of Christmas lights, decorations, treats, and other events this year. Over the past few weeks, I have had a walk to see some of the best Christmas lights and decorations that London has to offer this year. For those who have not been able to get to see them, I hope that these photographs will be enjoyed, even though it is not quite the same as seeing them in real life. There are some great displays this year and some firm old favourites too. This article lists all of the different areas of London where you can see some of the best festive decor and try some festive treats.

Covent Garden: Covent Garden is always a pleasure to visit over the holiday season. This year, events and exhibitions returned to normal levels. In fact, they actually seemed to do more than they have ever done in the past. The Pink Figaro car (which has its own Instagram) was located in Covent Garden with a floral display at the end of November.

Also from the end of November, Disney's "Frozen" took over Covent Garden due to the theatre performance at Theatre Royal Drury Lane. A display with falling snow and music launched at the end of November along with a day filled with "Frozen" ice sculptures with ice sculpture carving. The infinity tunnel of lights at Conduit Court (on the edge of the market) was also themed with white and blue lights and neon lyrics to the entrances and exits of the infinity tunnel. Later in the season, a fashion show inspired by "Frozen" was on display in the market. (The full blog post is here.)

Also new to Covent Garden this year is a Christmas food market so visitors can get food and drink. Indoor dining domes have been set up outside the market amongst several decorated Christmas trees, and visitors had to reserve them in advance.

Also on the entrance to the market was a tunnel created. It was lit up and encouraged photographs.

The large Christmas tree is also back at Covent Garden this year.

The mistletoe and giant silver baubles have also returned to the market along with floral displays. They have been firmly amongst the Christmas decor for several years now.

For several years (with the exception of the past few), Lego had created installations at Covent Garden. They have returned again this year with a "Carousel of Creativity" display and a group of gnomes amongst some of the floral displays. (The full blog post is here.)

Additionally, at the end of November, one of the sculptures of balloon dogs from artist Whatshisname was displayed with a Christmas bauble. The others were removed, and this one was only on display earlier in the season. (The full blog post about the art installation from Whatshisname at Covent Garden is here.)

The Ivy restaurant at Covent Garden always contains a festive display. It is not as lavish this year as it has been in previous years. It is white, silver, and green with snowflake motifs.

Miracle at Henrietta is a pop-up bar specialising in Christmas cocktails. This was the third year that I have visited it, although I did not visit it last year but did the previous two years. (To read more about it, click here.)

Some of the restaurants and shops across London have been decorated beautifully, such as this little Santa sleigh with a group of dogs as reindeer pulling it. This restaurant, Clos Maggiore, is located in Covent Garden. I thought that it was such a cute display.

Connaught Village: Connaught Village came onto my radar this year. It is a part of London that I've not really visited before. It is located just to the north of Marble Arch and consists of a row of specialty shops. The festive Christmas lights were put up at the end of November and are inspired by the seasonal film "Love Actually" and feature quotations from the film. The street itself contained white light netting from one end to the other.

Miracle at 34 Mayfair: This restaurant, located in Mayfair close to Grosvenor Square, is decorated exteriorly this year. The past two years, the interior of the restaurant was filled with hundreds of Christmas baubles hanging on the ceiling and walls. (You can read about last year's here.)

Annabel's: Located off Berkley Square in Mayfair, this exclusive nightclub has become a firm favourite go-to for seasonal displays. This year, the building has been transformed into a giant gingerbread house. It looks amazing during the day and is transformed with lights at night.

Mayfair: Several of the high end shops are now decorating for Christmas with some new ones this year. Chanel is one of the new ones and features a larger-than-life perfume bottle. Ralph Lauren has expanded their display and offers coffee (though they did offer the coffee last year too, but it's on a much larger scale). Tiffany's also has a new larger display. Cartier, which did kick off the popularity with their picturesque display, has gotten bigger and better. Stella McCarney has returned with the neon lights that have appeared in past years.

The Christmas lights down New Bond Street have remained the same for the past few years with white peacock feathers.

Bill's Restaurant in Soho (Brewer Street): New to the Christmas decor this year is Bill's restaurant in Soho, which has been transformed into a giant smiling Rudolph. At dark, the nose and antlers shine.

ChinChin Labs Ice Cream in Soho: On the menu this year at popular ChinChin is a dessert that is a menu secret. It is a Christmas tree shape of Basked Alaska. It is marshmallow meringue, ice cream, nuts, and sour cherries and tastes as delicious as it looks. (To read a post about this popular ice cream brand, see this post.)

Milk Train in Covent Garden: Milk Train are always on game with seasonal treats. They became popular and sought after a few years ago with their cotton candy ice cream creations. This year, they have a gingerbread ice cream. They also brought back their Christmas tree creation with ice cream and cotton candy, which I purchased last year. (To read about last year's Milk Train creations, click here.) (To read about Milk Train on this blog, click here.) 

Peggy Porschen: Known for their beautiful cafe front and beautiful treats, Peggy Porschen is a must to visit. This year, they had a range of Christmas treats and a gingerbread theme to their cafe front. They had different cupcake flavours from mince pie to gingerbread to cranberry. They also had a hot chocolate special with gingerbread. There are two branches of Peggy Porschen's in London; one is on King's Road and the other is located in Belgravia. (To see last year's treats from Peggy Porschen, click here.)

Chestnut: One of London's newest bakeries, Chestnut occupies the space where the now-closed Dominique Ansel's was once. I had a peek inside, but there was a queue and not much seating. It is a smaller and more homemade affair that seems to specialise in breads and lunch. They do not stock a lot at a time, but there were four festive-looking gingerbreads. 

Yolkin: I did not visit them this year, but Yolkin are famous for their ice cream macaron sandwiches. They have the same Christmas range each year with different festive motifs and flavours. (Yolkin Ice Cream Macaron Sandwiches - Christmas)

Fait Maison: This cafe makes beautiful treats, and I visited over Christmas last year but did not see what they had on offer this year as they have not advertised much. (Read more about Fait Maison Brunch and Holiday Cupcakes or see their range of treats when I visited last year here.)

Bubblewrap: Last year, I bought a reindeer ice cream. They have a similar reindeer ice cream bubblewrap creation this year. (See their treats from last year.)

Doughnut Time: Their doughnuts always look amazing and are on full display in windows with witty names. They have another great festive range this year. I am not a big fan of these doughnuts myself as they are too large and too sweet, but they always have fans. There are a few branches across London now.

Lola's Cupckes: Lola's can be purchased at multiple places across London, and they are in virtually every main station. They always go out with seasonal ranges. 

Whipped: Famous for cheesecake and cookies, Whipped create some season treats. Unfortunately, their cafe near Covent Garden closed just before Christmas at short notice, but they do have a Brixton branch.

Humble Crumble: I did visit them again this year for their festive creation, which is their festive crumble flavour topped with whipped trees and sprinkled with white chocolate shavings. 

Fortnum and Masons: This shop always looks extremely festive Christmas, and I love looking at the window displays. The past few years, the whole store has dressed itself as a giant advent calendar. I even managed to see the little clock work on the front of the building when I visited.

Liberty: Liberty department store has decorated its famous floor inside with a hot air balloon. With the exception of last year, the store has been creating a festive display inside the area here. The windows and floral display at the front of the building are also worth seeing.

Selfridges: I did not get to visit this year, but their windows are always filled with festive displays, and they offer up a lot of treats inside the food hall too. (To see last year's lights, see this blog post.)

Oxford Street window displays: The major department stores in London decorate along Oxford Street, but it looked empty last year. I did not venture down there this year. (To see last year's lights, see this blog post.)

St. Christopher's Place: This little alley (blink and you'll walk past it) near Selfridges off Oxford Street contains many restaurants and shops. There's always Christmas decorations down here, and they are slightly different each year. I did not venture down there this year, but you can read about it in my past posts. (To see last year's lights, see this blog post.)

Carnaby: I would argue that these are the best Christmas lights to see in London because they are different every year, and they really put on a display. This year, the theme is 'Canarby Kaleidoscope'. It features hundreds of reflective butterflies floating above Carnaby Street. The display is difficult to photograph because of the reflective nature of the materials, and it does not tend to capture well in photographs. It looks much better in real life. (To read more about the Carnaby Christmas lights this year, click here.)

Connaught Hotel Christmas Tree: Each year for the past several years, with the exception of last year, the Connaught Hotel commissions a Christmas tree design from different artists. This year, it is Annie Morris and Idris Khan. (You can read more about this year's Christmas tree here.)

Mount Street: Mount Street is the road that The Connaught Hotel and a lot of other restaurants and shops is situated on, and it runs from the top of Berkeley Square to Park Lane. It has gotten more festive this year with new Christmas lights in the shape of blue bows. A few of the restaurants and shops have also started to decorate more. Scott's is a seafood restaurant located on the road, and it has gone all out with festive lights and a sleeping moon with clouds. 

Hedonism Wines: Located not far from the top of Berkeley Square, this large wine shop always has a festive display outside, and it had gotten bigger and bigger each year. However, it's a bit more muted this year and is best described as a winter scene. It features a snowman, bench, postbox, and a lot of snowballs. It is definitely there to encourage selfies, although I have not really seen it in many.

Burlington Arcade: Burlington Arcade is one of London's top arcades (and the most famous) at the edge of Mayfair. The arcade is decorated with a 007 "James Bond" theme this year featuring the colours white and gold, and there are gears and giant baubles and 007 motifs like the gun barrel imagery from the opening credits.

Regents Street: The lovely gold angels have returned to the street and are a firm favourite with many a visitor to London. They have been the street's festive decor for a few years now and were inspired by a traditional display.

Oxford Street: This year, Oxford Street is twinkling with thousands of gold stars hanging from strings of light. The stars are new this year and add a touch of magic to the street.

Seven Dials: Seven Dials returns with its silver, gold, and white lights, and the middle of the roundabout features a lovely display of lights and garlands across the street.

Leicester Square: The Christmas market has returned to Leicester Square with many festive twinkling lights, plenty of food and drink, and gifts galore.

The Strand and North Bank: The Christmas lights this year are new and feature blue and gold lights in the shape of baubles. Down toward Embankment are golden orbs of lights.

St. Pancras Christmas Tree: This year's Christmas tree at St. Pancras station is hosted by London Zoo. Last year was a trying year for the zoo. The Christmas tree is a bit more muted than in previous years, but it features a book filled with zoo animals and a tree with animals on it. There's a festive-looking penguin on the sign above. 

Granary Square: North of King's Cross is Granary Square, and new this year is a giant cracker encouraging photographs and interactions. A giant pair of dice (a cracker gift) and hat/joke have popped out of the cracker. 

A new tree has also appeared this year to replace the one last year at the square. The new tree changes colour.

Coal Drops Yard: One of London's newest shopping and night life areas hosts a new Christmas tree each year. This one is interactive and changes colour and pattern.

Soho: Soho's Christmas lights this year have been designed by children. Central London schools contributed to this with artwork submitted in May for the lights to be created. 

The Shard: Each year in December, the stop of the Shard is lit up with different colours that cycle through in different patterns. I did not get a chance to go this year.

London Bridge: The area around City Hall and from London Bridge to Tower Bridge has Christmas markets and Christmas displays. Also check out Hays Gallery for a Christmas tree. I did not get a chance to visit this year.

Harvy Nichols: This department store has been brightened up with every colour in the rainbow and stained-glass effect designs.

Harrods: The whole shop is covered in lights, and there are nice window displays. However, the top attraction this year is a giant Chanel sculpture marketing their perfume.

Chelsea: I do not know where to begin here, but if you walk around Chelsea, you are bound to find some lovely displays, such as the two below.

The Ivy Chelsea on King's Road: This year, the Ivy have been inspired by the story of the Grinch. The village, mountain cave, and Grinch stealing Christmas have all been included in the display. This display is always a firm favourite.

King's Road: Giant Christmas trees, lights, and floral displays are located down King's Road.

Victoria and Victoria Station: Victoria has had several Christmas decorations placed around, and an advent calendar Christmas tree is on display in the station.

Tate Britain: Tate Britain's winter commission has not taken place this year, but you can read a post about the popular installation by Chila Kumari Singh Burman that displayed last year. "Remembering a brave new world".

Churchill Arms in Kensington: The Churchill Arms is London's best-dressed pub with Christmas trees covering the outside of the pub. It is worth a visit and is a little different each year.

South Bank: South Bank has a festive Christmas market on select weekends. I am not sure of the times. However, there's a lot of street food and restaurants along South Bank, so there's always something going on here. They are also hosting a version of their own Winter Lights exhibition until January 9, so it is worth a visit to see some illuminated artwork.

Winter Wonderland: After last year's cancellation, Winter Wonderland is back on again this year, but visitors must purchase tickets in advance in order to visit. This is to prevent over-crowding. Visitors can ice skate, visit a circus, shop at Christmas markets, enjoy food and drink, enjoy various roller coasters and other rides, and much more. I have not been this year, and I don't want to go. It's too busy at the best of times for me.

Previous London Christmas lights are below:

• Where to see London's Christmas Lights and Decorations in 2020
• Where to Buy Christmas-Themed Treats in London (2020)
• Where to see London Christmas lights and decorations (2019 Edition)
• Christmas in London 2018 - Lights and Displays
• Where to see London's Christmas Lights 2017
• London's Christmas Lights 2016
• Christmas Lights and Windows 2015
• London Christmas Lights 2014
• London's Christmas Lights 2013
• London Christmas Lights and Window Displays 2012

Previous London Window displays are below (I've phased these out as they have not been as interesting the past few years and more interest seems to be on the facade of the building as opposed to displays inside the windows):

• 2017
• 2016
• 2015
• 2014
• 2013
• 2012
• 2011

This year, Lego has returned to Covent Garden with a brand new installation called "Christmas Carousel of Creativity" after a few years. The installation is free to visit and features scuptures made for the 2021 holiday advertisement. A few years ago now, Lego used to reveal a new Lego installation for the holiday season each year in Covent Garden. December 2016 was the last official time that they did this because a new Lego store had just opened in Leicester Square at the end of 2016. In addition to the main installation, a secondary installation featuring some gnome sculptures has appeared amongst the floral displays in front of Covent Garden market.

Last year (2020), there actually was smaller scale Lego at Covent Garden over Christmas. There were smaller sculptures nestled in with the plant display in Covent Garden. The sculptures featured Mario and Santa with moving eyes, and you can see them in my Christmas post last year: Where to see London's Christmas Lights and Decorations in 2020.

In 2016, the last year that Lego did anything in Covent Garden for a few years, a large installation of Santa's workshop appeared (Lego "Let's Build Xmas" in Covent Garden). It was made of Lego bricks and had several sculptures with kits that could be purchased. As the official Lego shop had opened (First Look at the Lego Store in Leicester Square), I assumed that they were no longer interested in their installations at Covent Garden. 

The rotating carousel depicted different large-scale Lego creations: a car airplane, a firefighter dragon, a Christmas tree, a princess race car driver, a globe in the shape of an ice cream cone, and a cactus. A large-scale snowman and Santa and Christmas trees are also on display.

In previous years, the following Lego installations appeared at Covent Garden over the holidays: Santa and his reindeer, a large snowglobe filled with London monuments made from Lego, and a large Lego advent calendar which was opened daily. Visitors could sit inside the sleigh and have their photographs taken and were encouraged to use social media to upload them.

Bournemouth's Christmas Tree Wonderland Trail launched in 2018, and it's been held every year since. I did not visit it in 2019 nor in 2020, but I visited it again this year. In addition to the original trees and sculptures that I saw during my 2018 visit, there were a few new ones. Most of the Christmas Tree trail takes place in the middle of Bournemouth in the Lower Gardens. There is an expansive Christmas market in the middle of the town (just outside the Lower Gardens) as well, and the trail runs from the seafront. As with 2018 when some of the displays malfunctioned, some of the trees were not completely lit or lit at all, but the majority were. The Bournemouth Christmas Tree Wonderland will take place until the second of January. 

There were some new trees and a picture frame in the Christmas Market, which encouraged photographs.

My favourite was probably this glowing tree, although a few of the branches had malfunctioned.

I really wanted a hot chocolate, but we were in a rush because we were visiting family with small childen and baby, and the second time that I walked past the hot chocolate kiosk, it was rammed. So, my photographs are also all a bit rushed. It was also packed and impossible to do too much.

The high tree with music and lights that change colour and patterns had also returned, and visitors could walk through it again, but it was so busy.

There was a new fountain made of lit-up archways.

The trees are named after world cities, such as Seattle, Moscow, Bethlehem, and Warsaw. 

I loved the giant deer.

The buildings and trees around the Lower Gardens also had snowflakes projected onto them. 

The giant bauble could be walked through and attracted a lot of attention.

You can see my previous visit and photographs here:

Bournemouth's Christmas Tree Wonderland - 2018

In 2018 and 2019, I visited Henrietta Hotel in London's Covent Garden to enjoy Christmas-themed cocktails from U.S.-based pop-up bar Miracle. This is the fourth year that the pop-up bar has been in London. Miracle serve up a selection of festive alcoholic drinks in special glassware amongst Christmas decor. This year, it was not vintage Christmas (except for the old-style television playing "It's A Wonderful Life"), but it was still Christmassy with LED lights, warm blankets, a Christmas tree, garlands, wreaths, and a selection of modern Christmas music played with other hits. I visited with friends this year, and it was still good, but I felt that it was better in 2018 and 2019.

The drinks below are Christmaspolitan, On Dasher!, and Yippie Ki Ya Mother F****r! The drinks are pretty strong here, so you do get what you pay for. On Dasher! is a gin and vanilla liquer creamy cocktail topped with soda. Christmaspolitan is the Christmas version of the Cosmopolian cocktail but with a cranberry and spice twist. Yippie Ki Ya Mother F****r! is rum-based.

The Jingle Balls Nog came in a miniature mug and was a creamy cold cocktail with sherry, cream, milk, cognac, and other ingredients, but it was not strong at all. 

SanTaRex comes served in a festive T-Rex mug and includes tequila, melon liquer, and bitters.

For previous visits to Miracle at Henrietta in Covent Garden, see the links below:

Miracle Pop-up Christmas Cocktails Returns to London Henrietta Hotel
Christmas Cocktails @ Miracle at Henrietta

The Trafalgar Square Christmas tree gained a lot of publicity this year. Each year, a Christmas tree is placed in Trafalgar Square and lit with lights in the traditional method (as per Scandinavian style, the lights are hung horizontally instead of vertically). The tradition started in 1947 as a gift from Norway to Britain as a "thank you" for the support during World War II. The felling of the tree outside Oslo is an additional tradition with a poetry project attached to the process of the gifting. This year, however, the Christmas tree was mocked because it did not appear to be shaped perfectly and had some sparse branches. 

This is a real tree, and it is a gift from Norway. The significance should be placed upon that. The tree was given as a significance to remember those who helped each other. A real tree is not going to look perfect. What is "perfect"? Sure, some of the branches may be a little sparse near the bottom. Perhaps that part of the tree was covered by another pine tree. Perhaps it got the shade on a hillside or other trees and did not grow much there. Perhaps it had some damage on its way to England. In my opinion, it is a beautiful tree. It does not have to be perfect. What is perfect anyway? It is nature.

I imagine this tree in the forest in Norway, enjoying the company of wildlife and fresh snow. Then, it is chopped down to enjoy a Christmas in London so that everyone can enjoy seeing it and remember the history of the tradition.

Next to the Trafalgar Square Christmas tree is a nativity scene in a glass box, which is an art installation known as "Christmas Crib" by Tomoaki Suzuki. The work was commissioned by the church St. Martin-in-the-Fields in Trafalgar Square.

This year, there was also a fairly large Christmas market at Trafalgar Square and up by the National Gallery. Perhaps there was a marketing plan to get as many people into Trafalgar Square this year to see the Christmas tree.

This year, Christmas has returned to Carnaby Street with a bang. Over 600 butterflies fly overhead along Carnaby Street, and each butterfly is decorated with reflective wings and neon patterns. The installation has been a collaboration with the charity Choose Love to raise funds for refugees. The butterfly represents rebirth and change, which marks a significance with the charity work as well as the changing life due to the past couple of years.

I visited the Carnaby Street Christmas lights, which showcase the wording "Carnaby Kaleidoscope" on the arch above the street. he butterflies are difficult to photograph, and they were captured better on mobile than on my digital camera.

One of the side roads contained an additional butterfly installation.

To see previous Carnaby Street Christmas lights in my blog, see the below posts:

•  Carnaby Street Christmas Lights 2020: Choose Love
• Carnaby Street Christmas "One Ocean One Planet"
• Carnaby Street Christmas Lights Celebrate Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody"
• Carnaby Christmas Carnival
• Carnaby Christmas Revolution
• Carnaby Christmas Party
• Robins
• Santa
• Rolling Stones (rock and roll)

The Connaught hotel in Mayfair has worked with an artist each year (with the exception of last year) for the past several years in order to design their Christmas tree on Mount Street. The Connaught hotel's Christmas tree this year is designed by Annie Morris and Idris Khan. It features a Nordmann Fir that stands at nine meters. On three focal points of the tree, Morris' most famous work of stackable shapes is included, and each one is made of painted wood board and lit with lights. At the top of the tree is another of Morris's motifs, the "flower woman". Khan's contribution to the Christmas tree is the base, which shows the text "Merry Christmas" translated and superimposed numerous times.

Previous Connaught Christmas trees that I covered on my blog are below:

Wightwick Manor is a property maintained by the National Trust in West Midlands. This was my first ever visit to Wightwick Manor, and I got to see the house and grounds decorated for a traditional Christmas. Despite the appearance of a Tudor-framed medieval home, this house actually dates to the late 1800s. The house is influenced by the Arts and Crafts Movement, William Morris. The influence of the design in the house is medieval with the rooms appearing to be medieval instead of built at the end of the 1800s.

I had a wander around the grounds to see the front of the house, and it is a nice-looking house. The hedges were designed to look like Christmas puddings, a traditional English dessert made of dried fruit drenched in alcohol. 

The gardens had some decorated trees and hedges and a herd of reindeer that appeared to be ready to help Santa.

Inside the house, the influence of medieval rooms is apparant, but there's also the pattern and decoration made popular by the Arts and Crafts Movement on the walls and tapestries.

The Christmas decorations are inspired by traditional Victorian Christmases. In addition, we were told that one of the volunteers had experience making dresses, so there are four dresses located around the house to see. The first one was in the main room.

The fireplace in this room looks amazing, and I enjoyed the flower arrangements.

A couple of the rooms could be peeked into but not entered, so I had a look at them. A fireplace in the study shows some vintage toy animals, stockings, and garlands of greenery.

The other side of this room was the library.

The little nook inside the door contains a large fireplace and impressive stained glass and garlands.

The breakfast room was decorated with table settings set.

The hallway was also decorated with greenery, red berries, and candles.

The upstairs of the manor was closed, but the second dress was located on the top of the staircase, decorated inspired by the peacock. 

The hall is probably the most lavish room with high ceilings and decorated beautifully for Christmas. 

The third dress was in this room.

Off of this dining hall was the games room, and it was also decorated.

That room led into a smaller dining area with the fourth and final dress.

This room then leads to the servant quarters, and the kitchen off the side of this room was decorated with festive turkey and Christmas dinner.

Along the hallway were additional decorations and luggage, including sporting items that would be enjoyed on days away.

The kitchens were laid out with the festive meal in progress. It was the warmest room in the house, complete with roasting chestnuts and mince pies.

The servant's room also had its own decorations and Christmas tree.

Their kitchen was also in preparation for Christmas day, and on the way out was a walk through the laundry room and the game room with hanging pheasants.

Wightwick Manor looks like a lovely property, and I hope to visit it again soon and once the upstairs is opened. I enjoyed visiting the house to see the traditional Christmas decorations and the beautiful dresses.

I recently visited Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire, which was one of my favourite places that I first visited a few years ago. During December, the abbey comes to life with bright colours that light the pillars and walls, recorded choir music, and live singing in the cellarium. The cellarium has great acoustics and is a picturesque part of the abbey today. I arrived in the morning to go on the tour of the abbey and the Studley Royal Water Garden; the morning tour focused more on the UNESCO World Heritage property as a whole as constructed and used as a fashionable pleasure garden in Victorian times. There is a separate tour for the abbey history.

The tour focused on the abbey grounds and water gardens. The abbey was purchased to add to the water gardens as a romantic ruin; in those days, it was fashionable to have a ruin of a castle or abbey. We walked to the water gardens with the guide and finished on the other site and had a bite to eat in the cafe before heading back to listen to the choir.

On this day, it was York Musical Choir who were singing in the cellarium. They sang a group of Christmas songs - some traditional and some from other parts of the world. There were about ten songs that were sang, and they later sang the same songs again after a short break.

It was gradually starting to grow dark, so I waited around for the bright rainbow of lights in the cellarium and the abbey to be clearer. The lights were shining during the choir singing too, so it was magical. 

I wandered around the grounds and waited for the darkness so that I could see the colours more. The different colours and lights lit up various parts of the abbey.

After enjoying the colours, I headed over to Scotton to Guy Fawkes Arms pub to have a meal. I had enjoyed a meal at this pub on Easter during the year that I visited and went to Fountains Abbey. The food was still good, even though it is under new management now.

My previous visit to Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden is here: Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden. 

With the exception of last year, the past few years have become a new tradition to take afternoon tea during December with friends. Our reservation at the Savoy was cancelled last year for obvious reasons. Due to a mess-up with the reservation there this year, we ended up visiting Rubens at the Palace hotel for their Winter Wonderland Afternoon Tea, which comes with bottomless mulled wine. I had previously visited Rubens for the bottomless Prosecco afternoon tea, which I had in June (Bottomless Champagne Afternoon Tea at Rubens at the Palace).

The mulled wine came out first, and it was not too strong at all. It was also not as warm as I would have hoped. 

This was followed by the plates of sandwiches, scones, and pastries.

The hotel offers several different menus for diet requirements: gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, and standard. On the standard menu is roast turkey with cranberry and pomegranate sausage roll, smoked salmon with horseradish, beetroot and pastrami (or goat's cheese), truffle egg and ham mayonnaise, and cucumber and lemon cream cheese. There was also a jackfruit or nutroast with the vegetarian menu.

There were two types of scone provided - a plain and a speculoos. Clotted cream and a seasonal fruit preserve were included, and the preserve was plum. 

Now, on to the themed pastries.

Santa's Log: Mascarpone cream, poached vanilla apple, ginger honey sponge, and a biscuit create this red pastry that is topped with a white chocolate golden buckle.

Cherry Choux: white chocolate whipped ganache, cherry and yuzu compote, and cherry cream create this choux pastry. The cherry on top is soaked in liquer and quite boozey-strong unexpectedly.

Clementine: Dark chocolate mousse, orange curd, Madeleine sponge, orange marmalade, and a crunch base make this glossy orange pastry. It is topped with a white chocolate leaf.

Christmas Pudding Tart: This is a cranberry jam frangipane with custard cremeux. It is topped with a couple of berries and a white chocolate leaf.

On the way out, we spotted a hot chocolate bar in the entrance.

We saw some Christmas decorations at Victoria and on the way back to the underground.

Overall, the service was very good for our afternoon tea, and there were bottomless sandwiches. We enjoyed afternoon tea at Rubens at the Palace hotel.

A week ago, I spent my evening wandering around the Christmas Light Trail at Bolesworth Castle and enjoying a bottle of champagne with the bloke on "Champagne Island" toward the end of the trail. Bolesworth Castle is located in Cheshire, and it is a venue to hire for events and is also notable for its equestrian history and events. Bolesworth Castle Christmas Lights Trail caters to different audiences with champagne and a Christmas market, Santa and reindeer, a fairground, and various light displays. There are over 1.2 miles of trail covered in the Christmas Light Trail.

It was just starting to get dark when I arrived at Bolesworth Castle.

Before starting on the Christmas Light Trail, as it was still too bright, I decided to opt for some food. Unfortunately, the food kiosks (there were only three) were still setting up, which was a miss. I'd decided not to have lunch so that I could enjoy some food at one of the market stalls before the trail. There were only pizza and burgers, but unfortunately only the fries were cooked.

The light show (Arena Light at Laser Show) with the Christmas tree feature runs every half hour from 5:30 or 6:00. It features lasers and a light show that is tuned to music.

After the light show, I walked along to the start of the trail. The first feature was a field of cubes and trees that change colour to set Christmas music. There is a view of Bolesworth Castle, which has been lit up. The trees and the cubes changed colour and pattern depending on the music playing.

The first part of the trail led along to the "Enchanted Forest" with trees covered in lights.

The "Enchanted Forest" was my favourite part of the light trail because lights had been set up around the trees so that they could glow different colours.

At the entrance was a small herd of giraffs.

A little further along was a sparkling figure.

This led to a walkway with festoon lights.

The glowing deer reminded me of a famous book and film franchise.

I love how they managed to get different colours of light shooting amongst the trees.

An interactive tree was included on the trail, and the colours of the tree would change with a button push. The four buttons were named along with each season, and each had a different colour or pattern. Unfortunately, the spring one was broken, but the others worked. The summer one was the most interesting because it changed into multiple colours and played music.

The disco balls were up next, and below them were a family of frog minstrel sculptures. The disco lights had a strange effect.

I absolutely loved the colour of lights and the layering used here.

There were some other sculptures dotted around too, such as these hares.

I caught a glimpse of "Champagne Island", which was up on our list.

Before heading to "Champagne Island", I was able to check out Santa's reindeer. These reindeer are "reindeer-in-training" for Santa, and one of his sleighs is located inside. There were three adults and a child reindeer.

This led us to the sculpture trail, which was on the way to "Champagne Island", and we could see a variety of different sculptures around. Some of them were artistic figures. There were deer and horses and a giant pair of shoes. Most of the sculptures were of exotic animals.

Although the map with the event seems to suggest that you can walk around this sculpture trail in a loop, you actually cannot. So, you cannot get any closer to the bridge than the end of the sculptures (unless you have a "Champagne Island" ticket, but then you have to follow the trail as it does not loop around nearer to the river but simply goes over the rainbow bridge here.)

We approached "Champagne Island".

After crossing the rainbow bridge to the island, we were shown into our "bubble" where we had a heater, plenty of place to sit, pillows, blankets, and candles. We were given a bottle of champagne and then a platter with chocolates and a mince pie each. It was cosy inside.

The other side of the "island" was another bridge to cross. We should have come through this way, but we did not see it as it was dark, and no one guided us as they were meant to have done.

After the champagne, we walked back over the rainbow bridge so we could see the sculptures and the signage about the history of Bolesworth Castle as we rushed by them previously. I took some photographs on the bridge.

Near the reindeer area is a bar and toilets and a break point. We walked through, though, as we had had the champagne.

We walked through a lit-up archway or a light tunnel.

On the way back to the fairground rides, Christmas market, and ice skating, there were two final sculptures. One of them was a series of pine trees made of lights and miniature reindeer.

There were also these red tulips.

One of the Christmas markets had a lot of sculptures of primarily science fiction and fantasy characters, which I thought were really good.

I had a stop back at the market where I purchased some brownies and gin before heading out. It was a lovely evening. 

During December, National Trust open a few of their houses that have been decorated for the holidays, and seeing the properties decorated is always a treat. I had previously been to Grey's Court, an estate located in Oxfordshire not far from Henley-on-Thames and in the Chilterns, once during the lockdown when only the gardens and grounds were open, so I had never seen inside the mansion. The house was open with the rooms decorated for the holidays, so I spent the morning having a wander.

The house dates from the 16th century and was home to the Brunner family. There are walled gardens opposite, and other buildings on the estate date from the 14th century. I arrived before the house was open, so I had a wander around the gardens.

The below building is located opposite the house, and it contained a Christmas tree. This was used as extra accommodation for guests.

Around the garden were miniature sculptures of robins to find.

Once inside the house, I had a look inside the different rooms. The house is not too large, but it feels a comfortable size with good-sized rooms. 

The dining room is off from the entrance hall.

On the other side is a more formal room. The tree was decoated with robins.

The most beautiful room was the parlour or main living room. It was beautifully decorated with a Christmas tree, piles of wrapped boxes, pine garlands, and a working toy train circulating on a track around the central Christmas tree. This is a fascinating room.

From here, visitors could go upstairs. One of the rooms at the top was dark but decorated with hanging snowflakes and lights.

Next door was the children's bedroom, which was arranged with piled wrapped boxes and vintage toys.

The main two bedrooms were decorated with Christmas cards.

The main bedroom has amazing views over it and a spacious en suite.

Back through the bathroom led to the servant area rooms and then downstairs to the ground floor where we entered the spacious kitchen, which was decorated with knitted Christmas items - a knitted nativity scene and decorations, such as miniature Christmas puddings, mince pies, and colourful chain garlands.

It's a beautiful property, and I hope to visit it again next year. There are garden tours that take place in the morning, but we had somewhere else to be so could not stay for that.

Other posts about Grey's Court on this blog can be seen by clicking onto the below links:

A Visit to Grey's Court (National Trust, Oxfordshire): Lockdown Edition

This was my first ever visit to Hanbury Hall in Worcestershire, which is managed by the National Trust. The hall was built in the early 18th century by a wealthy family, and it replaced an earlier home. It was lived in by various members of the family until the mid-1900s, and it was then rented to tenants. The style of Christmas decorations are from the 1970s and 1980s, and this is an ode to the tenants of that time who threw lavish parties throughout the year. 

The manor house is a red brick building and described as being Queen Anne in style. It contains an orangery and formal gardens in the grounds.

The first piece of 1970s and 1980s popular culture is located at the front of the house with the Rubik's Cube planters holding miniature Christmas trees.

Inside the house is the main hall or reception area, and this room has the "wow factor". Off to the left is a grand staircase with floor-to-ceiling (including ceiling) paintings depicting scenes from mythology. For Christmas, the centrepiece is the Christmas tree, covered in blue and red and decorated for the cinema. The decorations are varous props from films and television series of that time: "Ghostbusters", "Indiana Jones", "A Clockwork Orange", "Knight Rider", and so on. 

To the left in the room is the grand fireplace and a lot of party decorations, including a 1970s-style bar, Babycham drinks, and more.

The room on the left of the grand entrance is a small sitting room or lounge area. There are many games and toys from the 1970s and 1980s to look at under the tree and also in a cabinet along one side of the room.

The room on the right of the entrance hall is a larger living room or parlour, and an old television was set up playing "Only Fools and Horses". The room had the curtains drawn to appear as if it were evening.

The room next door is the dining room, and this room was set out with 1970s and 1980s party food and party decor with bright pink Christmas trees and colourful decorations. The sweets and packaging of items were all vintage 1970s and 1980s, so it was like a step back in time.

The upstairs was also open, so after exploring the ground floor, I ventured upstairs to have a look.

The first room at the top of the stairs was a bedroom set out to appear unmade, as if the occupant had retreated from the party a little worse for wear, leaving hat and shoes and drinks glasses to the side with thrown-off clothing.

In a room next door, a temprary mattress remained on the floor with plenty of magazines, dresses, and posterboards. This is a girls room dating from the 1980s.

Another room was the room for the smaller children, and it was dark inside but filled with toys.

The last bedroom was decorated as if occupied by a teenage boy with a love of music.

After exploring the house, I went into the kitchens, which are located at the ground floor of the house and serve as the cafe and tearoom today. A Christmas tree greeted at the entrance, and 1970s and 1980s cook book and other items were scattered about.

I had a hot chocolate.

The formal gardens have even had a makeover with each triangular conifer tree having a silver or gold bauble placed on top of it.

I aso explored the second-hand bookstore, which is located off the formal gardens. It has the best second-hand bookstore at the National Trust that I've been to so far. I ended up finding a lot of books on my list, and there were plenty more that I wanted but could not carry. Inside the bookstore was another Christmas tree with a beautiful fireplace and Christmas display of books.

I did not walk around the larger part of the gardens because there's not too much to see at this time of the year, but I do plan to return to Hanbury Hall again during the summer so that i can see the gardens and have a longer walk around the area.

I really liked the Christmas theme of this house, and I thought that it was all done really well and is a beautiful property. It is always a treat to see the National Trust properties and houses decorated.

A few of the National Trust properties have been decorated for Christmas, and some of these have been opening up from the end of November to get people into the properties before they shut for the winter months. Hughenden Manor in Buckinghamshire is one of the properties that has opened for the Christmas season. I first visited Hughenden at the end of the summer in 2019 (which you can read here:  Hughenden Manor). The estate was owned by Benjamin Disraeli, who was the prime minister during some of the reign of Queen Victoria. He became a friend of the queen, so the house contains some objects from her. The house was also used during World War II, and it was a secret base for cartographers. During the Christmas period, only the ground floor is open with decorations in every room.

The Christmas trees and decorations for the National Trust houses have different themes, and the theme at Hughenden this year is "Gardener's Christmas". The theme is inspired by the gardens at the estate, which were created by Mary Anne Disraeli. The decorations have been made by volunteers and all relate to gardens with some additional items added that the Disraelis may have appreciated. Each room was decorated in its own style. One Christmas tree contained a selection of hand-knitted vegetables, and another contained carved wooden items of gardening equipment.

Queen Victoria did dine at Hughenden Manor once, and the chair that she sat in is still around the table pictured below. The queen was short, so the legs of the chair were trimmed for her so that her feet would reach the floor.

Disraeli loved peacocks, so the Christmas trees outside in the garden were decorated with peacock colours. One of the trees in the house used the same style with bright blue and purple peacock feather designs.

The house can be explored with its Christmas decorations until January 3. Additional posts about Hughenden Manor can be seen below:

Hughenden Manor