Results tagged “Christmas”

I love London decorated for Christmas, and this year certainly does not disappoint. This post showcases most of London's Christmas lights, Christmas trees, and areas where you can see some of the best Christmas window displays. I have spent the past month scouting out the best that London has to offer for Christmas lights and displays. I don't think any of my readers will be disappointed this year. Yes, many of the lights are the same but there are quite a lot of new displays.

Covent Garden: Now that Covent Garden has finished its renovations, it is in top form for some excellent Christmas displays. The mistletoe lights and giant silver baubles have been used for the previous few years and are reused again this year, and the giant silver reindeer that has been shown for the past few years is also back on display. The large Christmas tree in the same Covent Garden basket is also back on display. The Lego sculptures and displays are now a thing of the past as the not-so-new Lego store is around the corner in Leicester Square. This year also brings a couple of new selfie-stops to Covent Garden. The first is a vintage car topped with wrapped presents and decorated pine branches, and the second is the addition of two wooden chairs within the market hall to be used for photographs amongst a wintery floral display backdrop. I am actually really impressed with Covent Gardens displays this year, and it is certainly one of the top places to be in London this winter.

The Christmas tree at the restaurant The Ivy Market Grill in Covent Garden is the same or very similar to last year's one.

Seven Dials: A short walk just north of Covent Garden is an area known as Seven Dials, which is full of nice shops and cafes and the roundabout with seven roads leading off it. In recent years, the area has changed their Christmas lights each year. This year's theme is white snowflakes. Along the monument in the middle of the Seven Dials' roundabout, I loved the light display with the white and gold lights and snowflakes strung along the buildings.

Leicester Square: Head southwest from Seven Dials, and in a brisk 10-minute walk, you will be at busy Leicester Square. This area is always filled with tourists and is one area of London that I avoid throughout the year. Leicester Square was renovated a few years ago, and a year or two after this, it has become home to a new Christmas market with entertainment. 

Piccadilly Circus: These days, the statue of Eros has scaffolding around it to protect it from people as (for some unknown reason), it tends to attract people who wish to climb it. This is sad because it is a much prettier monument without the scaffolding around it. For a couple of years, the statue was a feature in a Christmas display, being encased within a giant snow globe; the wind put a stop to that one year. Soon after that, a tourist scaled the statue and damaged it, and for the majority of the time, it has been encased in scaffolding. This was removed for a time but replaced due to another incident. The scaffolding has some light-up Christmas images on screens, but this appears out of place, and the main feature are the electronic advertising boards and the beginning of the Christmas lights on Regent Street.

Regent Street: These angel Christmas lights have been used for the past few years now, though I think they were all white lights previously. This year, I did think they looked pretty whereas I've found them a boring in the past.

Soho: Walk for about ten minutes up Regent Street (more if you wish to pop into shops or if you keep on the left to avoid the crowds outside Hamley's Toy Store), and off to the right toward Carnaby Street (but just beyond) is the entrance into London's popular Soho area. This area now has its own Christmas lights So-ho-ho, which i thought was a cute Christmassy take on the area.

Carnaby Street: This historical fashion street takes up a small space just off Regent Street just south of Oxford Street (near Liberty Department Store). This area always has the best Christmas lights in London as they are different each year. This year, the Christmas lights were a tribute to band Queen's song "Bohemian Rhapsody". Not all of the Christmas lights on Carnaby Street have been too Christmassy in the past; they take inspiration from the street and its history in rock 'n' roll. The Queen tribute is to celebrate the new film, and a pop-up store has been placed on Carnaby Street for the Christmas period so that people can buy merchandise and look at props from the film. For more photographs of these beautiful lights, see Carnaby Street Christmas Lights Celebrate Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody".

Oxford Street: Oxford Street was meant to have new Christmas lights this year, but this was postponed due to Crossrail running behind schedule. Instead, the older lights were used, although the area around Oxford Circus had a few new lights to start its familiar display of twinkling orbs. This year, the orbs are in blue and purple colours. Several of the department stores also get into the spirit by decorating their stores with lights. Boots, Debenhams, John Lewis, Marks and Spencer, and Selfridges always have their own displays.

Bond Street: Bond Street runs down through Mayfair to Piccadilly Street, and the lights here have remained the same lights that have consistently been used and were inspired by peacock feather and diamonds. The blue archways (not photographed this year) on South Molton Street (near Bond Street tube station) are also on display again.

St. Christopher's Place: On the north side of Oxford Street and a block away from Selfridges is a "blink and you'll miss it" alleyway that opens up to a narrow street known as "St. Christopher's Place". This area normally change up their display with the white baubles. This year, it has gone very British with red, white, and blue figures standing atop the baubles.

Mayfair: Many of Mayfair's shops and hotels decorate for the holidays. One of the must-see Christmas trees in London is the Connaught Christmas tree. It is designed by a different artist each year, and this year, it is designed by Michael Craig-Martin. For more photographs and information, see: The Connaught Christmas Tree 2018 is Designed by Michael Craig-Martin. Stella McCartney also always decorate the facade of the building. One of the other stars this year, which has attracted much attention on Instagram, is Annabel's Wine Bar, a private nightclub on Berkeley Square. The facade of the building has been decorated like a giant Christmas tree.

Sloane Square, Belgravia and Chelsea: The past few years, Sloane Square has had these lights hanging from the trees. Not too far away in Belgravia, the shops are decorated with beautiful Christmas displays. Elizabeth Street in Belgravia has the Instagramable cafe and bakery Peggy Porschens and Dominique Ansel. I will be posting separately about Peggy Porschens, but the display is beautiful with their pink building. They will also be launching a new shop on King's Road sometime in the new year. The other Instagramable Christmas display is The Ivy Garden Chelsea. The facade of the building is covered with Christmas decorations and baubles. 

King's Cross: King's Cross station always puts up a new Christmas tree each year. This year, it is decorated by jewelery brand Tiffany's. It is ice blue and silver and shows a giant robot decorating the tree.

Leadenhall Market: Leadenhall Market in the city of London always has a Christmas tree, and there's also one outside of City Hall near Tower Bridge. Broadgate also has its own skating and Christmas market here. The buildings often are also lit up for Christmas with the Shard, Tower 42, and the Heron Tower (Salesforce Tower) lit up in festive colours. I have not been there this year.

Trafalgar Square: This is a traditional Christmas tree gifted to London by Norway each year for helping the country during World War II, but it is not usually on display until later in December. There's been a tree in the square since 1947. It is lit in the Norwegian style of decoration, which includes putting the lights on vertically. I did not get a photograph of it this year. 

Somerset House: Somerset House is probably London's most famous ice skating rink, and it attracts many people throughout the season. The giant Christmas tree here is decorated by Fortnum & Mason. There is also a food shop set up here during the season.

Winter Wonderland and Winterville: Winter Wonderland is in Hyde Park and London's largest Christmas destination with a range of activities and entertainment available. It is an excellent place to visit to get into the Christmas spirit and has a good-sized Christmas market. Winterville is now located in Clapham Common and is a much smaller version of Winter Wonderland. For a write-up of Winterville, see: A Visit to Winterville and Backyard Cinema's Christmas Labyrinth. For a write-up of Winter Wonderland, see An Evening at Winter Wonderland Hyde Park and "The Snowman Experience" by Backyard Cinema.

Window Displays: John Lewis' window displays for Christmas mimic their Christmas commercial this year, which feature Elton John and "Step into Christmas". Selfridge's display shows various Christmassy figures dressed up with its products, and it was similar to last year's and not that imaginative. Fortnum & Mason's were my favourite this year with several interesting windows and flying mince pies. Visitors to London can check out Harrods and Harvy Nichols for their window displays, but I rarely visit that area of London. To be honest, I have not found the Christmas window displays in London very interesting in the past two or three years, so I have decided not to dedicate a full post to it this year.

Special Mention - Most Festive Pub: The Churchill Arms around the corner from Notting Hill station is London's most festive pub. The pub also has wonderful floral displays in the spring and summer, but this year, it is covered with Christmas trees. These are lit at dark. I will be covering this in more detail later on, but I thought it looked amazing.

Previous London Christmas lights are below:

• 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:

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

The popular Christmas-themed bar "Miracle" has come to London from the U.S. in a special pop-up at Henrietta Hotel in Covent Garden and is currently serving up festive drinks in holiday glassware. The Christmas decor throughout the bar is "nostalgic" Christmas with vintage cards, prints, illustrations, paper chains, tinsel, and ornaments dating from the 1950s-1970s time frame on display. The seats were laden with warm fur to complete the cozy winter feeling, and classic Christmas songs were being played. Anyone who visits will immediately be transported to the Christmas of their childhood.

I tried three different cocktails. The first one was served in a mug shaped like a barrel: Christmas Carol Barrel. This contained aged rum, Amaro, pumpkin pie, lemon, and Angostura Bitters. The second one was served in a glass with a miniature stuffed koala bear: Koala-la-la-la, la la la la. This is made with gin, pine, lime, orange bitters, and eucalyptus syrup. The third one is served in a tall glass with a vintage Santa pulling a reindeer sleigh printed on it: And a Partridge in a Pear Tree. This cocktail included Tequila, pear brandy, mezcal, spiced demerara syrup, lime, egg white, Angostura bitters and cinnamon. My favourite was the "Koala-la-la-la, la la la la" cocktail as it was more refreshing and not as strong, but these are very strong cocktails. (I don't drink much alcohol, so I would have preferred some mocktail alternatives to these.)

Small snacks could also be purchased with the alchol, but the selection is very small and I cannot imagine the plates would be that large. I suggest eating somewhere first and then having cocktails to follow up, though I did get pleasantly tipsy for about fifteen minutes until I walked it off around Covent Garden. Without further comment, enjoy the photographs below.

Miracle is located at Henrietta Hotel in Covent Garden, and booking is recommended. I turned up in the middle of the day on a Sunday and had to wait about fourty-five minutes for a table or bar seat. Bookings are for two hours each. Miracle is located here for a short time only and closes its doors on December 23.

Each year, The Connaught hotel in Mayfair puts up a Christmas tree that has been designed by an artist. I have been following the different Christmas trees at The Connaught for the past three years now, and Michael Craig-Martin has designed the latest Christmas tree and follows artists Tracey Emin, Damien Hirst, and Antony Gormley.

Craig-Martin is an artist who plays with light and colour, and his tree is aglow with hundreds of fairy lights that light up the whole tree. The colours change, taking on new patterns and colours while visitors watch.

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

• Tracey Emin
• Damien Hirst
• Antony Gormley

Carnaby Street's Christmas lights are probably the best in London because they are different every year. Last year, Carnaby Street had "Christmas Carnival" lights that were reminiscent of a tropical carnival with palms, parrots, confetti, and glitter. This year's Christmas lights were also not as Christmassy as they have had in past year, but they are colourful and bright so easily pass for Christmas lights. Carnaby's Christmas Lights this year celebrate band Queen's song and new film "Bohemian Rhapsody" with the lyrics printed in colourful and glowing neon signs overhead. I tried to get amazing photographs of these lights, but my camera really did no do justice. There's so many bright different colours in the mix that my camera did not pick up.

In the past, Carnaby's Christmas lights celebrated music as this street was fashionable in the 1960s with new fashions and music, and it was frequented by many artists. The importance of showcasing Queen this year coincides with the release of the film "Bohemian Rhapsody", which is the story of the band Queen and lead singer Freddie Mercury. On the light switch-on, actors from the film and some members of the band's family kicked off the celebrations. 

To generate interest in the film, which was released this autumn, a pop-up Queen shop has opened for a couple of months on 3 Carnaby Street. The shop sells Queen merchandise and also has items on display including some photocopies of Freddie Mercury's hand-written lyrics for some of his famous songs, a drum kit, photocopies of ticket stubs, and costumes and props from the new film.

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

• Carnaby Christmas Carnival
• Carnaby Christmas Revolution
• Carnaby Christmas Party
• Robins
• Santa
• Rolling Stones (rock and roll)

Last Thursday, I found myself in Winterville with my colleagues for our work Christmas party. This visit included a visit to Backyard Cinema's Christmas Labyrinth to watch "The Greatest Showman", ice skating, roller blading, mini golf, drinks and dinner at Winterville's Street Feast. Winterville first opened its doors in Stratford east London a few years ago, but it is located at Clapham Common this year. It is essentially a much smaller version of Hyde Park Winter Wonderland. Note that I did not participate in some of the activities, but I watched as others did.

Visitors to Backyard Cinema in Winterville this year had to find their way through the Christmas Labyrinth before sitting down to watch the show. Visitors could choose from one of four doors into the labyrinth. One of the doors reminded me of a grand forest entrance; the other was a wooden door with a lion knocker. Another door was a steel door, and the last door was a small door with a jester's hat on it. I decided to take my chances with the steel door, which opened up into a Victorian-era house. 

Dead ends in the labyrinth led to empty rooms filled with clocks, and doorways through to other rooms were through the fireplace mantle, through a wardrobe, and out a door onto a cobbled 'street' and into a small room that was decorated like a pub.

After finding my way out of the labyrinth, I headed over to the bar and ordered a Gingerbread Martini and a glass of Prosecco. I didn't realise that we had VIP tickets that included mulled wine. I let one of my colleagues have it as I am not really a big fan of mulled wine anyway. 

The beanbag seats were the most comforable seats that I've had in a cinema. While everyone was waiting to get seated, Christmas songs were playing on the screen before "The Greatest Showman" was shown. I've seen the film previously when it came out, and the songs from the film are very popular at the moment. 

After the film, we went to Magic Bar Rum Bar, and I had a tropical drink. Rum isn't really my choice of drink, but this was good and fruity/tart and did not taste too strongly of alcohol.

Nearly everyone participated in the ice skating, but I sat it out because I do not have good balance and I did not want to hurt myself. Unfortunately, one colleague did hurt himself and had to go to the hospital. 

After the skating, we headed over to Street Feast and choose what we wanted with the money we were given to use. I had KRAPow Northern Thai Street Food. I had the chicken on fries, which was served with spice. The food was really good, and I loved the fries. I didn't have any food earlier, so my stomach was not very hungry and I struggled to finish it. I was going to get some halloumi fries as they are my absolute favourite, but I wasn't hungry.

After eating, I wanted something sweet so looked for the hot chocolate my colleagues mentioned. I ended up getting a hot chocolate Baileys, which wasn't very nice. Then I came across Chin Chin Labs and their pop up selling hot chocolate, sticky toffee pudding, and a couple of other treats. I ordered the toasted marshmallow hot chocolate, which was good. I then had a really quick look around Winterville. It wasn't very busy.

Before having some more drinks in one of the tent bars and chatting with colleagues old and new, I played mini golf. 

Overall, there's something for everything at Winterville, and I really enjoyed The Christmas Labyrinth at Backyard Cinema and also meeting up with my colleagues for drinks, food, and activities. 

Back in 2008, I visited Colunbus Zoo in Columbus, Ohio. I went to see the Wildlights at the zoo, which was a very popular attraction to do at Christmas at that time and a few years prior. It was one of the first places to do a spectacular Christmas lights tradition, and since then, these are done at quite a few places. The zoo came to life with thousdands of Christmas lights at dusk. On the day I visited, it was close to -30 degrees Celsius, so a lot of my photographs did not turn out too well because it was much too cold, and we did not hang around for too long. It was just so cold; as soon as we were outside, breath from our noses froze.

Apparently, this tradition at Columbus Zoo started in or around 1998, but I had never heard of it until 2005 when friends visited; I suppose they mentioned it on social media, so attractions like this get a lot of publicity through word-of-mouth on social media. One of the other things to see, besides the lights, were some of the animals. I think they generally avoided the lights around the animals that need their sleep, but other animals could be visited in that time. These included the reptitle/lizard/bat houses, the elephant room, and the aquarium.

Wildlights at Columbus Zoo is still going strong but is not quite as popular as it once was. I would like to visit it again if I am around the area, but it depends if it has improved and is worth visiting. I know that zoos have gotten a bad reputation in the past few years, partially due to the stupidity of humans. I don't mind a trip to the zoo as long as the animals are content, and I think it helps people and children to learn about and appreciate animals. I remember my first visit to the zoo and learning about the animals.

This year and for the first time, the Beaulieu Motor Museum has joined in the Christmas fun with an illuminated Christmas trail. The Christmas trail at Beaulieu is located at the Motor Museum in Hampshire's New Forest, and it features a mile-long illuminated trail with immersive installations. I visited the trail on Sunday evening, and shown below are just some of the illuminations. The Motor Museum's gift shop and restaurant also stayed open for the evening, and a fun fair with food trucks and rides was also present. Overall, the trail was not too busy and certainly not as busy as I expected it would be.

Many areas, such as trees, were illuminated on the trail, and snowflakes lit up the trail in some areas. The buildings also made a canvas for illuminations with patterns and snowflakes projected onto them. The trail also featured a Tunnel of Light with over 100,000 lights, sparkling colour-changing LEDs in synchronisation with Christmas hymns, a wishing tree, Alice in Wonderland illuminated tea party, additional light tunnels with Christmas songs playing, a tunnel of icicle lights, and illuminated illustrations set to the song "The Twelve Days of Christmas". Throughout the trail, filtered-spotlights adding colour to statues, trees, and architecture at Beaulieu and stars and fairy lights hung or were displayed along the path. Many stops along the trail provided great photograph opportunities.

One of the best displays was the Scented Fire Garden with lit ruins of Beaulieu Abbey, which projected a pattern onto the side of the abbey. This included the Fire Garden Cloisters, designed with flames and a Christmas-tree shaped structure with flames as the centrepiece. The arches and brickwork of the medieval abbey were lit up.

Santa Claus also made an appearance with one of his helpers with a short performance.

Half the way through the trail was a marshmallow pit with fires to enjoy toasted marshmallows over. The marshmallows could be purchased and toasted separately or with a unique take on the s'mores with ginger snap biscuits, a slice of dark chocolate and your choice of flavoured marshmallow.

Probably my favourite illiminations of the evening were the projections onto Palace House with colour-changing and illustrations of lights, all set to classical music. The sequence was a few minutes long and then repeated.

The finale of the trail included several small pine trees and a larger pine tree. These pine trees were sequenced to Christmas music with the colours of the lights changing and flickering along with the music to create patterns and different colours. This was a repeating sequence and was colourful.

This is the first year that Beaulieu have put on a Christmas trail, and I think they did a good job of creating interesting and immersive areas. This is certainly much better than the "Christmas at Kew" (Illuminated Kew Gardens at Christmas) illuminated trail that I visited in 2014, which only included a few illuminations with a wide area of dark trails without anything interesting in between. It was a fun evening out.

I visited the Geffrye Museum before Christmas in order to see their special 'Christmas Past' display, and my visit today was to partake in the Twelfth Night fun and the farewell party. The museum is located in a former almeshouse and depicts how people lived in London in the past. It shows the most popular family room (known in the past as living room, lounge, great hall, reception room, or parlour) in the house and describes items of furniture and how people lived. At Christmas, visiting the museum is extra special because the rooms are decorated for Christmas as they would have been in the age of the room on display. Christmas is actually a fairly recent celebration. Although it was observed in the past and most-likely adopted by Christains from pre-Christain or pagan rituals, it was not on the scale that we celebrate it today. In fact, Twelfth Night and Ephiphany were the popular celebration days.

Twelfth Night is celebrated twelve days after Christmas. This would fall on the 5th of January with Epiphany taking place on the sixth of January. The word "epiphany" means "manifestation" in Greek; essentially, this is when the three wise men went to present gifts to baby Jesus. 

In the past and on the Twelfth Night in England, the wassail was sung to help the orchards and apple trees, and this would date back to pre-Christain times in the aid of the Holly Man or Green Man and the designated queen/king of the party. (I've covered a little bit about this topic in my Borough Market Apple Day post.) A yule log was also left burning until this day to protect the home.

Epiphany was also a day to play games, sing, and to prank people. It was a day of entertainment and parties. People drank spiced drinks with ginger or cinnamon and ate Twelfth Cake, which is similar to Christmas cake (a dried fruitcake and marzipan icing). Inside the cake would be a baked-in bean and a pea, and sometimes other items were included. The finder of the bean became king, and the finder of the pea became queen. This probably was a tribute to the wassail events. It was also customary that these parts were not gender-specific, so a female could be a king and a male a queen. A Twelfth Tart was also a dessert created to mimic stained-glass.

When I arrived, a band was playing Christmas songs, and a fire was lit in front of the museum. I also saw a large queue/line to purchase a slice of Twelfth Cake and mulled wine and for children to participate in a "lucky dip" to be queen or king for the night. I saw a smaller queue/line for the museum itself, but as I had just been three weeks ago, I did not need to return.

Upon having a quick browse, I went back to the band when it was eventually joined by a man in costume who told us about the Twelfth Night and historical information. He also explained that the Geffrye Museum would be closed for two years as they had received the funding of roughly 18 million pounds in order to renovate the displays, add more displays, add a new entrance from Hoxton station, and open up an almeshouse for tours. So, if you wish to visit before it closes for two years, today is the last day.

In between Christmas carols (such as "Good King Wenceslas", "The Twelve Days of Christmas", and "We Three Kings"), we were told more history of the songs and customs of the past. The king(s) and queen were also crowned and given a garland to wear.

After nearly the last carol, I escaped the crowd. By now, the fire was warm and surrounded by a small crowd.

For those who wish to join in the Farewell Party for the Geffrye Museum, the party goes on all day today until 5:00pm. Events will still take place on thr grounds throughout the year, and apparently, there may be a few tours of the almeshouses before the work is finished. Are any of my readers regular visitors to the museum, and will you miss visiting it when it's closed for two years?

Geffrye Museum, located in Hoxton in east London, is a former almshouse for poor pensioners. The almshouse was saved from being demolished and transformed into a museum of the home. Inside the museum, several of the rooms have been transformed into different period rooms to show how the middle classes lived. Each Christmas, the museum decorates the rooms for the holidays and keeps each room's Christmas design true for each time. Information panels also describe how Christmas was celebrated at each time.

The former almshouse that is now the Geffrye Museum is built with an internal courtyard, and others followed the same pattern.

The first room is a replica of 1630, and the communal living area was called the "hall", and this is where people would speak, conduct business, and entertain themselves. The room was covered with oak panelling. Friends would have a Christmas meal.

Next was a "parlour" from 1695, and it was located on the first floor of a town house with the three windows overlooking the street. These types of homes were common after the Great Fire of London in 1666. The parlours were more private for families and guests to have meals. Christmas would have consisted of song and dance with snacks and a trip to the church in the evening. Christmas was low key and banned for a few years from 1644, although some did celebrate it privately.

In the below photograph, the "parlour" dates from 1745. It was a formal room for everyone to be polite to each other, and there were set standards of behaviour in this room. In these years, people had friends over in the Christmas season (between Christmas and New Year), and they often went to church and gave to charity.

In 1790, the "parlour" furnishment and decoration changed quite a lot. Rooms were brighter and used lighter colours with delicate decorative detail. Patterned wallpaper was used, and people enjoyed the classics. Christmas was not celebrated quite as much during this time when compared with 150 years previously when large meals would be enjoyed and the poorer would be treated to a meal by the landlords.

The "drawing room" in 1830 was the centre of the home for entertaining and also became a woman's area with matching decor and smaller pieces of furniture that could be moved around easily. The room was known as the "withdrawing room" as a place to go to after eating a meal. At Chrtistmas, games similar to charades would be played here on "Twelfth Night", and a special pudding like a Christmas cake would be enjoyed. The cake would contain an item that donated a special title for the night to the finder.

The 1870 "drawing room" was a large change, and more people would be commuting instead of living and working in the same building. The decor and furnishings looked more "busy", and gas lighting was introduced. At this time, Christmas came to be more similar to what we celebrate today. Previously, the decor was minimal. In this room, we see the introduction of the Christmas tree, a tradition that Prince Albert brought from Germany. Gifts were given to children, and families would attend the church services. On the piano, sheet Christmas music is displayed. The Christmas tree would have been lit with candles.

The "drawing room" from the 1890 time was a complete change brought about in the 1870s, adopted by people who wanted an artistic style. The rooms were very stylised and detailed.

The "drawing room" of 1910 features a room in a suburb of London in a semi-detached home. At this time, electric was in use. The cottage-style homes had hallways, fireplaces, and lower ceilings. In this time, the rooms were used regularly by families and were less formal. The terms "living room" and "sitting room" started to take over. Christmas is a bigger deal at this time, and the Christmas stocking had been adopted as  a place to put gifts for children.

In 1935, the "living room" is a modernist design with horizontal lines and simple shapes, and the room here represents a flat. Entertaining for Christmas is important and design is with an artificial Christmas tree and paper lanterns and chains.  

In 1965, the "living room" is of a flat and has its own heating system and space for a television to be the focal point in the house instead of the fireplace. Walls were kept clean for the colour to be used in furnishings. Scandinavian design inspired the style, and the coffee table was used.

The last room is a 1998 loft-style apartment living room area. At this time, commercial buildings and warehouses were converted into flats and lofts. Furnishings and design is sparse, and the result of these style of homes is open plan.

That concludes the tour of the rooms in the Geffyre Museum, which I found interesting to see how people lived. There's a lot more in the museum that I did not cover or post photographs of.

Geffyre Museum will actually be shut for renovation work from January 7, 2018. It will be shut for two years, so do visit before then or go to their closing party, which will also be their "Twelfth Night" event.

Going to see a Christmas concert is one way to get into the Christmas spirit after a busy couple of weeks of traveling and a busy year. Last Thursday, I took my parents to the Royal Albert Hall to see the BT Christmas Concert and to have a pre-concert meal at Elgar Bar and Grill, which is located inside the Albert Hall. I had been looking forward to the Christmas concert for awhile. I absolutely love Christmas music. The classic Christmas music is my favourite, and I love the hits by greats like Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, Louis Armstrong, Nat King Cole, Perry Como, Mel Torme, Ferrante & Teicher, and so many others.

Elgar Bar and Grill serves up a selection of grilled meats and vegetarian options. It is decorated with photographs of famous singers who performed at the Albert Hall and also contains a piano in the room, but this was not being played. There are a few restaurants in and around the Albert Hall, but I picked this one because it had a good menu and food that we could all agree on. I ordered the James Brown-inspired cocktail (Soul Power) from the menu. We had roast beef, sirloin steak, and chicken. Chips and mashed potato were ordered, and the chicken came with puree carrots and crispy kale. 

For dessert, we had banoffee ice cream, creme brulee, and sticky toffee pudding. The food was delicious. I would visit this restaurant again the next time I visit the Royal Albert Hall.

After the meal, we headed into the Royal Albert Hall, which was decorated for the festive season.

The concert had a good mixture of music performed by the Laura Tebbutt, London Community Gospel Choir, the Tiffin Boys' Choir, Nadim Naaman (currently performing in 'Phantom of the Opera'), Laura Wright, the London choir and orchestra, and the Royal Marines drummers. Many traditional Christmas songs were sung/played. Clare Balding and Chris Hollins hosted the evening with some really cheesey Christmas-themed jokes. I loved the Royal Marines coming in to drum their Christmas beat in complete synchornisation, and I loved the vocalists and orchestra. The night ended with a fantastic firework display with confetti falling to the floor. 

It was a great night, but I would have preferred less audience participation (carols and carol singing), although I believe that the choice of hosting and anticipation from previous years did make it a bit more of an informal event. I would have loved to have heard the orchestra play more songs on their own or be able to enjoy listening to the singing from my seat instead of being forced to sing and subjected to the noises made by the groups of women who had had a little too much. As this was a hosted event, I would have preferred a little more facts about the music being played or coming up instead of the cheesey Christmas jokes used as fillers. However, I think it was the type of event that best goes down with a few drinks before and during the show.

After visiting Kufstein in Innsbruck in Austria, we headed to the town of Lindau, which is situated on Lake Constance in southwest Germany (in Bavaria). The town is on an island in the lake, with a bridge to the mainland, and the town dates back to before Roman times. There are boat trips around the lake or to an Austrian town on the opposite side of the lake. The town also has its own Christmas market, which is situated on the picturesque harbour. The Christmas market was the main reason for our visit.

We arrived fairly early and had a wander around the Christmas market first. The Christmas market is fairly small but has a diverse selection of items for sale and the famous mulled wine.

Smoked fish was also on offer here, and I noticed this before from other Christmas markets.

Another popular treat I discovered in Lindau, and this was similar to a pizza. There were sweet and savoury ones, and I had the sweet one with apple and vanilla cream. I've never had anything that tasted quite like this before.

The day we visited was very foggy and cloudy, but there was a short moment where the clouds lifted and we could see the mountains on the other side of the lake. The harbour has a lighthouse and a sculpture of a seated lion, which looks like a tribute to Roman times.

There is also a clocktower on the side of the harbour, and this opens later in the afternoon and in the evening to offer wonderful views over the harbour and the Christmas market.

After exploring the Christmas Market, we walked down the main street in Lindau, which is only a couple of streets away from the harbour. We saw the beautiful buildings, shops, and a huge Christmas tree. We also had dinner at a German restaurant.

After eating, we went back to the Christmas market in order to see it in the dark. It looked beautiful lit up with the clocktower glowing.

Whereas Innsbruck in Austria has a mountain Christmas Market, Lindau has a lake Christmas market. Have you ever been to Lindau Christmas Market?

After exploring Kufstein in Austria (on the border with Germany) and its castle, I visited Innsbruck, which is just down the road and in the Tyrol/Tirol region. Innsbruck is noted for its winter sports and has a skiing resort on the mountains above the city, which can be seen from the city. It has hosted the Winter Olympics and Paralympics. It is also the home of Swarovski crystal glass company, which is located nearby with a crystal glass experience located in Innsbruck itself. Unfortunately, we did not get to go to that or take a ride on the cable car up to the mountain, but we did get to explore the Christmas market. One of the Christmas trees in the market is actually made with the Swarovski crystals.

Innsbruck has wonderful mountain views from the city with wonderful photograph opportunities, such as the one below with the government building off Wilhelm-Greil-Straße.

 The Triumph Arc below that is another monument that frames the snow-capped mountains nicely.

Unfortunately, it grew darker before we could check out the Christmas market with the snow-capped mountains behind it, but I could still see the lights from the ski lodges on the mountain above in the darkness.

We had dinner at an Austrian restaurant before exploring some of the old town and the Christmas market. Like the German Christmas markets, all types of items can be bought here from crafts to cooked food to mulled wine to Christmas decorations. It has a wonderful atmosphere with a large Christmas tree, Rathaus and decorated buildings, such as the building with the golden roof. Unfortunately, I was only able to see these in the dark so could not get any impressive photographs.

One of the charms of Innsbruck we noticed were large giant puppets and sculptures on the top above the doorways of buildings depicting giants and fairy tales. The "Fairy Tale and Giant's Alley" is a treat showing several characters dressed as giants or fairy tales. I spotted 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarves' and 'Rapunzel', but there were so many more to find along the way and in unexpected places if bothering to look up.

The Christmas market also promises other activities and horse/pony rides through the town, so it was a shame that we arrived too late to also take advantage of this. I may have to go back.

Earlier this month, I visited Munich with my parents. They wanted to visit a Christmas market in Germany. I had already been to Nuremberg on a previous trip (covered here) and Rothenburg ob der Trabeur (covered here), so I made the booking reservations to visit Munich's Christmas market (with additional day trips that I will cover in later posts). Munich is the capitol of the Bavaria area in southern Germany, and the Christmas market has been here since the 14th century. The Christmas market was originally located along the river, but it moved to Marienplatz in 1972.

We got the train into Munich and got off at Marienplatz where we saw the Old Hall and clocktower before having a wander around.

The Rindermarkt is located a short walk away, and it specialises in food (fruit and vegetables, cheeses, meats, and cooked food and mulled wine) and items for the home, such as wreaths, floral arrangements, crafts, small firs, and mistletoe. I also saw a selection of items for tourists and a couple of wooden huts selling antique Christmas ornaments. 

We had a long look around the main Munich Christmas Market in Marienplatz, opposite the Rathaus. A large Christmas tree is located in the square here, and at certain times of the day, there is singing and an orchestra playing music here. We had a good look around the wooden huts while it was quiet as the market gets more crowded during the day, and the areas selling the mulled wine and food tend to get packed.

I did manage to find a treat; these coconut macarons (kokosmakronen) were one of the best coconut items that I have ever eaten. They were slightly crisp on the edge and gooey in the middle as they were served slightly warm. These are delicious, and if you like coconut, you have got to try these. These were located in Marienplatz at a kiosk selling chocolate, gingerbread, and other sweet treats.

Of course, watching the Munich Christmas Market come to life as the sky grew dark was wonderful. The lights and the Christmas tree in front of Rathaus came to life.

We also visited Munich on what was meant to be our last day in the city, but we got delayed due to a little bit of snow in London. We checked out the Christmas Market at Residenz. They have a special area for children here with various scenes from fairy tales and Christmas on display as well as a nativity scene.

Another area of the Christmas market in Munich is located on Neuhauser Strasse and is about a ten minute walk from Marienplatz. This Christmas market, known as Kripperlmarkt, features several wooden huts selling items for nativity scenes.

On the Sunday we visited (our last day), we saw a large group of the Krampus scaring people in the traditional 'Krampus Run'. The Krampus are men and boys dressed up in scary costume, and they look like a blend between goat, devil, and man. These are the Krampus, a tradition and myth of Germany and sidekick to Saint Nicholas. While the saint turned a blind eye to the naughty children, the Krampus demands authority and respect. The Krampus would kidnap naughty children and take them to the mountains. 

Overall, we had a good time in Munich, but the bad weather in London and cancelled flights and waiting around at airports for over twenty-four hours due to cancellations and delays meant that we were more than ready to get home and relax after a busy few days of sight-seeing.

It's now the time of year that London is all dressed up and ready for Christmas and the holiday season, so I have written my annual post with photographs of London looking festive in Christmas lights. This is an annual tradition that I have been documenting for the past several years, and you can find previous lights from previous years at the end of this post.

Oxford Street: This year, Oxford Street has decorated with their round gold and silver bauble decorations along with panels of Christmas cards. The Christmas lights are sponsored by NSPCC children's charity, which was also the charity for Oxford Street's Christmas lights last year.

Regent Street: This year, Regent Street are displaying the beautiful angel Christmas lights that they released in 2015. These are beautiful to look at.

Covent Garden: This year, the giant chrome reindeer returned to the plaza after several months of renovation work at Covent Garden. The reindeer and Lego creation are missing this year; the Lego may be missing due to the first full year of the new Lego store around the corner in Leicester Square. The giant Christmas tree and mistletoe decorations returned again, and this year there were several flowers and carts and crates decorated around the plaza in a throwback to the fruit and vegetable market heritage. There are also large wreaths above some of the entrances.

Of course, looking at the Christmas lights is hard work, and I helped myself to a hot chocolate from Hotel Chocolat in Covent Garden. They had two different festive flavours to choose from, topped with a chocolate snowflake and cream.

Leicester Square: Leicester Square has its own Christmas Market and performance tent for the second year in a row. It has star lights hanging from the trees, and the walls on the outside display children's drawings. The design matches last year. The road from here to Piccadilly Circus features the large snowflake design, which they have used for the past few years.

Seven Dials: Seven Dials have changed their Christmas lights for the second year in a row. This year, their lights feature heart shapes with greenery and wrapped red and white gifts with 'Seven Dials' signage featuring a heart with a lamb inside.

Carnaby Street: Each year, Carnaby Street create a different theme. This year's theme was Christmas Carnival. I already covered these lights in my post here: Carnaby Christmas Carnival.

Mayfair: The blue arch lights and the diamonds and peacock feather lights are the same as they have been the past several years. The shops also decorate in this area (and around west London).

St. Christopher's Place: The little alleyway off Oxford Street not far from Selfridges often has unique Christmas lights. This year, they have changed and gone for white lights featuring a statue similar to the one on their entrance and giant white orbs.

The Strand: The Strand started to decorate a few years ago; I never noticed any particular decorations before. They use the same blue lights that they have done previously.

Winter Wonderland Hyde Park: Hyde Park's Winter Wonderland gets larger every year, and it has taken up far more space this year, and it looks as though they have attempted to make the rows larger for the crowds and to dot the food, drink, and Christmas market around the area instead of in one place only. This is welcome as the crowds there were too large previously. There are also more attractions inside the area to help disperse the crowds. I've posted it here because it's Christmasy, and they do have lights and other decorations. It's worth a stop for some mulled wine on a cold night or to meet with friends.

Previous London Christmas lights are below:

• 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

At the beginning of the month, I went to Winchester in Hampshire, England. I used to live near here for a few years, so I know Winchester very well. At this time of the year, the Winchester Christmas Market is on for a few weeks. The last time that I went was a few years ago, and I covered it here. Not much has changed. This time, I visited it on a weekday to avoid the crowds. The Christmas market is very busy on weekends. Crafts, soap, clothing, toys, home decorations, Christmas decorations, alcohol, cheese, and food is available at the Christmas market. There is also an ice rink. The Christmas Market is located in the close around Winchester Cathedral.

After visiting the Christmas market, we walked toward Winchester High Street, admiring the views of the cathedral lit up behind us. And, I always stop to text a name to the light sculpture (Luminous Motion) to change the colour of the steel light pillar at the other end of the cathedral.

The High Street has a Christmas tree in the market square near the market cross.

Each year, the Winchester Christmas Market is usually on from the last week or two of November until a few days before Christmas.

A couple of weeks ago, I had a quick stop over at Edinburgh with my parents on a whirlwind trip to Scotland. We stayed in Edinburgh for one night and had just under twenty-four hours in the city. This was my third visit to Scotland, and I've only ever been to Scotland in November and December instead of the summer months. This is my second visit to Scotland during the Christmas season. My first visit during the Christmas season was for a couple of days, and it bucketed it down with rain; as a result, I didn't get to see much as the weather was that nasty. On this visit, I was blessed with nice  but cold weather. There was a little bit of rain and full cloud, but the rain did not last long. This article is for those who are looking for Christmas in Edinburgh.

The National Archives of Scotland building is located in the New Town area of the city, and it has a beautiful light projection onto the facade with an advent calendar countdown with the different eras in Edinburgh. The colours light up and change and display a video and audio tour.

The Christmas Market is also located in the New Town area of the city, and there are a couple of ice rinks. One is located at the top of Prices Street, and there is at least one more on George Street with a smaller Christmas market and ice sculptures. The main Christmas Market itself is located off Prices Street in the Prices Street Gardens, which is in a valley. The market is larger this year than in my previous visit, and there are fair rides, several places to eat and drink, and several wooden cabins selling gifts and other items. Many of these gifts were replicas of what I saw in London's Christmas Markets (Hyde Park Winter Wonderland).

New Town also had buildings decorated beautifully. 

During the day, the Christmas Markets and fairground rides could be seen next to Scott Monument.

I also had a walk along the Royal Mile, which is located in the old part of town. The church below is St. Giles Cathedral.

In front of St. Giles Cathedral is the Heart of Midlothian. This marked a prison entrance, and it is a custom to spit onto the heart if passing by.

Tron Kirk is another church/cathedral on the Royal Mile.

The Royal Mile is also known for its several alleyways that branch off of it. These led to closes and rows of houses. The closes are named after famous residents or what the street was known for (such as selling fish). Many of them are so small and narrow that they can be easily walked by and missed! There is one close that you can explore on a tour, and I will be posting about this at another time.

Have you ever visited Edinburgh during the Christmas season? My favourite tours in Edinburgh are to walk to the castle from the Royal Mile, tour King Mary's Close, visit the royal yacht Britannia (outside the centre of Edinburgh), and see the spot where the loyal dog Bobby lay. I'll be covering these activities in later posts in the coming days and weeks, so keep checking back. Let me also know what you recommend in Edinburgh.

The Christmas window displays in London are one item that I look forward to seeing each year. I enjoy seeing how creative the displays are and if there are any themes used in the displays. This year, I visited the usual shops on and around Oxford Street and Regent Street (Selfridges, John Lewis, Debenhams, Liberty, Fortnum and Mason, and Hamleys) to see what they have in store for us this Christmas (no pun intended!).

First stop is Selfridges, and they used many Christmas party themes and large inflatible items (Santa and robin) in their shop windows to create more movement and interest. The first corner of the building (the one opposite to the food hall entrance) has now been transformed into the centrepiece, featuring a giant inflatible Santa, which spins. The previous centrepiece corner window (at the side of Marks and Spencer) is now downgraded this year. Some of the settings depict people with a giant cracker, a Christmas float, a dinner party, and other scenes. The colours used are red with gold and blue.

On the food hall side of the building, we have lower-key London landmarks constructed out of different blue and silver shades, and I loved these and thought that they really rivaled the main window displays. 

Hamleys always have fantastic displays with their stuffed toys, and their windows are always so crazy-packed with children and adults photographing them that I try my best to avoid that whole area of the street. It's just too busy. In the past, it's been so busy that I've had to walk in the road to get around everyone. (Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if they want to move to Oxford Street once it is pedestrianised.) This year, I was around during the day and managed to avoid the nasty weekend crowds.

Fortnum and Mason went a bit abstract, exaggerated, and cartoonish with their series of mis-matched animals in over-the-top scenes this year. There was not a key feature window. 

Liberty was not worth photographing this year as they had simple window displays with the rooftops of old buildings (spires, Tudor-style timbers, etc). I was disappointed and did not feel that they deserved to be placed here this year because it was low-key. I also felt the same about John Lewis, Debenhams, and others.

Overall, I felt that this year was toned down on the Christmas window displays, and the only one worth really noting is Selfridges this year, even though it is not my favourite. The inflatible round Santa Claus and bopping robin were quite cute and grabbed my attention.

Previous write-ups about London's shop windows over Christmas can be read here:

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

Good afternoon, readers! I cannot believe that this year has gone so quickly, and it is already the time for advent calendars to be opened. This year, I purchased a Prosecco Advent Calendar to help me celebrate the countdown to Christmas. For those who have bought or been given one of these and do not want the daily surprise to be spoiled, do not read further. Actually, I have opened these up but have put them in the fridge with the intention of having them after the day, though there are a few duplicates to save for another day too.

First of all, I loved the packaging of this box and the nice designs for each 'window'.

And now, on to what is behind each window:

Day One: Gancia Prosecco Dry (11.5%, Italy). This is described as being a fresh, dry, and aromatic drink.

Day Two: Bottega Rose Gold (11.5%, Italy). The design of the bottle in its metallic pink colour looks impressive. The prosecco is described as being aromatic with a berry scent. The grapes are hand-picked and squashed gently. which makes the prosecco have a light pink shade.

Day Three: Freixenet Cordon Rosado Seco Cava (12%, Spain). Another pink drink, this cava is fruity and described as being a perfect summer or picnic drink.

Day 4: Bolla Prosecco Extra Dry (11%, Italy). This prosecco is described as being refreshing and dry with hints of pear and apple and an acidity finish.

Day Five: Jacob's Creek Sparkling Chardonnay/Pinor Noir (11.5%, Australia). This is a sparkling wine with citrus notes.

Day Six: Da Luca Prosecco (11%, Italy). This prosecco is described as having a soft and sweet taste.

Day Seven: Gancia Pinot Pinot Rose (11.5%, Italy). Another pink prosecco, this is described as a sparkling wine and has a floral and fruity raspberry/cherry taste.

Day Eight: Anna Codorniu Blanc De Blancs Brut Cava (11.5%, Spain). This is a sparkling white wine made with Chardonnay grapes and is described as having a citrus flavour.

Day Nine: See Day Two.

Day Ten: Jacob's Creek Sparkling Rose (11.5%, Australia). This sparkling rose wine is described as having a hint of delicate berry flavours.

Day Eleven: Freixenet Cordon Negro Cava (11.5%, Spain). This cava is a crisp, light and dry drink with fruity flavours (melon and peach).

Day Twelve: Galanti Prosecco Extra Dry (10.5%, Italy). This sparkling white wine is described as having fruity notes with a soft fizz.

Day 13: See Day 4.

Day 14: See Day 7.

Day 15. See Day 1

Day 16: See Day Two.

Day 17: See Day Eight.

Day 18: See Day Five.

Day 19: See Day Three.

Day Twenty: See Day 6

Day Twenty-one: See Day 10.

Day 22: See Day 11.

Day 23: See Day 12.

Day Twenty-four: Laurent Perrier Champagne (12%, France). This is the only champagne in the calendar and is a citrus/honeysuckle flavour. It's a common champagne and an easy-going one.

Near the beginning of this festive season (yesterday), I took my parents to festive afternoon tea at the Jean-Georges restaurant in the Connaught Hotel in Mayfair. Besides a smaller venue earlier in the year, this was the first time this year that I have been able to enjoy afternoon tea. The Connaught's afternoon tea has been on my list for awhile, and their festive afternoon tea offering looked nice this year. This afternoon tea is a little more dear than some of the other venues.

First up, we had the champagne, Laurent Perrier Brut. My mother does not drink, so they made her a mocktail instead, and she said that this tasted like strawberry. We also ordered our teas, and I tried the Darjeeling, which was my favourite and a blend called 'Marco Polo', described as having a velvety taste, although I found it to be a little bitter.

Unfortunately, they had over-booked the area due to some late lunches taking place, so we got sat beside the main door. I was actually surprised that we did not have a piano playing for us (or any music, in fact). I think that this let the experience down.

We had the sandwiches first. This included a black truffle brioche (pictured above), which is a flaky crust filled with a truffle. This tasted amazing.

We had a selection of sandwiches, but these were not the same as the original menu, but the menu has since been changed. The sandwiches that we had were cheese, egg mayonaise, aubergine, turkey, and salmon.

Next, we were served the scones and pastries. The scones were a mixture of raisin and plain with clotted cream, strawberry jam, and lemon curd. These scones were delicious and amongst the best that I have had for afternoon tea in London.

Mulled Wine Pear has a white chocolate snowflake on top with smaller 'glittery' snowflakes. It contains pear mousse and biscuit with mulled wine jelly. 

The one with the holly is a chocolate-orange offering with orange jam, chocolate ganache, and cinnamon cream.

The one with the dark chocolate tree is a black forest with chocolate mousse and cherry jam and a biscuit base.

My favourite one was the Chestnut Tart, with the deer antler chocolate on top. It is made with chestnut puree, vanilla chantilly, and blueberry jam.

On the top tier, we had gingerbread men with a dipping chocolate sauce (chocolate fondu), which I thought tasted like chocolate orange.

The lobby of the Connaught has a beautiful tree.

I wish all my readers a great start to the festive and Christmas season.

This evening, Mount Street Lights took place in Mayfair, which was also the evening where The Connaught hotel illuminated their annual Christmas tree and businesses in the area had special opening hours and prizes/treats for shoppers. This year, the Christmas tree in front of the Connaught Hotel is designed by artist Tracey Emin. The tree is illuminated with soft pink neon glowing words, which create sentences. Her works usually exhibit her personal successes, failures, and other milestones in her life.

The Connaught Christmas tree is becoming a London art attraction as demonstrated in previous years when the tree was designed by Antony Gormley and Damien Hirst.

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

• Damien Hirst
• Antony Gormley