Results tagged “Christmas”

Each year, Carnaby Street host fantastic Christmas lights that are different every year. In the past, we have seen Carnaby Christmas Revolution, Carnaby Christmas Party, robins, Santa, and Rolling Stones (rock and roll). This year's theme is "Carnaby Christmas Carnival" and transforms Carnaby Street into a tropical and colourful festival complete with giant parrots, palm trees, shimmery floats, and confetti. Early each Christmas season, Carnaby Street hosts a Christmas party with discounts on area businesses, and this coincides with the light switch-on.

A nice touch is the plug outlet sculpture on Ganton Street, which is always transformed into the Christmas light theme.

Kingly Court on Carnaby Street hosts a fantastic selection of restaurants, cafes, and drinking venues and is filled with a rainbow of lights this year.

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

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

As the time spirals away toward Christmas, I have been finding a few cute Christmas gifts and decorations. Pickering's Hand-Picked Gin Baubles is one of the items that I saw advertised that I knew I had to buy because the packaging and the products themselves look stunning. Buying also gives me the opportunity to try some gin. Alcohol-inspired gifts and advent calendars seem to be the rage this year. Pickering's Gin is a gin brand based in Edinburgh, Scotland.

The box design has a vintage feeling, showing off the gin baubles while a hand reaches to pick out one. The shadow cast by the hand and the glow of this red bauble looks like a reindeer, more notably a red-nosed reindeer (Rudolph). Once I opened the box, I was not disappointed by the beautiful cushioned compartments for the baubles. I will definitely be reusing these once the gin has been drunk.

The box came with six rainbow-coloured baubles (or bulbs / ornaments as we called them in the USA). Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple are the colours on offer. Each bauble has a ribbon to put it on the tree.

The baubles themselves are quite heavy, so I am not sure how they would fare on a real Christmas tree (I don't believe in fake/plastic Christmas trees) and new wooden flooring. Of course, I always put the heavier and fragile ornaments on the bottom, but I cannot be doing this now as I have cats.

Each bauble is filled with 5cl of gin. I have not tasted the gin yet, so I cannot comment on that, but I love the product and the packaging. I purchased these gin baubles from Pickering's Gin website at https://baubles.pickeringsgin.com.

I don't know if the end of October is too early to be discussing beauty advent calendars, but I have seen a few posts for them now, so I think it is safe to start discussing them. 'YOU Beauty Discovery' launched their new advent calendar for 2016. I bought the beauty advent calendar last year, and it arrived just before I went on holiday for the majority of the month for December. I had opened up the calendar doors before I went and decided to post my review this year, after I had tried out most of the products. "YOU Beauty Box" no longer exists, but they now trade under "Latest in Beauty", which does have a beauty advent calendar for the 2017 advent.

Charles Worthington Moisture Seal Hair Healer Leave-in Conditioner: This conditioner promises to protect, repair and moisturise hair as well as leave it feeling soft and nourished.

The White Company candle in 'Orange Grove': I enjoy 'The White Company' scents, and  this scent "Orange Grove" smells like orange peel. It is a relaxing citrus smell that evokes memories of December.

Carmex Original Pot lip balm: Carmex's lip balm is one of my favourite lip moisturisers. It does as it says - soothes and moisturises dry lips, and you can use it on other parts of your body that need a little moisture.

Malin+Goetz Vitamin E Face Moisturiser: I've received this product so many times, but it is one that I do not see the benefits of. It is a face moisturiser that promises to give skin vitamins, and it's not oily but absorbed into the skin.

Miller Harris Rose Silence eau de parfum: This rose-scented perfume smells divine and has long-lasting power. I absolutely love it.

MUA Twelfth Night Palette & Dusk Til Dawn Palletes: There were two pallettes available, and I received the 'Dusk Til Dawn' one instead of the wintery shades of 'Twelfth Night'. Both had similar colours that work well for the office and evening wear.

Amie Deep Pore Exfoliating Polish: This award-winning exfoliating polish is 95% natural to remove skin of oil and dirt while keeping not too harsh for sensitive skin.

SanctuarySpa Foaming Micellar Cleansing Water: This cleansing water removes make-up from skin. It is made from argan oil and rose water combined with micelles that lift away dirt from the skin.

Rodial smokey eye pen in black: This eye liner can be blended easily to create the smokey eye effect using the smudge brush.

The Vintage Cosmetic Company Duo Pencil Sharpenner in pink: This make-up pencil sharpener can sharpen thin or thick pencils or jumbo crayons, and it is handy to carry around in a make-up bag.

Oskia Renaissance Mask: This is a skin exfoliating mask to improve complexion.

Nansky Kabuki Brush: This brush is perfect for applying bronzers or loose powders. It also does not absorb make-up or oils from skin, which is important for hygiene.

Bee Good Youth Enhancing Hydrate, Smooth and Prime Serum: This highly-concentrated formula targets signs of aging. The formula contains honey, blackcurrant seed oil, and other products to aid in moisturising and hydrating skin.

Deep Sleep Pillow Spray: This lavender-scented spray should be used on pillow or bedding to aid sleep. Lavender is naturally relaxing. I've used this spray a few times but do not see any benefit in this, and I think that any lavendar scent would help aid relaxation.

Leighton Denny Miracle Mist: This formula should be used on wet nails after applying nail polish. It promises to dry them quicker as well as condition the cuticles.

Omorovieza refining facial polish: This facial polisher contains micro-algae and promises to brighten and exfoliate tired skin.

ESPA overnight hydration therapy: 'Beauty Sleep in a Jar' is a rejuvenating night mask to transform skin overnight. It also contains aromatic oils to help aid in sleep.

Rimmel 60-second super-shine nail polish in rapid ruby: This bright red nail polish dries quickly with a deep red shine.

The Organic Pharmacy Marigold and Comfrey Hand and Nail Cream: This hand and nail cream contains shea butter, jojoba, aloe, marigold, and comfrey to soothe and nourish hands.

Margaret Dabbs Crystal Nail File: This nail file is made of crystal to prevent nails from splitting.

Aurelia Miracle Cleanser and Bamboo Muslin Cloth: This cleanser promises to remove impurities in the skin as well as hydrate and prevent anti-aging.

Burt's Bees tinted lip balm in rose: This lip balm provides a hint of colour. Burt's Bees are 100% natural. It is a product that I enjoy using.

Nuxe Prodigieux Shower Oil: This shower oil gently cleans and provides fragrance to skin.

Moroccanoil Treatment: This hair product can be used as conditioning, styling or finishing.

Overall, I really enjoyed the products in this box as I received a wide range of different products.

Happy Holidays! This post features typography used during the holidays with samples on Christmas cards and other holiday advertisement. I've included a sample of the different holiday typography that can be used in various design projects. The selection of fonts includes vintage and modern pieces.

The typography used above includes: Dalle, Santa's Sleigh, Contribute, Faux Snow, Pacifico, Candy Cane, Lavanderia, Christmas Snow, Snow, Cocktail Bubbly, St. Nicholas, LP Snowflake, Frosty, Christmas Flakes, Angel Tears, Christmas Card, and Kingthings Christmas.

http://www.pinterest.com/fontpicker/fonts-on-christmas-cards-font-sunday/

Here are a couple of links to photograph albums on Pinterest that include some examples that I have used above.

http://www.pinterest.com/phillippetty/christmas-cards/

http://www.pinterest.com/fontpicker/font-sunday-fonts-on-christmas-cards/

Earlier this week, my parents and the bloke and I took a day trip to Oglebay Park Resort, which is located in Wheeling, West Virginia. When I was younger, I had heard so much about this light display from others. We never went to it because it was always rumoured to be very busy. We visited earlier in the week, and although it was busy, it was not too busy. The light display starts at 6:00pm, but we found that many of the lights were on earlier. There are about six miles of lights with some along the loop road and others down the road in another part of the resort. Some of the lights were also along the main highway that borders the park.

We arrived earlier to avoid the crowds, and we wanted to take a look in the shops. Our first stop was to the glass shop, gift shop, and garden shop. There is also a glass museum and Oglebay Mansion museum here too. This area was decorated with lights in the shape of flowers. There was also a large nativity scene here, and this was decorated nicely. The shop in the garden house (Palm House) had a good view of the resort, and this can also be enjoyed outside.

After getting more information about the Festival of Lights and shops, we went to a Christmas shop, which was a short drive down the road. We saw many deer in Oglebay Park. 

Before it got really dark, we saw the most beautiful sunset.

We spent about an hour driving around to see the beauitful lights. These were all created in different shapes and moved. We saw running deer, children having a snowball fight, a moving ferris wheel and carousel, a skiier, a train, and so much more. There are tours as well; a trolley located at the main lodge runs tours. There are also coaches that come in. Both of these options have a tour, and I believe that there is a tour on the radio that you can tune in to as well for more information about some of the lights. We didn't do this. 

The Festival of Lights started in 1985, and it runs annually from early November until January 1st. To complete the tour, guests are asked to arrive for 6:00, but we found that the lights were being switched on earlier in most places, and they were being switched on just before dusk. I can imagine that weekends do get extremely busy.

One of the items on my list was to visit Clifton Mill, located near Springfield and Dayton, Ohio. I'd always seen photographs of Clifton Mill as it is very picturesque and used in a lot of photographs and calendars. I never knew where it was, but I happened to see it in a post about good Christmas lights to visit in various locations in Ohio. I convinced my parents and the bloke to have a day road trip with me in order to visit the mill for a meal and then to see the Legendary Lights of Clifton Mill.

Clifton Mill was purchased by its current owners in 1988, and they put Christmas lights on the mill in 1989. Each year, the Christmas lights expanded to what it is today. It starts out at 6:00pm each night; the lights are turned on, and a light show begins the display with the covered bridge next to the mill becoming illuminated while being set to music. The rest of the grounds and the mill itself is illuminated with twinkling lights, some of them appearing to be moving water, and they light up the rocks along the creek below and the mill wheel. The photographs really do not do any justice as to how awesome and beautiful it looked.

However, it's not all about the Christmas lights. We arrived at Clifton Mill near mid-day after a two-hour car journey. In the winter, the Clifton Mill restaurant is not open for dinner unless it is a Friday or Saturday night. Instead, we stopped in to have lunch. Their breakfast menu is available all day, and my mother and I opted for breakfast while the bloke and my father had the hamburger. My mother had French toast (which was tempting and delicious), but I had the buttermilk pancakes with blueberries. Both were served with Maple Syrup. The portion size of the pancakes was huge. Apparently, those who can finish the two massive and thick pancakes get a third for free. I could not even finish one of the pancakes; they were the largest pancakes I have ever seen! The pancakes are the signature dish and are delicious; they sell them in three flavours (buttermilk, buckwheat and cornflower), and the mixes are sold at their gift shop. The pancakes and French toast could be served with pecan-syrup bacon. This tasted so good that I ordered another two rashers.

Raspberry lemonade

Pancakes

Blueberry pancakes

French toast

Hamburger

Also located next to the mill is an old gas station with a working pump, and this doubles as a museum. I believe that gas-related items can be seen at other times of the year, but in the winter, part of it is a toy museum. The other part of it is a Santa's room, but we did not visit that area. Santa climbs the chimney once every twenty minutes when the light show is on, and he waves to the crowd before descending back into his room. The building was only open during the light show.

Gas station

The covered bridge was also closed and only open during the light show, so we could not enter it. We could see the replica model village, though, but a few buildings and items were covered and not running; they only came to life during the light show hours. Model diners, a drive-in theatre showing movie clips, a train, and other replica buildings were on display.

After we ate our meals, we headed out to check out the village of Yellow Springs, which had the air of a university village. We went into a couple of shops before driving to Jersey Dairy, which is another attraction up the road from Clifton Mill. They have a nice gift shop, restaurant, and crazy golf course here. The main attraction is the ice cream. For the "flavour of the week", two scoops of ice cream are given for the price of one. The flavour was "Peppermint Stick", so I had this, and the ice cream was amongst the best that I've ever had. It tasted so good, and it was so creamy and smooth (with bits of peppermint here and there). 

Peppermint stick ice cream from Young's Jersey Dairy

Yellow Springs

After this, we drove back to the Interstate to have a wander for a couple of hours at the Central Ohio Antiques Centre. There are a few different antique malls here, and the one we visited was so huge that we did not even come close to seeing everything before we had to leave to go to Clifton Mill to see the Legendary Lights.

We arrived at Clifton Mill when the doors opened at 5:00pm for the Legendary Lights. The first light show takes place at 6:00pm, which we did not realise at the time. Refreshments were being sold with pulled pork, hot dogs, pretzels, popcorn, sugar cookies, hot chocolate, coffee, and mulled cider on offer. I ordered a hot chocolate, mulled cider, cookie and popcorn to share while we sat by the window in the mill and waited before grabbing some good spots for the light show. The temperatures were freezing again, so we watched the light show and did not hang around too long. I wish that the snow had still been on the ground in order to justify the freezing temperatures, at least.

I found the light show to be beautiful and recommend it. Do note that it is popular, and we visited on a Monday and it was still very busy. To see the lights, it costs $10.00 per person to enter the grounds. We found this a little steep when considering that the refreshments were also costly; it was $3.00 for one of those small styrafoam cups filled with hot chocolate or mulled wine. However, I do think that the maintenance and cost of installing the lights is very expensive. Also, make sure to get there early and grab a good spot to see the light show projected onto the covered bridge as there is not a lot of room. Unfortunately, they have boarded up the windows on the covered bridge and on the opposite side of the bridge so that you are unable to take any photographs in the prime locations and have to settle with an angle of the mill. I wish that we could have taken photographs from better angles, and this is my main criticism.

From the first of November until the beginning of January, the Courthouse Light Show takes place in Cambridge, Ohio. The light show is projected onto the courthouse and snychronised with Christmas music. The lights change colour and blink on and off to reveal different shapes, which relate to the music being played. Cambridge, Ohio also offers the Dickens Victorian Village figures on display along the main street and around the courthouse, and you may have seen my previous post about this: Dickens Victorian Village. 

I previously went in 2009, and that was another very cold and wintery day with snow on the ground. That year, we opted to watch the display from the car. On cold days, the light show can be watched from the car while tuning into a particular radio station. However, I survived thirty minutes of the light show in the cold this year, along with another group of people who were there before we arrived. 

The courthouse was built in 1881. The light show consists of over 55,000 lights and three 20-foot Christmas trees and 60 animated displays. Traditional, children's, and contemporary Christmas songs are played. There are four different light shows that are between 8 and 12 minutes long each. I watched half an hour of the show.

Cambridge's Courthouse Light Show takes place daily from 5:30pm until 9:00pm. It plays until 11:00pm on its extended days, which include Thanksgiving day, Christmas day, Christmas eve, New Year's day, and New Year's eve. The courthouse is located on Wheeling Avenue, which is the main street through downtown Cambridge.

Each year over the holiday season, I enjoy visiting London to see the Christmas lights, the decorations, and the window displays. I posted a couple of weeks ago about London's Christmas Lights for 2016. This post is about London's Christmas window displays. I cover Fortnum & Mason, Liberty, John Lewis, and Selfridges. I don't often make it to Harrods to see their Christmas window displays. The clear winner this year was Liberty department store. 

Liberty Department Store's display this year featured "The Nutcracker". This type of window display was similar to the ones that I had previously seen on a visit to New York City, which I thought were done very well and had a very Christmasy theme. The pieces also moved with a man in a cape spinning around and a ballet dancer. There were also toy soldiers and mice that moved, and the mice fell down when 'shot' by the soldiers.

John Lewis's department store on Oxford Street used their theme with the woodland creatures and dog from the advertisement this year. The dog is above ground, looking into a hole, and most of the scenes take place underground with squirrels on moving trains full of gifts and hedgehogs and foxes with other gifts inside the underground tunnels.

Selfridges department store's window displays featured Santa and other costumed figures in different poses, such as on a ski lift, with a giant polar bear, in a hot tub, outside of a plane, and parachuting. In each display, Santa and the other characters are surrounded by gifts. In the large corner window, a giant item that looks like a Christmas cracker with a lot of sparks (made with neon lights) flying out of it is on display.

Fortnum & Mason's display featured characters, such as a wolf and turkey in festive poses. The wolf blows on a trumpet with sheep singing in chorus near him, and the turkey helps a characterised knife remove a cork from a bottle of bubbly. The windows on the side also feature their Christmas hampers. All of the pairings are unlikely as the characters join together for the festive season. The store used the tagline "together we're merrier" in order to bring people together after a difficult year.

Some of London's previous window displays are below:

2015 Christmas ligths and window displays

2014 Christmas window displays

2013 Christmas window displays

2012 Christmas lights and windows

2011 Selfridges Christmas window display

Last week, I visited the Dickens Victorian Village at Cambridge, Ohio. This is not too far from where my parents live. The last time we visited and walked around to see the statues was in 2009, and you can read my post about it here. The Dickens Victorian Village is an exhibit that has taken place since 2006 with local businessman Bob Ley creating the figures and dressing them in Victorian fashion; Ley's business was in men's clothing. The Dickens Victorian Village and the light show at the courthouse (I'll cover this in another post) draw crowds over Christmas, and we saw at least one bus in town on the day we visited. 

There are now over 180 life-sized figures in 93 different scenes on the main street of Cambridge, and a bronze plaque next to each one gives interesting facts and information about Victorian life. Some of these are in shop windows, and others are out in the streets. Mimicking our 2009 visit, we had heavy snowfall the day before; we'd planned to visit that day but were snowed in so planned to go the following day. The snow was on the figures and over some of the bronze plaques. (We took care to walk the pavements/sidewalks as it was very cold the day we visited and any snow that had started to melt had turned to ice in places.) 

Cambridge's main street has a lot to offer in terms of craft shops, coffee shops, supermarkets, specialist food shop, bakeries, antique shops, and restaurants. There's also an old-style theatre, and it had just finished a production of "A Chrostmas Story", based on the film. Cambridge is also known for its glassware with local companies Boyds (now closed) and Mosser glass. Some of the glass is sold in local stores or at its location a couple of minutes drive from the main street. It's also sold in the Discovery Center, where you can learn more about the Dickens Village. We did visit Mosser's and bought some nice glassware.

We walked up and down the street so that we could see the figures and had a meal at Theo's restaurant, which is a popular and recommended restaurant on the main street. After getting warmed up, we headed back outside to catch the Courthouse Holiday Light Show, which I will post about later.

Dickens Victorian Village runs from the first of November until the 2nd of January. For more information, visit their official website at http://www.dickensvictorianvillage.com. Worth a stop is Kennedy's Bakery, one of the best bakeries in the area. I love the Chinese tea cakes. Also do not forget to visit the antique shops (Penny Court) and Mosser's glassware (a short drive away), and stay for the light show on the courthouse in the middle of the main street; it starts at 5:30pm.

Every year for the past several years, Lego have unveiled a new sculpture for the holiday season at Covent Garden. This year, the sculpture was a little late as the new large Lego store opened up at Leicester Square. This year's sculpture is Santa's workshop and is a little building made out of Lego bricks and includes several other items (elves, Santa, gifts) and official kits that you can purchase on display.

The Santa's workshop comes with a fireplace and several Lego models, as well as wallpaper and pictures hanging on the wall, all made from Lego bricks.

The Lego exhibit will be on display until the beginning of January. Visitors can also get their photographs taken with it as done in previous years with the Lego sculpture. Last year's Lego sculpture was a Lego steam train. In previous years, 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.

On Saturday, I went to the Christmas Cookie Tour of Inns in Ohio's Amish Country. This is an annual tour that involves visiting twelve inns/hotels that make part of the trail. Different hotels sign up every year, but hotels on past tours also sign up to generate interest. At each stop, visitors look at various rooms that the hotels have to offer, and the hotels and rooms are decorated for the holidays. Snacks and drinks are also available at each stop, and visitors pick up their free wrapped cookie at each. 

The guide book that came with the ticket and contains information about the hotels on the route also contains a recipe for each cookie and information about the hotel. The theme for this year is "Songs in the Air, Christmas in My Heart" and is based on Christmas songs. I went on the tour a few years ago, and you can read about the 2013 Christmas Cookie Tour here. Continue reading to learn about this year's stops.

The Barn Inn: The Barn Inn is located near Millersburg, Ohio. It is a restored barn and serves bed and breakfast and where stories about the Amish are told at breakfast time. The hotel was decorated for the holidays with the rooms decorated. Also decorated was the breakfast room, which had the tables set with festive decorations and cookies created in the shape of vintage Christmas cards out of edible paper. This year, a goat dressed in festive dress was also present and at the entrance of the hotel. The rooms and decor here are are traditional. (Cookie: Oreo Cheesecake)

Guggisberg Swiss Inn: Guggisberg Swiss Inn, located near Charm, has 24 rooms and overlooks a valley. Horse and carriage rides are on offer, and breakfast is included. The inn resembles a Swiss chalet with high ceiling in the lobby, carved wooden cuckoo clock, and wooden bear. A few years ago, the hotel started a vineyard and creates its own wine, which can be sampled at the hotel. The rooms here are vintage-modern. (Cookie: Coffee Toffee Treasures)

Berlin Resort: The Berlin Resort, located in Berlin, has 77 rooms and a swimming pool, sauna, fitness centre, cinema, golf green, and trail. The rooms have a modern feeling, and we were able to explore a couple of the different types of room, including the bridal suite. (Cookie: Monster Marshmallow)

Comfort Suites: Comfort Suites is located in Berlin, Ohio. The hotel is a modern one with rooms that are decorated in a modern style. The lobby was decorated with a Christmas tree, and we got to see a couple of decorated rooms; blue was the colour used this year. (Cookie: Red Velvet Sugar)

Berlin Grande Hotel: The Berlin Grande Hotel, located in Berlin, is a four-storey hotel with modern urban design. The rooms were decorated for Christmas with modern-but-traditional decor. One room was dedicated to the cardinal and decorated with imagery of the bird. (Cookie: Rudolph's Chocolate Cherry Bar)

Carlisle Country Inn: The Carlisle Country Inn is located near Berlin and is a large house with seven rooms. Each room has its own unique style. The lobby has high ceilings, and a large tree and carol singers were amongst the decorations. (Cookie: Mocha Chip)

Garden Gate Get-A-Way: The Garden Gate Get-A-Way is located near Millersburg, Ohio. It is one of the newer hotels on offer in the Amish country and features two single cabins and additional rooms in the main building. We were able to see inside one of the cabins. (Cookie: Heavenly Ginger)

Oak Ridge Inn: Located in Walnut Creek, Ohio, is Oak Ridge Inn. Each room has a different wooden theme and colour. There are good views over the valley, and we were informed that the hotel is very popular. Due to limited parking, we parked at the Wallhouse Hotel and had a horse and carriage ride to the inn. The decor of the rooms vary, but they are traditional. Good views can be seen from some of the rooms. (Cookie: Chestnut Chocolate Chip)

Carlisle Inn Walnut Creek: This hotel is located at Walnut Creek and was decorated nicely for the holidays with plenty of Christmas trees and festive decor in the rooms that were open to visit. Each room has its own design. The rooms featured are more traditional in design, and they offer good views. When we were leaving, they put a horse out front with a sleigh of gifts. The horse and carriage rides are located near the hotel (Cookie: Chocolate Raspberry)

The Inn at Walnut Creek: This hotel, located near Walnut Creek, offers a selection of rooms in its main building or three larger jacuzzi rooms. The hotel is modern in style, and all rooms are on a single ground floor level. (Cookie: French Butter Madeleines)

The Inn at Amish Door: This hotel is located in Wilmont, Ohio. On location is a large and popular Amish restaurant and shops. The accommodation is modern-traditional and the rooms were decorated well for the holidays. The lobby is beautiful with high ceilings and a large tree. (Cookie: Bell Linzer)

Carlisle Inn Sugarcreek: Located in Sugarcreek and also close to another popular Amish restaurant is Carlisle Inn Sugarcreek. The rooms are modern-traditional and each have a balcony. Each room has a different style. (Cookie: Cinnamon Roll Sugar)

I recently visited "Forest on the Roof", a restaurant and bar located on Selfridge's rooftop. "Forest on the Roof" is the latest theme for the rooftop bar, which turned into a ski-lodge last winter and was named Le Chalet. Over the summer, it was known as Vintage Salt and was inspired by the typical British seaside town. This winter, the woodland winter forest inspired the decor of the restaurant with bright pink and purple neon lights and silver disco balls complementing the woodland theme. The festive Christmas and winter season fits the woodland theme very well.

The restaurant is open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch, dinner and cocktails.  

I visited for breakfast and had the "Candy Cane" cocktail, which contained a mix of lemon, lime, Koko Kanu, cream, egg white, orange bitters, and pumpkin puree. It came with a peppermint candy cane and photographed very well. It doesn't have much of a strong alcohol taste, which I enjoy. Blue sugar was put along the rim of the glass. 

I ordered the cinnamon French toast, and this was served with cream. It was very tasty.

I enjoyed my visit. For more information about visiting "Forest on the Roof" at Selfridges, go to http://forest-restaurant.co.uk

Last year, I published an article about where to see London's Christmas lights. This included a map and a trail of London's Christmas lights. This year, I closely kept to this trail in order to see this year's Christmas lights. This year brought some new Christmas lights to London, but I felt some of the areas were a little under-whelming when compared to previous years, but a couple of areas that had not impressed me much in the past I thought were better this year. 

I must start by saying that central London was the busiest that I have ever seen it. It was impossible to sit down to eat food or visit most shops anywhere in central London due to the sheer number of crowds. Walking was next to impossible; I managed to get around crowds by walking along the side of the street most of the time as the pavements/sidewalks were packed with people slowly heading in both directions with bottlenecks in some places (really, I don't think buskers should busk along Oxford Street). Quite a few tourists were out due to the cheaper pound; I'd like to know what the tourism percentage is now compared to last year at this time.

The map of the area that I cover in this post is below, with each number point as a stop-off to see Christmas lights. I started my journey in the mid-afternoon at the Covent Garden/Seven Dials area and finished at Selfridges department store at about 5:30. Note that I didn't take time to sit down to eat nor shop as the sheer number of crowds made this impossible. (I did actually arrive earlier with a view to get food, but every single place that I tried to get into had a queue out the door.) However, if you wish to start a bit earlier, make a reservation for a restaurant near to Covent Garden. Covent Garden's lights and decorations can be enjoyed before darkness sets.

1. Seven Dials

Just north-west of Covent Garden is an area known as Seven Dials, named after a roundabout with six points and a column in the middle (pictured below). For a few years, their Christmas lights were a colourful set. Last year, they introduced some new ones with white roses. This year, they've taken on a woodland theme with a mixture of colourful birds, foxes, bears, wolves, and other wildlife to turn the area into a woodland.

2. Covent Garden: 

For the past three years or more, Covent Garden has used their mistletoe light decorations inside the Covent Garden market and on the exterior of the building. This year, I also noticed the mistletoe decorations on the streets that meet at the four corners of the entrance to the market. Their Christmas tree was back again this year, but overall, it was disappointing with favourite decorations missing. The giant silver reindeer and the Lego sculpture was missing this year. The giant reindeer was missing due to a new restaurant being constructed on Covent Garden, and I assume that the people who were responsible for creating the Lego sculptures in the past have spent their time building for the new Lego store in Leicester Square. The live reindeer are also not on display (although they probably got tired/stressed of being looked at and petted). However, I did see a couple of nice displays in front of a couple of restaurants in the Covent Garden area. (At the time of publishing this, a Lego sculpture has been added to Covent Garden only a couple of weeks ago and after the new Lego store was open in Leicester Square. I will be posting about it at some point.)

3. Leicester Square

Leciester Square now boasts a giant Lego store along with the M&M store, but the queues to get into the new Lego store were long. I did not bother. For the past couple of years, Christmas lights were hanging from the trees in the square itself. This year, the square was boarded up with a Christmas market and circus inside. On the outside of the square, wooden boarding was put up. This was decorated by illuminated drawings that school children had submitted featuring festive scenes.

4. Piccadilly Circus and Regent Street:

The lights between Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus are the same lights that have been in used for at least a couple of years. The statue of Eros in the middle of Piccadilly Circus used to be decorated festively, but it still has boarding around it. I do hope that they remove this. The road looking north onto Regent Street is worth looking at here. There's a good view of the Christmas lights on Regent Street, which are arguably the best in London this year with the past few years being a disappointment. The Christmas lights feature angels.

5. Picadilly Street for Fortnum & Mason:

There aren't any lights along Picadilly Street, but there's a nice market, bookstore, and Fortnum & Mason's. I like to see what the shop fronts look like and attempted to go into Fortum & Mason's, but the crowds inside were unbearable. These shops are worth a visit if it's not too busy and you have time.

6. Carnaby Street:

Carnaby Street has new Christmas lights every year in a unique design, and this year's features positive words of encouragement after what has been a difficult and disappointing year. Love, Hope, Wish, Joy, Kiss are some of the words formed in banners above the street. The centrepiece features the Carnaby Street name with "Carnaby Christmas Revolution" with birds and a design that reminds me of vinyl. Of course, Carnaby Street was made famous in fashion in the 1960s, so the design of the Christmas lights this year seem to be a throwback to that.

Don't forget that there are many nice restaurants/cafes/pubs here, and around the corner is Coccywoccydoodah. They always have a fascinating display of chocolates. The Liberty building is also worth a visit, and it's chocolate store is around the back (and Choccywoccydoodah is just around the corner from here.) Also, don't forget the window displays at Liberty.

7. Oxford Circus

Oxford Circus is a great spot to enjoy the view south down Regent Street (to see the angel lights mentioned above) and to see Oxford Street's lights. The past few years, Oxford Street have used silver and blue bauble lights. This year, their lights are joined by small stars in the same design. The NSPCC (children's charity) are raising money for charity for the lights. I always walk down Oxford Street toward Bond Street here in order to see the lights on the department stores. Also, don't forget to stop off at St. Christopher's Place to see the Christmas lights. It's a little hidden narrow street off the northern side of Oxford Street (a block from Selfridges). 

8. South Molton Street and Bond Street

Near Bond Street station, I take a diversion to walk down South Molton Street and see the lights at Bond Street, which are the diamond and peacock feather designs that they have used for the past few years. South Molton Street has replaced its purple arch lights with pillars of twinkling white baubles, which were a bit disappointing. 

9. Selfridges

After seeing the lights on Bond Street, walk back to Oxford Street and make sure to check out Selfridges Department store for nice window displays and the lights on Marks and Spencers across the street. Sometimes, Selfridges do have lights above the main entrance, but they don't this year.

This year, Cannaught Hotel have called on artist and sculptor Antony Gormley to create their Christmas tree. Last year, their Christmas tree was designed by Damien Hirst and contained medical equipment as decorations. Antony Gormley is a well-known sculpture whose work has been displayed all over the world. I recently posted about his famous 'Angel of the North' sculpture, which I visited last month.

The Christmas tree looks like a large pine tree with a white column of light shooting up through the trunk. Gormley says that the inspiration is from breaking from the norm of decorating the outside of the Christmas tree and (instead) illuminating it at its core (1). 

To visit the Christmas tree, head over to the Cannaught Hotel in Mayfair.

1) http://www.standard.co.uk/goingout/arts/angel-of-the-north-sculptor-antony-gormley-turns-christmas-lights-on-their-head-a3403716.html

I recently paid Lush a visit to see their holiday (Halloween, Bonfire Night, autumn, and Christmas) offerings, and it looks as though they have pulled out all the stops this year and brought back some original favourites, new products, and well-loved favourites with a twist. I will be covering their Halloween/autumn/Bonfire Night products and then taking a look at their Christmas products. 

For Halloween/autumn/Bonfire Night, we had a mixture of old favourites and new products. 

Autumn Leaf: This is a new product. This bath bomb is shaped like a leaf and coloured green, orange and yellow. The scent is grass-like and fresh and a beautiful colour is created with spirals of colour when placed in the bath. I bought one of these as I really loved the fresh scent. 

Fireside soap: This is a new product this year, and I loved the spicy scent of it so much that I had to buy a small bar. The soap has the appearance of a single flame - layered with red, orange and yellow. Clove and vanilla are the primary fragrances.

Lord of Misrule: This bath bomb made an appearance last year and has a spicy and herbal smell. When it is placed in the water, the popping candy crackles and it turns the water a green-pink colour. 

Goth Fairy shimmer bar: This soothing melt adds a slight shimmer to skin. 

Monster's Ball: I think this was a new product for this year's Halloween collection. This bath bomb is made using a blend of lime and neroli oil as well as other scents. The bath bomb looks like a little monster with tiny pointed ears and a single 'eye'. It creates a bath of pink and blue colours.

Magic Wand soap: This is a new product this year, and I thought that the soap had a slightly minty scent.

Sparkly Pumpkin bubble bar: The sparkly orange pumpkin bubble bar is back. I covered this last year.

Pumpkin bath bomb: This year, Lush have released a bath bomb shaped like a pumpkin (jack o' lantern). The pumpkin has a slight spicy smell with pumpkin scent. I had to buy one because I love pumpkin.

Boo Bath melt: This bath melt is a new product this year. These cute little meringue-like ghosts help sooth skin and smell beautiful - sweet but with a slightly spicy/crisp autumn scent.

Now, I'll cover the Christmas range.

The Father Christmas bath bomb, Golden Wonder bath bomb, Christmas penguin bubble bar, Baked Alaska soap, Luxury Lux Pud bath bomb, and the Magic of Christmas bubble bar stick were some items in the shop that I recognised from previous years. I will be covering mainly new items or items that I had not noticed before.

Santa's Postbox soap: This soap is shaped like a postbox. It has a refreshing and pleasant scent, and I had to buy a bar of it. 

Shooting Stars soap: This new soap has a refreshing lemon scent. 

Snowcastle soap: This year, my favourite Snow Cake soap scent has been transformed into a snow castle. I was told by the shop assistant that Snow Cake has been improved. It smells the same with the almond scent, but it makes skin feel cleaner and softer.

So White bath bomb: This is my favourite bath bomb scent, and this year has been updated to have a stronger crisp apple scent, and it also has a small green leaf design added to it.

Shoot for the Stars bath bomb: This bath bomb is blue with shimmery gold stars. The bath bomb has a citrus scent.

Snowie Bath Bomb: This David Bowie-inspired bath bomb has a citrus fragrance. The white bar has the iconic red and blue bolt on it.

Mistletoe bath bomb: This is a new product, and I loved the colour and design of the bath bomb, but the scent really put me off for some reason. It is meant to have a floral scent, but I could not really detect that. 

Igloo soap: Igloo soap is multiple bars of brightly-coloured and frosted soaps that have been arranged in the shape of an igloo (as snow bricks). The bars actually remind me of Turkish Delight candies or hard candies with the powdered sugar coating. The soap smells like lemon.

Santasaurus bubble bar: This new product is a bubble bar is shaped like a dinosaur with a Santa hat.

Reindeer soap bars: Last year's Christmas soap was reindeer soap. This year, the rainbow soap is being sold in bar form. The bars remind me of river rocks with primitive etched reindeer designs on them.

Do you have any favourites this year in Lush's autumn and Christmas range? I have bought a few, and I am hoping that the new Snowcastle lives up to Snow Cake.

Happy holidays to all of my readers, and I hope that you have a fun day with family and friends. The cupcakes immediately below were my creation from three Christmases ago when I last went to America in the beginning of December. I helped my mother bake and decorate these. I wish I could have been at home this year for Thanksgiving and Christmas, but it's been a busy year, and from the 30th of November, everything has suddenly and unexpectedly taken a different turn, despite my forward planning. So, everything has been up in the air for me. Christmas could not be any further from my mind right now.

I am not going to lie. The last few Christmases have not been the best for me. Last year, I was also concerned about what was going to happen as my contract was up for renewal, and I'd worked so hard over the past couple of years that I was physically and mentally exhausted, but I had some down-time too, and I got ill as soon as my body started to relax. The year before was not special, and I could not relax. The year before that was also uncertainty with working at a company that was wrong for me and thinking about that over the holidays.

So, despite my best efforts, I've really been struggling with Christmas over the past few years. Christmas Day has never been my favourite holiday, but I love Thanksgiving and the run-up to Christmas. I love seeing the lights and the decorations, and I like the older Christmas music and the films. I like the seasonal food and drink as well. I love the Christmas tree and decorating it, wrapping gifts with Christmas music playing, and memories.

In the new year, I will be taking some time off my blog to focus on other areas in my life as things have taken a sudden and unexpected turn at short notice. However, I will return and post more as soon as I start to feel settled again. This is really not how I expected to be spending this Christmas, with moving and already feeling unsettled.

I hope that next year brings better times as I would love to have an easier time and be able to appreciate more without the worry. It would be good to arrange some time to go see my friends and family as well.

Last weekend, I went to The Chesterfield Mayfair to try its Winter Wonderland afternoon tea. The hotel is located in Mayfair and is a short walk to shops and to Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park. Expectations were high as The Chesterfield Mayfair is one of the best places in London to have afternoon tea as it has won awards from The Tea Guild three years in a row. It did not disappoint. 

I was shown to the Conservatory to have afternoon tea, which was the perfect setting and decorated for winter (see photographs below).

To start, each Winter Wonderland afternoon tea came with a shot of mulled wine. The mulled wine complemented the winter theme to get us in the mood for the festive tea.

I ordered champagne with the afternoon tea, and I had the choice between brut, rosé, and Blanc De Blancs. I selected the Blanc De Blancs option, which is a sweeter white champagne.

The tea that I selected is a seasonal option for the Winter Wonderland afternoon tea and is known as the Chesterfield Christmas Blend. The tea was described as black Assam tea blended with ginger, orange peel, cloves, and herbs. The tea was delicious with a subtle 'festive' flavour.

After the tea was brought, the three-tier afternoon tea stand arrived with the sandwiches, scones, and pastries. 

Last but not least, it was time to try the pastries. The pastries included mulled wine macaroon, Christmas tree chocolate pot, cranberry and vanilla cheesecake, snowman ginger cupcake, a fruit tart, and slice of chocolate Yule log.

The mulled wine macaroon was particularly delicious and perhaps my favourite pastry with this afternoon tea. The texture and flavour of the macaroon was perfect and I'd suggest that the quality of the macaroon was equal to the best macaroon brands based in London. 

The Christmas tree chocolate pot was delicious and the tree shortbread went well with the chocolate mousse (mixed with chocolate sponge). I loved the creativity of this pastry served in a little plant pot.

The fruit tart had a sweet and tangy taste, topped with cranberries, a raspberry, a strawberry, and a blackberry. This was delicious, and I must admit that fruit tarts with afternoon tea are usually my favourite pastry. This did not disappoint and I loved the tangy and sweet combination.

I am not a fan of cheesecake, but this was a subtle cheesecake with cranberry flavour and a biscuit base. I think cheesecake lovers would appreciate this.

The chocolate Yule log was my least favourite of the pastries. Thankfully, the chocolate was not too rich or over-powering. I think that I simply preferred the other pastries.

At the end of my afternoon tea, I got to pick a golden envelope. This means that I will be back for afternoon tea at some point next year so that I can see what I won. Each visitor who has the Winter Wonderland afternoon tea has the chance to pick a golden envelope which may reveal free champagne, a discount, or a hotel room. However, the envelope must remain sealed until the next visit before the end of September next year.

For those interested in Winter Wonderland afternoon tea at The Chesterfield Mayfair, visit before the 4th of January. Afternoon tea can be enjoyed between 1:00 and 5:30 daily. For more information, visit the website at http://www.chesterfieldmayfair.com/afternoon-tea

This year, the Cannaught hotel in Mayfair has presented a Christmas tree designed by Damien Hirst. The tree is decorated with various medical supplies from pills to syringes to scissors to medicine bottles. The items on the tree are moulded into Christmas imagery; the strings of pills become snowmen or are decorated with the word 'Noel'. The star on top of the tree is created with scapels placed together in a star shape. 

According to Hirst, he used medical supplies to decorate the Christmas tree to symbolise the hope that science and medicine can give to the world (1). Additional photographs of the tree and close-ups of the decorations are pictured below.

1) Hirst, Damien. Cannaught Christmas Tree. http://www.damienhirst.com/news/2015/connaught-christmas-tree [December 21, 2015]

It's Christmas season again in London. It feels like we have already just had Christmas because the time has gone quickly. I've had such a busy year with moving house and a working month-to-month on a busy job with a lot of overtime. A few weekends ago, I had a quick wander across London to see some of London's Christmas lights and window displays. I love walking around the city at this time of the year to see the decorations.

Cartier in Mayfair

The journey begins at Oxford Street where the same lights as last year have been used (covered here). These lights are gold and silver orbs ranging in different sizes, and they do look magical. The John Lewis and Debenhams department stores also have the same lights. (I did not take photographs of the John Lewis window display this year as I felt that it was not 'special'.)

Boots on Oxford Street is always decorated, but this year's lights are new and colourful, featuring stars and baubles and wishing shoppers a "Merry Christmas".

St. Christopher's Place is a small area of shopping just north from Oxford Street. This year's lights are large disco balls and gianty red and white baubles with snowflakes. I thought that these were very pretty.

Here's another giant bauble light.

Selfridges rarely disappoints, and this year's window and lights were themed around the moon. Christmas this year is the same day as the full moon, so this has proved popular in advertising. John Lewis' Christmas advertisement this year featured the man on the moon, which also supported AgeUK charity for older people. Selfridge's included a lit-up moon above the entrance, and the light projected onto it was animated.

The highlight of the window displays this year included the 'Star Wars' theme with the costume that Rey (Daisy Ridley) wore and a life-size replica of the droid BB-8. This is near the shop entrance. 

The other windows featured scenes inspired by the planets, the zodiac symbols, and mythology (as mythology does tie in to the planets). I am sure that I picked out Mars and Apollo. The side windows to the store featured facts about space, the moon, and so on. The large corner window on the western side featured a model of our solar system. However, I felt that the windows were slightly underwhelming this year.

Across the street, Marks and Spencer's boasted new lights. These are projected onto the building and animated with different colours, featuring a large bow on the front of the building. 

Meanwhile, Liberty department store featured a little bit of nostalgia. Their window displays are always packed but never themed as much.

Regent Street has new lights this year, and I have covered them here.

Carnaby Street always feature new lights. I covered their party lights here. They are nearly always my favourite area to look at for Christmas lights in London. 

In addition, be sure to check out the giant plug on the wall of one of the buildings as it is always decorated too.

Next up is Choccywoccydoodah, who always do chocolate sculptures for Christmas. Their small shop off Carnaby Street is always packed.

Mayfair's decorations were the same this year with the blue arches on South Molton Street and the feathery lights on New Bond Street. The Stella McCarntney shop also used the same bright lights, but Cartier's was different (see the top of the post).

Many of the shops in Mayfair have outside decorations trimmed with pine.

Fortnum and Mason's Christmas window displays were gorgeous, featuring many of their items. This looked like the perfect items for Christmas.

I loved the gold Christmas pudding and the pudding with the silver and gold almonds pouring out of it.

Their shop from was dressed with the standard Christmas trees.

The Strand also had Christmas lights down it this year.

Last but not least, Covent Garden retained its giant silver reindeer that was used in previous years. It also retained the Lego sculpture; this year's was Santa's Express train. You can read my post about it here.

The mistletoe lights in Covent Garden market are new this year, and you can read my post about them here.

I have included some posts from previous years with Christmas lights and window displays:

2012 Christmas lights and window displays

2012 Marmite Oxford Street lights

2013 Christmas lights and Eros snowglobe

2013 Christmas lights

2014 London's Christmas lights 

This year, Regent Street in London has new Christmas lights, and they are stunning ones this year when compared to the rather dull set used in the past three or four years. The new Christmas lights are inspired by watchmaking and photographs, which bring back Regent Street's heritage. Cinematography was first shown on Regent Street in 1896 while Regent Street was known for its watches.

The Christmas lights are designed by ACT Lighting Design, and they are known as "Timeless Elegance". The lights depict unassembled giant gears and cogs hanging between the buildings on the street. Proected animated imagery are cast onto them to give the effect of movement.

View more photographs of the Christmas lights below.