London at Christmas…Part 1

Fulfilling a bucket list item always feels great and when my daughter suggested a trip to London pre-Christmas to see the lights and check out the stores and a few markets, I knew it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up! With so much to see and do we put together a list, and although there were some things we missed, we both came home filled with the Christmas spirit and longing to return.

Part 1 of London at Christmas will highlight some of the daytime displays…although they would also be spectacular at night. Our first day we did some walking to try and beat the jetlag that can hamper a trip from the west coast of Canada to England. We wandered by Harrods and along some of the side streets making our way to Oxford Street. We looked in at the Harrods Christmas section and managed to fight through the crowds to buy an ornament. It was sooooo busy!!

So many of the department stores and smaller independent shops are decorated with spectacular storefronts and discovering these was definitely fun and often unexpected.

Annabel’s private club across from Berkeley Square apparently changes their outside display every year. It was gorgeous!

We found a wonderful arrangement at Hedonism Wines on Davies Street. Made to look like gingerbread houses these 24 intricately designed boxes held a different scene inside each one. We spent a fair amount of time here!

Making our way to Selfridges on Oxford Street we had a quick peek inside at their insanely busy store and then called it a day.

We got extremely lucky with the weather while we were in London and although it was the end of November and we were prepared for rainy, stormy days, we actually had brilliant sunshine for all our days except for one. Heading out one morning to the Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park we managed to escape the crowds and although this is a popular evening event for people, we loved meandering through this Christmas fair during the day. There are plenty of vendors, food stalls, games and rides to fill your time.

A highlight of our trip was afternoon tea at The Savoy. It was definitely a “spoil yourself” moment and it didn’t disappoint! The service, the setting, and the sandwiches and treats, were all incredible.

Covent Gardens at Christmas is high on everyone’s must-see list and we made our way there on our last day. We first went to Neal’s Yard, which is a quaint square surrounded by shops and bars. Being off the beaten path it was a nice place to discover and spend a bit of time in.

Then it was on to Covent Gardens. We found this area well decked out with impressive decorations, lots of vendors, and festive music. Although we visited on a weekday it was unfortunately super crowded and hard to make our way around the piazza that is there.

Because this was my daughter’s first trip to London, and wanting to take advantage of the sunny skies that we had while we were there, we made sure to hit up some typical tourist spots as well including Westminster Abbey…

Houses of Parliament and the Elizabeth Tower/Big Ben…

Buckingham Palace…

St. Paul’s Cathedral…

Trafalgar Square…

Kensington Palace…

and Hyde Park…

After our visit to London with our days filled with festive decor and displays we came home overflowing with Christmas spirit! I would highly recommend a visit during this time of year and although the crowds were more than we expected, we still found quieter streets and parks to provide some peaceful moments. You can check out the city at night with London at Christmas Part 2.