Itinerary help - Visting London Dec 8 to 11.

Regent, Oxford and Carnaby for Christmas lights

Hyde Park Winterwonderland is gorgeous at night time. It’s free.

Beatles lyrics and countless other treasures at the British Library’s Sir John C Ritblatt Gallery. ( a.k.a The Treasure Room.

Obviously Abbey Road In St Johns Wood neighborhood. The London Walks Magical Mystery Tour Walk includes this.

Thank you
that is a great help
-OLBTS

London Walks has two Beatles walks, both include a visit to Abbey Road.
Www.walks.com

I’ve never done the HOHO bus....too slow for transportation and too expensive for a sightseeing loop.
Consider the “See London by Night” bus tour from near Green Park tube station. I did it on my first visit, in December like you. Wrapped up warm on the open upper deck, we got a great view of the Christmas lights of Oxford and Carnaby Streets and London’s iconic sights. Live commentary. And when traffic made for slow going at times, it didn’t matter—more time to take in the views. Two departures nightly in winter—early sunset actually works in your favor. Cost is £18 but you can probably find 20% coupons online and they also accept the 2FOR1 UK rail offers.

Edited to add:
Friends recommend Il Convivio (Italian) on Ebury St by Victoria coach station.
And enjoy Hamilton— I saw it in Jan and thought the London cast was outstanding.

Thank you for the guidance.
I sincerely appreciate it
-OLBTS

I see you are all set for Liverpool, but let me just share what were the highlights for our visit:

The Beatles Experience museum at the Albert Dock is just a few steps away from where the Magical Mystery Tour bus route begins. There's also a TI office right there, catering to your needs for postcards, stamps, driving directions. The Magical Mystery Tour, which is loads of fun, leaves you off near the rebuilt Cavern Club and your bus ticket stub gets you free entry. Around the corner from the Cavern Club is the Hard Day's Night Hotel, which IMO is not to be missed -- wonderful early Beatles photos lining the walls and the sound track playing in the background is, of course .... You can have a drink in the bar or light fare from the "Any Time At All" menu if your schedule doesn't fit with an actual mealtime.

A restaurant suggestion: St. George's Tavern, within walking distance of Victoria Station. The restaurant is in the basement but the the food was delicious. It might not be fancy enough for a birthday, though.

A couple of comments - we have use Hop On/Off buses extensively when we have traveled and find them a great way to get both an overview of a city when we first arrive and as transport to major sites. We were in Liverpool earlier this month and used one. There was no problem with slow traffic or crowded buses. We also used them last November in London with great results. We typically use Hop on/offs for a day or two to see the major sights then use local transportation (tube, etc) for other days and sights.

I was wondering if you knew about the special exhibit on now in Liverpool, Double Fantasy, John and Yoko, free at at the Liverpool Museum right by the Albert Docks. It is quite large and really gave me a new perspective on them.

In Liverpool there are two HOHO companies (at least there were in September 2016, when I was there). The one with live guides is actually £1 cheaper than the one with a pre-recorded narration, so that's the one to do. It worked very well for getting around Liverpool, and is particularly handy for getting to the cathedrals, which are a bit of a walk from the center (still quite walkable, if you're a walker and the weather isn't too bad).

I second the motion for the Magical Mystery Tour. We did that 4 years ago and loved it! (It was winter when we did it.)

Don't forget that our poster was in London last week.