London in December?

Winter wonderland at Hyde park
Christmas markets at palaces/houses - I liked the Christmas market at Blenheim palace for a nice trip out of the city. I don’t remember when it is though.

we always enjoy attending some of the many, many Advent Christmas carol services and concerts at various London churches in December. And just riding the bus around looking at the lights and Christmas trees everywhere.

My favorite time to go.
As others have mentioned:
The free Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park. Really colorful at night.
Christmas lights: Regent and Oxford Streets. Carnaby street as well
See if a Panto is being performed and go
Christmas Markets - Google to find where and when
Santa Runs
Kew Gardens
The Igloos on the Thames Path. Again Google to see when and try to reserve.

And as your trip gets closer check Timeout London on line to see about choral events, sing alongs, movies, pop ups, markets, Gallery happenings.

Day trips:
Windsor
Hampton Court
Kew Gardens

Dress in layers and have fun!

Be prepared for it to be cold. I’m a Chicagoan and I was cold. Being winter clothes, the temperature might be warmer than Chicago, but that damp cold hits you.

It’s definitely a good time for museums as the days will be very short. I wouldn’t be counting on neighborhood strolls, but enjoying mulled wine or mulled cider inside a pub is always appealing. The arts are in full swing so you’ll have your pick.

Borough Market is so lovely at Christmas...mulled wine and hot ciders. Very festive atmosphere!
Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park
There are various Christmas markets that occur in different parts of the city. Check londinist.com for all of the holiday offerings.
You can see a performance of A Christmas Carol at The Old Vic if you get tickets WAY ahead of time.
The Globe Theater does winter wassail and carol evenings.
The Sky Garden decorates with large, lit trees with its beautiful views over the city...make sure to have reservations.
All the various shopping streets compete to have the best over-street light displays - just walking around is enough to get one into the holiday spirit.
Go ice skating or watch the skaters at Somerset House, Hampton Court, or the Natural History Museum.
Go to Liberty, Harrods, and all the other big department stores to see the decorations.
Have tea at the Wolseley - it's relatively inexpensive and they decorate really well for the holidays. Right next door to The Ritz / Green Park tube station.
We were in London this past Christmas and LOVED it! They do Christmas very well...

Boxing Day sales for shopping

Winchester-- Stonehenge-- Salisbury.

Oxford

London will be decorated so enjoy walking around. Suggestions? Go to theatre! Attend a mass or Evensong. Take day trips wherever interests you including Oxford, Windsor, Cambridge, Canterbury, Salisbury, Winchester, etc.

For the Sky Garden, if you can’t get tickets online, it’s first come first serve after 9pm, so you can still go.

Edited. Emma is correct, looking back at my photos from my November 30- December 5 2018 trip, all the lights were lit. It was my mid-November 2017 trip when the lights were strung, but not all lit.

This forum was enormously helpful for my trip this past December to London. One recommendation is buy your Kew Gardens at Christmas tickets as early as possible. I waited until a month before I left for London and there was NOTHING available for 2 people (and we were there 8 days). I had to buy on the secondary market (resale) and it was crazy as there was not really very many options. I lucked out and got the tickets and one of the few dry days. It is spectacular, so if you want to see it, buy early. Here is a link with information and tickets go on sale in June. https://www.kew.org/kew-gardens/whats-on/christmas-at-kew.

One other recommendation is Gingerbread City at the V&A. This past year (2018) it ran from 8 December to 9 January, so if it fits your schedule for 2019, it is such a treat (visually--you can't taste anything). 60 of the best architects and designers create a city made entirely out of gingerbread, sugar art, and candy. This past year the theme was sustainability. What is remarkable about the exhibit is that a master plan is created and then each architect is assigned a space and creates that space independently of the other architects. I was surprised as the overall cohesion of the design. What's more, many of the spaces are illuminated and have moving parts. As someone from a family of bakers, I loved the gingerbread work, but if you are interested in art and architecture, this is a great exhibit as well. Here is a link from last year to give you a preview: https://www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/the-museum-of-architectures-gingerbread-city. There is a charge for the exhibit and it sells out quickly.

Oh, Sandy! My late husband was an Urban & Regional Planner and he would have loved such an exhibit! I wonder who gets to eat the architectural treats after the exhibit ends.

Norma, thanks for your note. I am sure that no one eats the exhibit. Construction gingerbread can break a tooth (know this one from experience :).

Absolutely great suggestions from everyone! Please feel free to add more. We are not departing for 7 1/2 months. Plenty of time to receive more suggestions. Thanks again.

SandyO
Maybe pieces could be dunked in a nice cup of tea.