December suggestions for London

As soon as you arrive buy a copy of Time Out London for December activities & events. I know that there are Christmas Carol concerts at St. Martin-in-the-Fields in December for one thing.

Whats On and similar publications are very helpful.Also buy the daily newspaper. There used to be Christmas carol singalongs on Trafalgar Square for a couple of evenings before Christmas. Also many of the churches and cathedrals have Christmas eve services.

Hyde park has an annual Winter festival from Mid November through the new year. I went last year and it was fun. Food, music, ice skating, christomas shops, etc. Free admission. Tube stop would be Hyde Park corner. You also can't miss Oxford street. They really go fancy with all the department store windows and decorations spanning across the streets. Tube stops Oxford circus, Marble Arch or Piccadilly. I also believe that mid December they do the annual tree lighting in Trafalgar square. I love London in the winter time!

The Trafalgar Square Christmas tree lighting ceremony is on the first Thursday of December. Since 1947 the tree has been an annual gift of the people of Oslo to the people of London in thanks for British support of Norway during WWII. You could attend a pantomime or go ice skating at Somerset House.

I would also start checking the London forum on Trip Advisor. There is usually a post about events, closings, etc. Kew Gardens usually has a skating rink and decorates for Christmas. Windsor often has a French Christmas Market. Bath has an excellent Christmas Market. Cardiff Wales has a small Christmas Market of local craftsmen. Canterbury often has a small, but nice market, too. The Pantomine and Proms season should have started. Pantos are children's stories put on as hilarious plays- exagerated costumes, lots of comedy, etc. Proms are concerts.

The lighted tree at Trafalgar Square is the centerpiece of nightly caroling by groups from all around the city. All are good, some are sensational, as both amateur and professional choruses each get 30-45 minutes or so, singing round the tree. Very entertaining and free. Some groups invited the crowd to sing along as well. Mince pies, hot mulled wine, and other seasonal treats are sold on site. It may be already booked up, but you can check at the Royal Albert Hall on line for Christmas productions. We attended one two years ago with the Royal Symphony and the Queen's royal trumpeteers doing all of the Christmas favorites and the crowd was asked to sing along on some of the numbers as well. It remains one of our most favorite Christmas experiences.

Here's a radical one -=- hop a train and roll up to the Second City of Brummajum as it is called 'round these parts (Birmingham) where we have a huge German Christmas Market in and around Victoria Square which runs well into the evenings... ... stay overnight and run down to Kidderminster the next day and ride behind a steam engine with lots of kiddies through the Worcestershire and Shropshire countryside and a long tunnel calling at Bewdley, crossing the old cast iron bridge, Victoria Bridge, across the Severn River, and arriving at Arley for Santa's Grotto. If you don't feel young enough for the Grotto, there are usually plenty of Chestnuts freshly roasted over the coals and often a live brass band. And then plenty of hot (ok-warm) and wet tea on the train. Told you it was radical.... p-)

NIGEL! Love your suggestion!

Thanks, Elaine. The website for the Severn Valley Railway is http://www.svr.co.uk/

I >strongly< suggest reservations if going on the Santa Specials.

We have been to London twice now in December and enjoyed the Geffrye Museum exhibit of "400 years of seasonal traditions in English Homes". As I recall it requires tube and bus rides. Website www.geffrye-museum.org/uk.