A Londoner like Chesterton defined Christmas as a challenge to the scoundrel that brings to the imagination a kinder world. And the truth is that the British capital celebrates Christmas outside like few cities on the planet. That is why foreigners like to escape to London on such important dates, which in other places have a more intimate and private character. Nothing stops, neither football nor musicals, when these days arrive. The spirit of Christmas here invites you to have a good time, to share moments, to wish each other the best. You don’t feel strange even though you’re not a Londoner. “There is no other place like London, anywhere,” proclaimed designer Vivienne Westwood.
Lunch on December 25 is the most endearing moment, as it is when families gather around the table to eat turkey, roast potatoes and Christmas pudding, but tourists should not fear feeling alone and without anyone in the mirror. , what Jorge Luis Borges would say. London becomes a fantasy from the evening of December 1, when a gigantic twenty-meter tree is planted in Trafalgar Square, the lights of the square are turned on and the doors of its Christmas market open. The fir is a gift from the Norwegian government for the unconditional support that the British government gave them during World War II. It is a tradition that has been repeated uninterruptedly since 1947 and brings together thousands of people.
In any case, some consider that Christmas time begins even earlier, when Regent Street annually invites a celebrity to press the button that illuminates this luxurious avenue. One year they invited the Spice Girls and it was crazy: even Santa Claus lost his hat. The street has the Hamleys toy store at number 188, seven floors that constitute a world of illusions, where you should not miss the Lego sculptures, the Harry Potter section, the Frozen space or the magic corner.
At one intersection (Great Marlborough Street) there are some unique warehouses that are worth a visit. And not only because Liberty will celebrate its centenary in 2024, but also because it is a building whose construction used wood from two decommissioned Royal Navy ships. The appearance of the property is as unique as its select products.
Another must-see attraction is Winter Wonderland, the largest Christmas market in London and surely in the world, which is located in Hyde Park. Admission costs between £5 and £7.50, depending on the time and day. The site has grown to become an amusement park, where you can visit Santa Claus’s house, at whose doors children queue to deliver their letter, ride the big Ferris wheel, skate in a Victorian pavilion or see the exhibition. of ice figures. But you can also buy Christmas decorations, devour hot dogs and taste mulled wine. In any case, the must-see of the city’s markets is Christmas by the River, located next to the Thames, at the foot of London Bridge, where concerts and outdoor movie showings are also offered. It’s not exactly a popular market, but Fortnum
And yet, a recommendation: the most exclusive place to ice skate during these weeks is the Somerset House rink, an 18th century palace built on a Tudor mansion that turns its large interior patio into a rink. I never understood why Mat Whitecross didn’t include a scene from Love Actually, with the protagonists skating, in this noble and romantic setting.
