Already picturesque, London, is made even more so during the festive season when fanciful holiday decorations adorn the entire city. Winter activities take on an even more magical feel when they take place in such a historic and iconic destination.
London was a marvelous place for our family to celebrate the season and we made it our mission to see as many of the city’s decorative displays as we could.
There were so many highlights on this trip including ice skating at the Tower of London, visiting Father Christmas in his Hever Castle grotto, Hogwarts in the snow, and Windsor Castle’s evening production of A Christmas Carol.
Here are some ideas and tips for holiday fun in and around London Town.
Christmas Displays
With almost no street left undressed you won’t have to go far to find gorgeous holiday lights and Christmas displays in fact you’re guaranteed to come upon them no matter where you choose to explore.
Oxford Street
Oxford Street will be lit from November 6, 2018. I rather liked this blurry photo of Oxford Street, which I snapped from a moving taxi cab.
Carnaby Street
Carnaby’s 2018 holiday display is already lit and has a Bohemian Rhapsody theme. Last year’s theme was a tropical Christmas.
Covent Garden
Covent Garden will be turning their lights on November 13, 2018. Though this photo doesn’t do it justice trust me when I tell you Covent Garden’s decor is well worth a visit.
Regent Street
Regent Street’s lights will be lit on November 15, 2018. The median running down the center of Regent Street makes for a handy spot to snap a photo or two!
The Seven Dials
The Seven Dials will be lit on November 15, 2018.
The Royal Exchange
The Royal Exchange was opened by Queen Elizabeth in 1571, and is the heart of The City of London. I was interested to learn it’s one of the locations where a herald proclaims a new monarch’s reign.
The Royal Exchange will be lit on November 21, 2018.
Neal’s Yard
The Strand
Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square is home to The National Gallery, Nelson’s Column, and other iconic London landmarks. Since 1947 the people of Norway have donated a giant Christmas tree to the people of Britain in recognition of their support during WWII.
Trafalgar Square’s tree will be lit in early December.
The National Gallery
I finally checked The National Gallery off my list. After taking my time to wander the halls of this lovely museum I spent quite a bit of time admiring the beautiful Christmas tree in the main hall.
Entrance to the National Gallery is free of charge.
The Leadenhall Market
The Leadenhall Market, located in the heart of the City of London, is a popular destination and has been since it was established in 1321. You might recognize it as the entrance to Diagon Alley in the movie Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
Try going after-hours or on a holiday to avoid the crowds.
Ice Skating at The Tower of London
For me no visit to London would be complete without a trip to the Tower of London. We didn’t make it inside the Tower this time, but we did go ice skating in the moat, which we all agreed was a magical experience.
The Tower Of London ice skating is open from November 23 through January 6. This is a very popular activity, and I highly suggest booking as early as possible. The Tower offers many special events throughout the year, so check the website to see what’s on.
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Christmas Street Art
A guided walking tour was a great way to see and learn about the street art scene in London, and I was delighted to see that even the street art embraced the spirit of the holiday season.
You might also be interested in: Shoreditch Street Art Tour & Masterclass
Christmas Markets
A festive holiday market, delicious treats, lovely views of the London Eye and St. Paul’s, art installations, and even a skate park are all waiting for you along the South Bank.
The Southbank Winter Festival is open November 9 through December 27, 2018.
Christmas Afternoon Tea
If, like us, you’re coming from a place where afternoon tea isn’t the norm, then you’ll want to partake in this lovely tradition at least once. We enjoyed a festive afternoon tea on Christmas Day at the Corinthia, one of our favorite hotels, where we indulged in tea, delicious sandwiches, and desserts almost too pretty to eat.
Peggy Porschen Cake Shop
Touted by multiple sources as having the “best cupcakes in the world” a visit to Peggy Porschen Cakes was high on my list. We sampled holiday themed cupcakes and cocoa, and both were delicious.
Christmas Shopping
Holiday shopping opportunities in London are plentiful and way too numerous to list in this post, but I managed to find treasures along Regent Street, at the iconic Liberty of London, and Selfridges. The later of which also has an amazing Food Hall where you can pick up delicious treats and artisan foods to take home, or if you prefer there are various dine in options as well.
Victoria & Albert Museum
There are many things to see and do at the world’s leading museum of art and design making the Victoria and Albert a place worth coming back to time and again. We were delighted to discover this amazing singing Christmas tree by artist Ed Devlin during our most recent visit.
Visitors to the museum were invited to write words on a slip of paper, which was then entered into the tree’s software so they could be sung aloud by the tree.
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Festive Day Trips
With two full weeks to explore we took advantage of the gift of time with multiple day trips outside the city.
WB Studios The Making of Harry Potter – Hogwarts in the Snow
Our entire family loves the Harry Potter movies and we loved our visit to the Warner Brothers Studios The Making of Harry Potter. During the festive season the Studio is transformed into a magical winter wonderland.
Hogwarts in the Snow runs from Saturday, November 17 – Sunday, January 27. Tickets must be purchased in advance online.
WB Studios London: The Making of Harry Potter
Hever Castle
Hever Castle (childhood home of Anne Boleyn), in nearby Edenbridge, was a magical place to visit during the winter season. The Castle is decorated both inside and out with a different theme each year.
Last year’s theme was Christmas carols and activities included a magical 12 Days of Christmas Trail and a vintage fairground, which was complete with carousel, fun house, and Coconut Shy. Our visit to Father Christmas in his Christmas grotto on the castle grounds was really quite enchanting, and very different from what we’ve experienced here in the United States.
Christmas at Hever Castle runs November 24 – December 9 (Wed-Sun) and December 10 – 24 daily.
You might also be interested in: Visiting Hever Castle Childhood Home of Anne Boleyn
Windsor Castle
Windsor makes for a perfect day trip from London, especially during the holidays when the entire town and castle are decorated for the season. We attended a special evening presentation of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol performed in the Waterloo Room of Windsor Castle, during our visit and it was a night we’ll never forget.
The play was performed by just 8 actors who along with limited props, mood lighting and music managed to transport us all to 1840s London. The play concluded around the base of the most magnificent Christmas tree I’ve ever seen.
Christmas festivities at the castle will take place from Saturday, December, 1 2018 – Sunday, January 6, 2019. This year’s special performance will be The Princess and the Pantomime. Check the website for performance dates and to purchase tickets.
You might also be interested in: A Christmas Carol at Windsor Castle
New Years Eve Fireworks
Our last hurrah on this trip, and one I highly recommend, was the spectacular London New Year’s Eve Fireworks show. The fireworks are set off from the London eye, so our assigned viewing area, the Waterloo Bridge, wasn’t too shabby.
Advance purchase tickets, at £10 per person, are required. The event sells out, so plan ahead. Dress extra warm and bring cash for the food vendors on the bridge.
Even More Holiday Decor…
As you can see we found a multitude of ways to celebrate the season during our two weeks in London. Do you travel for Christmas, or do you prefer to stay home for the holidays?
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Photos weren’t allowed at the party we attended, but they did give us these polaroids to bring home!
One solution to all these “problems” has been to find new ways to display and store my photos off the computer. In my quest to do so I’ve sent, displayed, framed, published and gifted photos. With as many photo companies to choose from as there are photos on my hard drive it can be hard to know which one to use.
Moving cards: Don’t forget to send moving cards. I know its better to give than to receive, but… There are many great websites and designs to choose from and I usually go with the one having the best sale! This year I used Minted to print my holiday cards and Tiny Prints for our moving announcement.
Creating an album of people or memories is the best way to get those files off your computer and they make wonderful gifts too. I’ve been trying out a number of different photo book companies in all different price ranges and skill levels. Here is some of what I’ve learned so far:
It was too late for our 
This year Tim and Simon went to the grocery store to get pumpkins, while Elliot and I stayed home, it was great! I absolutely didn’t miss wandering around in the pumpkin patch looking for just the right one. Very liberating! I did miss out on the cute photo tho…
If you decide to decorate your pumpkin with paint and sharpie pens, it’s a good idea to dull the tip of your Sharpie prior to using it on the painted surface or it might scrape off the paint.
As long as I’ve had kids I’ve been baking sugar cookies for Halloween, but we’ve been 
The Bay Area has so many beautiful places to explore it can be hard to decide, ocean, forest, wine country, the city, and all of them are within an hours drive of one another, but for our family it’s really no contest… The ocean is calling…
I don’t know when it happened, but somewhere along the way we discovered Barbara’s Fish Trap and we never looked back. The perfect place for our family, Barb’s is a casual dining restaurant with friendly service and consistently good food! They have both indoor and outdoor seating and a take away window as well.
If you’re wondering, what do we get? Elliot and I always get the clam strips & chips and Simon likes traditional fish & chips while Tim likes the seafood combo. The portions are quite generous so you might consider sharing. Keep in mind they only take cash, but there is an ATM on the premises.
There are so many fun things to do in and around Half Moon Bay depending on the time of the year!
