Christmas in London: What to Expect

Christmas in London: What to Expect

Europe is without a doubt the most whimsical part of Earth during which to celebrate Christmas. Each country has their own expressive way of celebrating the holiday, and London outdoes itself.

For most of December, as well as the few days following Christmas, there are daily events and attractions one take advantage of. This is an especially wonderful time for families with kids, whether local or traveling.

Christmas Day

How do the Brits do Christmas Day? The December month in London is a cold one; white Christmases are not an uncommon occurrence.

Christmas Day in the UK is celebrated indoors, usually around the warmth of a fire and the company of family and friends. This is typically how one will spend the eve of Christmas as well, and there should be some sort of home cooked feast involved.

On Christmas morning it is customary for Brits to wake early and exchange presents. If children are present, then the Santa Clause myth is embraced and gifts are left by this fictional man for children to find and tare open.

by Kyle Head – Unsplash

By midday the household will be in full swing, cooking up a second Christmas feast to enjoy as family around lunch time.

Almost no businesses in London open on Christmas Day, or the day after, known as Boxing Day. If you’ll be cooking from home you’ll need to have your shopping done in advance. On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day anyone interested can enjoy a number of church services that will take place across the city.

Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park

To keep Hyde Park as attractive in the winter as it is in the summer, the grounds are transformed into a Winter Wonderland during the cold months, well in time for Christmas.

The park remans free to enter to all, and if you want to take part in any of the attractions you can pay accordingly.

The Hyde Park lake freezes over and transforms itself into the biggest outdoor ice rink in the UK. There are multiple live theatre shows and circus performances, & even a comedy club with daily gigs.

by Fas Khan – Unsplash

The ice sculpting workshops are always a huge hit, but nothing compares to the massive observation wheel that ties it all together. Ride it up into the sky and observe beautiful wintery London from above. A magical time in a magical town indeed.

Natural History Museum’s Christmas Ice Rink

The Hyde Park ice rink might be the biggest, but the Natural History Museum’s is undoubtably the most whimsical.

Every year the museum in South Kensington puts a boat load of effort into making their ice rink the most attractive space possible. A giant Christmas tree is always erected in the center, and fairy lights are draped across all ends.

by David Hawgood – Wikimedia Commons

They play Christmas carols all day through, and a child can skate here for around £9, while adults will have to pay closer to £13 per ticket.

This attraction is open daily between 10am and 9pm, but is unfortunately not open on Christmas Day at all — take note!

The Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree

If skating isn’t your thing but you still want to see an impressive tree in the city, the the Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree is not to be missed.

The square erects a giant, and very impressive, tree in the center every year. The trees are always gifts sent over from Norway, and have been since 1947.

Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree – by David Hawgood – Wikimedia Commons

A lot of activity takes place around the tree in the days leading up to Christmas. This is the most famous spot to enjoy Christmas carols in the city, as over 40 groups of carolers come together on different occasions to perform to raise money for charity.

Enjoying both the tree and the carolers is absolutely free.

The Great Christmas Pudding Race at Covent Garden

The Great Christmas Pudding Race is an event organized by the Cancer Research Aid Committee (CRAC) in aid of cancer research in the UK.

On the 7th of December, teams of volunteers come together for a fun race involving a lot of fancy dress and a lot of pudding.

Great Christmas Pudding Race at Covent Garden – by Great Christmas Pudding Race – Sourced from their website

An obstacle course is set up, and the object of the course is for participants to make it to the end without messing their plate of pugging along the way. The first one to the end with their pudding well in tact, is the winner.

It’s good fun and great for a laugh, as a bonus you’ll be contributing toward cancer research.

Christmas Markets in London

These are one of the best parts of Christmas time in London, in my opinion. London has great markets year round, but few compare to the wholesomeness of the Christmas markets.

I love the one that takes place at the London Bridge. It’s called Christmas by the River, and is a showcase of all the seasonal treats you can think of hosted with breathtaking views of the city in the background.

by Philippe Oursel – Unsplash

It’s important we all make an effort to be more environmentally friendly these days, and Christmas time in particular is generally very wasteful. In Shoreditch they host a Zero Waste Christmas Market, with no bins in sight and all entirely environmentally conscious goods and products for purchase.

Christmas in Leicester Square is another really festive market space that is particularly great for kids. There are puppet shows and journeys through “Santa’s grotto”. 

Christmas Lights on Oxford Street

Nowhere in London does Christmas lights quite like the famous Oxford Street. This is one of the most popular shopping strips in the world, and thousands of people walk this street by day year round.

All of the biggest name brands in fashion and retail can be found on this road. The Christmas lights are put up as early as November, creating its own kind of outdoor winter wonderland for shoppers to admire.

Even if commercial shopping isn’t your forte, a walk under the lights is a great Christmas festivity for all.

by Jamie Davies – Unsplash

Another fantastic way to embrace the street festivities of London at Christmas time would be via any of the guided walking tours through the city center. A spectacle of both British history, architecture and the festive season.