As the end of the year rolls by, London transforms in to a magical wonderland just in time for the Christmas holidays.
Christmas is one of the most eagerly anticipated holidays in London. The Christmas break in London usually extends over four days and features cheerful family get-togethers that are characterized by much feasting and gift- exchanging.
Gift exchanging is an important tradition of the Christmas celebrations though shopping for gifts for friends and family is often considered by some folk to be a highly stressful experience as they have to battle hordes of other shoppers in the high street stores which are always jam packed during the festive season. For this reason London, like many other cities around the world hosts animated Christmas markets which give shoppers the opportunity to do all their Christmas shopping in one spot.
The Greenwich Christmas Market
Maritime Greenwich is a World Heritage Site which is situated on the bank of the River Thames in South East London. This area is famous for historic landmarks like the National Maritime Museum, the Royal Observatory, home of Greenwich Mean Time and the Meridian Line and its Greenwich Market. The Greenwich Market is a covered market which is made up of nearly 120 stalls whose vendors are market traders, up and coming artists and crafts people who retail their works at the market and make it London’s best source for unique gifts , arts and crafts and antiques. The Greenwich Market hosts a special Christmas market every year that features live entertainment, Christmas lights and various other festivities. This Christmas market will be launched this year on Friday, 27th November. Besides the Greenwich Christmas Market, other popular London markets like Camden Market and Carnaby Street also host Christmas Markets which are extremely popular with shoppers they feature products like exclusive jewelry, bespoke fashion items, toys which are perfect as gifts and stocking stuffers.
London Hotel in Greenwich : Holiday Day Inn Greenwich London
Covent Garden Christmas Market
Traditional British Christmas foods like mince pies, Christmas pudding, Figgy puddings and cider are a big part of the Christmas revelry. London’s Convent Garden market which hosts the popular Real Foods Market all year long also has a special Christmas themed market for the festive season which features several traditional British Christmas delicacies which are sourced from local farmers, artisan producers and vendors. The Convent Garden Christmas market also features much live entertainment and music and is open every Thursday and Friday until December 18th for the Christmas season. Similar Christmas food markets are held at London’s other popular foodie heavens like Borough Market, the Slow Food Market at the South Bank and the Cabbages and Frocks Market at Marylebone High Street.
London Hotel near Covent Garden : Euro Hotel
Festive Fairs
Along with specialty Christmas Markets, London also hosts several annual festive fairs like the Country Living Magazine Christmas Fair and The British Red Cross Christmas Fair which offer shoppers an additional avenue to shop for gifts for all the family from a wide range of vendors. Both these fairs are held in mid-November and provide early birds a chance to get all their Christmas shopping done before the traditional rush starts.
Christmas Shopping on London’s High Streets
London’s most famous shopping districts like Oxford Street, Regent Street and Bond Street which are collectively known as the West End are usually all dressed up for Christmas adorned as they are with elaborate illumination displays which are popularly known ‘Christmas Lights’. These Christmas Lights are switched on by celebrities at special ceremonies which are held in early November and these lights usually stay on until early January. All the famous British stores that are located here like Marks and Spencer’s, Fortnum and Mason, Selfridges and Hamley’s have their own Christmas promotions and events for the festive season but one of the best days to shop at these stores is on the Traffic Free Shopping Day London which this year is scheduled for Saturday 5th December. On this day, the entire West End like it has for the past five years is transformed into a huge car free pedestrian shopping zone that features much entertainment and festivities along with its many shopping opportunities.
Hotel in London’s West End : The Summer Hotel
Photo of Christmas store in London, UK, by JohnBurke
Topic: Tips and Ideas |
0 Comments
Tags: Christmas, London, shopping
About the author
Anjeeta Nayar is a professional freelance writer and blogger based in New York City. She relocated to the Big Apple from Mumbai two years ago. She loves New York City for its incredible buzz and energy. It really is the city that never sleeps and there is always something to do and see here. In addition to being a writer and blogger, she is also an avid traveler with London and cities in S.E.Asia being the places she enjoys visiting the most!
Leave a comment