London Christmas Lights

Regent Street in December is not for the faint hearted. Fortunately, we were not there for the shopping experience. Instead we were there for for the festive atmosphere, but mainly to see all the wonderful Christmas lights on display. 

By the time we arrived in central London it was already heaving with shoppers and those who, like us, were there for the festive markets and Christmas lights. In fact, I couldn't even begin to imagine being able to get any shopping done, it was ever so crowded. Not that I was complaining, it was exactly as I'd expected it to be. London was always going to be busy on a weekend in December.

And it was totally worth it. Yes, it was exhausting, we must have walked miles, but the lights were absolutely beautiful. We even ventured into Fortnum and Mason, albeit briefly, as it was rammed. Then onto Liberty, which was much less frenzied, and where we managed to buy this year's Christmas tree decoration.

The evening ended with a drink of mulled wine, overlooking the Thames. The twinkling lights reflected in the water. 

The following morning we enjoyed a more leisurely stroll over Westminster Bridge, along Whitehall, down The Mall, then through St James's Park, where we stopped for coffee. Then it wasn't long after that we needed to catch the train for our journey home. 

Tired, but happy. It was a wonderful weekend, and one which I'll always remember. 

J. X

London in December

 

I apologise if I sparked concern with my feeling so tired last night. The truth is, I was exhausted, but on this occasion it was self inflicted. We've just spent an amazing couple of days in London seeing the Christmas Lights. 

We're back home again now, still tired but very happy. It was a wonderful experience. 

Oh, and I managed to get those presents delivered :)

I'll share more photographs tomorrow, when I've had time to sort through them all. 

J. X

Spirit of Christmas

 

I'm feeling very tired this evening. Back tomorrow.  

J. X

End of the Week

 

Here's another photograph from last weekend when the weather situation looked far more festive and the temperature felt a lot cooler. 

Thank you for the comments on my previous post. I'm glad it isn't just me who finds Christmas shopping so stressful. Although I've cut back hugely on the amount of people I buy for (and that made a massive difference), I would be quite happy to forget about presents altogether. There is just so much pressure and expectation about the giving and receiving of gifts, which is why I try and prioritise experiences instead. I don't particularly remember any of last year's Christmas gifts, but I do remember our visit to the Christmas lights, drinking mulled wine at the markets in Edinburgh, and chilly walks through the woods followed by a delicious hot chocolate. Although I try not to think about the ice-skating ;)

Gosh, it's felt like a long week, especially considering I didn't go into work on Monday. Today has been particularly stressful and an incident at work, although nothing I was involved with, left me feeling a little flat. My colleagues, however were incredible, and dealt with the situation brilliantly. I realise how lucky I am to work with some amazing people. 

The Mincemeat Shortbread  was very popular. I tried some myself and I have to agree, it was delicious. The recipe never fails but it might also have had something to do with the extra brandy I always add to the mincemeat :) This was all that was left when I went into the staff room at lunchtime.

I think that next I will go and get my pyjamas on, enjoy a quiet night, and hopefully I can catch up with some blog reading. I've an early start tomorrow, as I'm going to be delivering those presents.

J. X