Christmas in London

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Well Christmas in London sure turned out to be better than I first expected. If it was perhaps a little warmer and didn't get dark so early, it would be perfect!

I came to discover that if I didn't get up and out of the house before 11 am on a Saturday, that i would totally miss the day, as it is dark here by about 3.30pm now.

The weeks leading up to Christmas were full of things to do in London. I spent time at the Hyde Park Winter Christmas Market, and watched the ice skaters at Somerset house. Christmas lights were hung on every lamp post and brass bands were playing carols in the streets.

I was involved in making history when Regent St and Oxford St were closed to traffic for the first time ever, for a weekend dedicated to Christmas shopping. The streets were crammed with shoppers and the shops were almost ransacked of all their stock.

I went and saw the large Christmas tree at Trafalgar Square that had been given to the UK by Norway as a gift, and the Christmas tree at Somerset house that had been decorated by Tiffany's.

The night before Christmas was a huge highlight for me. At about 11pm I made my way to St. Pauls Cathedral with a friend for midnight mass. We arrived just as they were about to close the doors. The Cathedral was absolutely packed. I think everyone in London had the same idea as us. There was nowhere to sit and we were so far away from the minister that we considered leaving. Just as we turned to leave, the lovely ushers escorted us to the front of the Cathedral. As I insisted we sit towards the back, they kept ushering us down towards the front. The front row had been reserved but nobody was sitting in it. We were given front row reserved seats, while thousands who had queued for hours, were forced to sit behind us or behind great pillars.

Just when I thought our luck couldn't get any better...the Bishop of London walked over to us and blessed us in front of the congregation. As the clock went on past midnight, and the London boys choir sang, it truly was a magical night.

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