Results matching “Christmas”

The Trafalgar Square Christmas tree gained a lot of publicity this year. Each year, a Christmas tree is placed in Trafalgar Square and lit with lights in the traditional method (as per Scandinavian style, the lights are hung horizontally instead of vertically). The tradition started in 1947 as a gift from Norway to Britain as a "thank you" for the support during World War II. The felling of the tree outside Oslo is an additional tradition with a poetry project attached to the process of the gifting. This year, however, the Christmas tree was mocked because it did not appear to be shaped perfectly and had some sparse branches. 

This is a real tree, and it is a gift from Norway. The significance should be placed upon that. The tree was given as a significance to remember those who helped each other. A real tree is not going to look perfect. What is "perfect"? Sure, some of the branches may be a little sparse near the bottom. Perhaps that part of the tree was covered by another pine tree. Perhaps it got the shade on a hillside or other trees and did not grow much there. Perhaps it had some damage on its way to England. In my opinion, it is a beautiful tree. It does not have to be perfect. What is perfect anyway? It is nature.

I imagine this tree in the forest in Norway, enjoying the company of wildlife and fresh snow. Then, it is chopped down to enjoy a Christmas in London so that everyone can enjoy seeing it and remember the history of the tradition.

Next to the Trafalgar Square Christmas tree is a nativity scene in a glass box, which is an art installation known as "Christmas Crib" by Tomoaki Suzuki. The work was commissioned by the church St. Martin-in-the-Fields in Trafalgar Square.

This year, there was also a fairly large Christmas market at Trafalgar Square and up by the National Gallery. Perhaps there was a marketing plan to get as many people into Trafalgar Square this year to see the Christmas tree.

This year, Christmas has returned to Carnaby Street with a bang. Over 600 butterflies fly overhead along Carnaby Street, and each butterfly is decorated with reflective wings and neon patterns. The installation has been a collaboration with the charity Choose Love to raise funds for refugees. The butterfly represents rebirth and change, which marks a significance with the charity work as well as the changing life due to the past couple of years.

I visited the Carnaby Street Christmas lights, which showcase the wording "Carnaby Kaleidoscope" on the arch above the street. he butterflies are difficult to photograph, and they were captured better on mobile than on my digital camera.

One of the side roads contained an additional butterfly installation.

To see previous Carnaby Street Christmas lights in my blog, see the below posts:

•  Carnaby Street Christmas Lights 2020: Choose Love
• Carnaby Street Christmas "One Ocean One Planet"
• Carnaby Street Christmas Lights Celebrate Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody"
• Carnaby Christmas Carnival
• Carnaby Christmas Revolution
• Carnaby Christmas Party
• Robins
• Santa
• Rolling Stones (rock and roll)

The Connaught hotel in Mayfair has worked with an artist each year (with the exception of last year) for the past several years in order to design their Christmas tree on Mount Street. The Connaught hotel's Christmas tree this year is designed by Annie Morris and Idris Khan. It features a Nordmann Fir that stands at nine meters. On three focal points of the tree, Morris' most famous work of stackable shapes is included, and each one is made of painted wood board and lit with lights. At the top of the tree is another of Morris's motifs, the "flower woman". Khan's contribution to the Christmas tree is the base, which shows the text "Merry Christmas" translated and superimposed numerous times.

Previous Connaught Christmas trees that I covered on my blog are below:

Wightwick Manor is a property maintained by the National Trust in West Midlands. This was my first ever visit to Wightwick Manor, and I got to see the house and grounds decorated for a traditional Christmas. Despite the appearance of a Tudor-framed medieval home, this house actually dates to the late 1800s. The house is influenced by the Arts and Crafts Movement, William Morris. The influence of the design in the house is medieval with the rooms appearing to be medieval instead of built at the end of the 1800s.

I had a wander around the grounds to see the front of the house, and it is a nice-looking house. The hedges were designed to look like Christmas puddings, a traditional English dessert made of dried fruit drenched in alcohol. 

The gardens had some decorated trees and hedges and a herd of reindeer that appeared to be ready to help Santa.

Inside the house, the influence of medieval rooms is apparant, but there's also the pattern and decoration made popular by the Arts and Crafts Movement on the walls and tapestries.

The Christmas decorations are inspired by traditional Victorian Christmases. In addition, we were told that one of the volunteers had experience making dresses, so there are four dresses located around the house to see. The first one was in the main room.

The fireplace in this room looks amazing, and I enjoyed the flower arrangements.

A couple of the rooms could be peeked into but not entered, so I had a look at them. A fireplace in the study shows some vintage toy animals, stockings, and garlands of greenery.

The other side of this room was the library.

The little nook inside the door contains a large fireplace and impressive stained glass and garlands.

The breakfast room was decorated with table settings set.

The hallway was also decorated with greenery, red berries, and candles.

The upstairs of the manor was closed, but the second dress was located on the top of the staircase, decorated inspired by the peacock. 

The hall is probably the most lavish room with high ceilings and decorated beautifully for Christmas. 

The third dress was in this room.

Off of this dining hall was the games room, and it was also decorated.

That room led into a smaller dining area with the fourth and final dress.

This room then leads to the servant quarters, and the kitchen off the side of this room was decorated with festive turkey and Christmas dinner.

Along the hallway were additional decorations and luggage, including sporting items that would be enjoyed on days away.

The kitchens were laid out with the festive meal in progress. It was the warmest room in the house, complete with roasting chestnuts and mince pies.

The servant's room also had its own decorations and Christmas tree.

Their kitchen was also in preparation for Christmas day, and on the way out was a walk through the laundry room and the game room with hanging pheasants.

Wightwick Manor looks like a lovely property, and I hope to visit it again soon and once the upstairs is opened. I enjoyed visiting the house to see the traditional Christmas decorations and the beautiful dresses.

I recently visited Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire, which was one of my favourite places that I first visited a few years ago. During December, the abbey comes to life with bright colours that light the pillars and walls, recorded choir music, and live singing in the cellarium. The cellarium has great acoustics and is a picturesque part of the abbey today. I arrived in the morning to go on the tour of the abbey and the Studley Royal Water Garden; the morning tour focused more on the UNESCO World Heritage property as a whole as constructed and used as a fashionable pleasure garden in Victorian times. There is a separate tour for the abbey history.

The tour focused on the abbey grounds and water gardens. The abbey was purchased to add to the water gardens as a romantic ruin; in those days, it was fashionable to have a ruin of a castle or abbey. We walked to the water gardens with the guide and finished on the other site and had a bite to eat in the cafe before heading back to listen to the choir.

On this day, it was York Musical Choir who were singing in the cellarium. They sang a group of Christmas songs - some traditional and some from other parts of the world. There were about ten songs that were sang, and they later sang the same songs again after a short break.

It was gradually starting to grow dark, so I waited around for the bright rainbow of lights in the cellarium and the abbey to be clearer. The lights were shining during the choir singing too, so it was magical. 

I wandered around the grounds and waited for the darkness so that I could see the colours more. The different colours and lights lit up various parts of the abbey.

After enjoying the colours, I headed over to Scotton to Guy Fawkes Arms pub to have a meal. I had enjoyed a meal at this pub on Easter during the year that I visited and went to Fountains Abbey. The food was still good, even though it is under new management now.

My previous visit to Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden is here: Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden. 

With the exception of last year, the past few years have become a new tradition to take afternoon tea during December with friends. Our reservation at the Savoy was cancelled last year for obvious reasons. Due to a mess-up with the reservation there this year, we ended up visiting Rubens at the Palace hotel for their Winter Wonderland Afternoon Tea, which comes with bottomless mulled wine. I had previously visited Rubens for the bottomless Prosecco afternoon tea, which I had in June (Bottomless Champagne Afternoon Tea at Rubens at the Palace).

The mulled wine came out first, and it was not too strong at all. It was also not as warm as I would have hoped. 

This was followed by the plates of sandwiches, scones, and pastries.

The hotel offers several different menus for diet requirements: gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, and standard. On the standard menu is roast turkey with cranberry and pomegranate sausage roll, smoked salmon with horseradish, beetroot and pastrami (or goat's cheese), truffle egg and ham mayonnaise, and cucumber and lemon cream cheese. There was also a jackfruit or nutroast with the vegetarian menu.

There were two types of scone provided - a plain and a speculoos. Clotted cream and a seasonal fruit preserve were included, and the preserve was plum. 

Now, on to the themed pastries.

Santa's Log: Mascarpone cream, poached vanilla apple, ginger honey sponge, and a biscuit create this red pastry that is topped with a white chocolate golden buckle.

Cherry Choux: white chocolate whipped ganache, cherry and yuzu compote, and cherry cream create this choux pastry. The cherry on top is soaked in liquer and quite boozey-strong unexpectedly.

Clementine: Dark chocolate mousse, orange curd, Madeleine sponge, orange marmalade, and a crunch base make this glossy orange pastry. It is topped with a white chocolate leaf.

Christmas Pudding Tart: This is a cranberry jam frangipane with custard cremeux. It is topped with a couple of berries and a white chocolate leaf.

On the way out, we spotted a hot chocolate bar in the entrance.

We saw some Christmas decorations at Victoria and on the way back to the underground.

Overall, the service was very good for our afternoon tea, and there were bottomless sandwiches. We enjoyed afternoon tea at Rubens at the Palace hotel.

A week ago, I spent my evening wandering around the Christmas Light Trail at Bolesworth Castle and enjoying a bottle of champagne with the bloke on "Champagne Island" toward the end of the trail. Bolesworth Castle is located in Cheshire, and it is a venue to hire for events and is also notable for its equestrian history and events. Bolesworth Castle Christmas Lights Trail caters to different audiences with champagne and a Christmas market, Santa and reindeer, a fairground, and various light displays. There are over 1.2 miles of trail covered in the Christmas Light Trail.

It was just starting to get dark when I arrived at Bolesworth Castle.

Before starting on the Christmas Light Trail, as it was still too bright, I decided to opt for some food. Unfortunately, the food kiosks (there were only three) were still setting up, which was a miss. I'd decided not to have lunch so that I could enjoy some food at one of the market stalls before the trail. There were only pizza and burgers, but unfortunately only the fries were cooked.

The light show (Arena Light at Laser Show) with the Christmas tree feature runs every half hour from 5:30 or 6:00. It features lasers and a light show that is tuned to music.

After the light show, I walked along to the start of the trail. The first feature was a field of cubes and trees that change colour to set Christmas music. There is a view of Bolesworth Castle, which has been lit up. The trees and the cubes changed colour and pattern depending on the music playing.

The first part of the trail led along to the "Enchanted Forest" with trees covered in lights.

The "Enchanted Forest" was my favourite part of the light trail because lights had been set up around the trees so that they could glow different colours.

At the entrance was a small herd of giraffs.

A little further along was a sparkling figure.

This led to a walkway with festoon lights.

The glowing deer reminded me of a famous book and film franchise.

I love how they managed to get different colours of light shooting amongst the trees.

An interactive tree was included on the trail, and the colours of the tree would change with a button push. The four buttons were named along with each season, and each had a different colour or pattern. Unfortunately, the spring one was broken, but the others worked. The summer one was the most interesting because it changed into multiple colours and played music.

The disco balls were up next, and below them were a family of frog minstrel sculptures. The disco lights had a strange effect.

I absolutely loved the colour of lights and the layering used here.

There were some other sculptures dotted around too, such as these hares.

I caught a glimpse of "Champagne Island", which was up on our list.

Before heading to "Champagne Island", I was able to check out Santa's reindeer. These reindeer are "reindeer-in-training" for Santa, and one of his sleighs is located inside. There were three adults and a child reindeer.

This led us to the sculpture trail, which was on the way to "Champagne Island", and we could see a variety of different sculptures around. Some of them were artistic figures. There were deer and horses and a giant pair of shoes. Most of the sculptures were of exotic animals.

Although the map with the event seems to suggest that you can walk around this sculpture trail in a loop, you actually cannot. So, you cannot get any closer to the bridge than the end of the sculptures (unless you have a "Champagne Island" ticket, but then you have to follow the trail as it does not loop around nearer to the river but simply goes over the rainbow bridge here.)

We approached "Champagne Island".

After crossing the rainbow bridge to the island, we were shown into our "bubble" where we had a heater, plenty of place to sit, pillows, blankets, and candles. We were given a bottle of champagne and then a platter with chocolates and a mince pie each. It was cosy inside.

The other side of the "island" was another bridge to cross. We should have come through this way, but we did not see it as it was dark, and no one guided us as they were meant to have done.

After the champagne, we walked back over the rainbow bridge so we could see the sculptures and the signage about the history of Bolesworth Castle as we rushed by them previously. I took some photographs on the bridge.

Near the reindeer area is a bar and toilets and a break point. We walked through, though, as we had had the champagne.

We walked through a lit-up archway or a light tunnel.

On the way back to the fairground rides, Christmas market, and ice skating, there were two final sculptures. One of them was a series of pine trees made of lights and miniature reindeer.

There were also these red tulips.

One of the Christmas markets had a lot of sculptures of primarily science fiction and fantasy characters, which I thought were really good.

I had a stop back at the market where I purchased some brownies and gin before heading out. It was a lovely evening. 

During December, National Trust open a few of their houses that have been decorated for the holidays, and seeing the properties decorated is always a treat. I had previously been to Grey's Court, an estate located in Oxfordshire not far from Henley-on-Thames and in the Chilterns, once during the lockdown when only the gardens and grounds were open, so I had never seen inside the mansion. The house was open with the rooms decorated for the holidays, so I spent the morning having a wander.

The house dates from the 16th century and was home to the Brunner family. There are walled gardens opposite, and other buildings on the estate date from the 14th century. I arrived before the house was open, so I had a wander around the gardens.

The below building is located opposite the house, and it contained a Christmas tree. This was used as extra accommodation for guests.

Around the garden were miniature sculptures of robins to find.

Once inside the house, I had a look inside the different rooms. The house is not too large, but it feels a comfortable size with good-sized rooms. 

The dining room is off from the entrance hall.

On the other side is a more formal room. The tree was decoated with robins.

The most beautiful room was the parlour or main living room. It was beautifully decorated with a Christmas tree, piles of wrapped boxes, pine garlands, and a working toy train circulating on a track around the central Christmas tree. This is a fascinating room.

From here, visitors could go upstairs. One of the rooms at the top was dark but decorated with hanging snowflakes and lights.

Next door was the children's bedroom, which was arranged with piled wrapped boxes and vintage toys.

The main two bedrooms were decorated with Christmas cards.

The main bedroom has amazing views over it and a spacious en suite.

Back through the bathroom led to the servant area rooms and then downstairs to the ground floor where we entered the spacious kitchen, which was decorated with knitted Christmas items - a knitted nativity scene and decorations, such as miniature Christmas puddings, mince pies, and colourful chain garlands.

It's a beautiful property, and I hope to visit it again next year. There are garden tours that take place in the morning, but we had somewhere else to be so could not stay for that.

Other posts about Grey's Court on this blog can be seen by clicking onto the below links:

A Visit to Grey's Court (National Trust, Oxfordshire): Lockdown Edition

This was my first ever visit to Hanbury Hall in Worcestershire, which is managed by the National Trust. The hall was built in the early 18th century by a wealthy family, and it replaced an earlier home. It was lived in by various members of the family until the mid-1900s, and it was then rented to tenants. The style of Christmas decorations are from the 1970s and 1980s, and this is an ode to the tenants of that time who threw lavish parties throughout the year. 

The manor house is a red brick building and described as being Queen Anne in style. It contains an orangery and formal gardens in the grounds.

The first piece of 1970s and 1980s popular culture is located at the front of the house with the Rubik's Cube planters holding miniature Christmas trees.

Inside the house is the main hall or reception area, and this room has the "wow factor". Off to the left is a grand staircase with floor-to-ceiling (including ceiling) paintings depicting scenes from mythology. For Christmas, the centrepiece is the Christmas tree, covered in blue and red and decorated for the cinema. The decorations are varous props from films and television series of that time: "Ghostbusters", "Indiana Jones", "A Clockwork Orange", "Knight Rider", and so on. 

To the left in the room is the grand fireplace and a lot of party decorations, including a 1970s-style bar, Babycham drinks, and more.

The room on the left of the grand entrance is a small sitting room or lounge area. There are many games and toys from the 1970s and 1980s to look at under the tree and also in a cabinet along one side of the room.

The room on the right of the entrance hall is a larger living room or parlour, and an old television was set up playing "Only Fools and Horses". The room had the curtains drawn to appear as if it were evening.

The room next door is the dining room, and this room was set out with 1970s and 1980s party food and party decor with bright pink Christmas trees and colourful decorations. The sweets and packaging of items were all vintage 1970s and 1980s, so it was like a step back in time.

The upstairs was also open, so after exploring the ground floor, I ventured upstairs to have a look.

The first room at the top of the stairs was a bedroom set out to appear unmade, as if the occupant had retreated from the party a little worse for wear, leaving hat and shoes and drinks glasses to the side with thrown-off clothing.

In a room next door, a temprary mattress remained on the floor with plenty of magazines, dresses, and posterboards. This is a girls room dating from the 1980s.

Another room was the room for the smaller children, and it was dark inside but filled with toys.

The last bedroom was decorated as if occupied by a teenage boy with a love of music.

After exploring the house, I went into the kitchens, which are located at the ground floor of the house and serve as the cafe and tearoom today. A Christmas tree greeted at the entrance, and 1970s and 1980s cook book and other items were scattered about.

I had a hot chocolate.

The formal gardens have even had a makeover with each triangular conifer tree having a silver or gold bauble placed on top of it.

I aso explored the second-hand bookstore, which is located off the formal gardens. It has the best second-hand bookstore at the National Trust that I've been to so far. I ended up finding a lot of books on my list, and there were plenty more that I wanted but could not carry. Inside the bookstore was another Christmas tree with a beautiful fireplace and Christmas display of books.

I did not walk around the larger part of the gardens because there's not too much to see at this time of the year, but I do plan to return to Hanbury Hall again during the summer so that i can see the gardens and have a longer walk around the area.

I really liked the Christmas theme of this house, and I thought that it was all done really well and is a beautiful property. It is always a treat to see the National Trust properties and houses decorated.

A few of the National Trust properties have been decorated for Christmas, and some of these have been opening up from the end of November to get people into the properties before they shut for the winter months. Hughenden Manor in Buckinghamshire is one of the properties that has opened for the Christmas season. I first visited Hughenden at the end of the summer in 2019 (which you can read here:  Hughenden Manor). The estate was owned by Benjamin Disraeli, who was the prime minister during some of the reign of Queen Victoria. He became a friend of the queen, so the house contains some objects from her. The house was also used during World War II, and it was a secret base for cartographers. During the Christmas period, only the ground floor is open with decorations in every room.

The Christmas trees and decorations for the National Trust houses have different themes, and the theme at Hughenden this year is "Gardener's Christmas". The theme is inspired by the gardens at the estate, which were created by Mary Anne Disraeli. The decorations have been made by volunteers and all relate to gardens with some additional items added that the Disraelis may have appreciated. Each room was decorated in its own style. One Christmas tree contained a selection of hand-knitted vegetables, and another contained carved wooden items of gardening equipment.

Queen Victoria did dine at Hughenden Manor once, and the chair that she sat in is still around the table pictured below. The queen was short, so the legs of the chair were trimmed for her so that her feet would reach the floor.

Disraeli loved peacocks, so the Christmas trees outside in the garden were decorated with peacock colours. One of the trees in the house used the same style with bright blue and purple peacock feather designs.

The house can be explored with its Christmas decorations until January 3. Additional posts about Hughenden Manor can be seen below:

Hughenden Manor