Walking with family: Getting into the Christmas Spirit

Blue Ball Yard.

Friday December 12, 2025.

Erin arrived home from school, at which point Emma left to meet Keilyn from school. I arrived home shortly after and, once we were ready, waited for my mum, before booking a taxi to Watford underground station, where Emma and Keilyn were awaiting our arrival.

We boarded our train and settled into our seats for the trip to Finchley Road. Here we changed to a Jubilee line train and continued our journey to Green Park. We exited the station via the Green Park entrance and began our walk at Piccadilly and the magnificent Ritz Hotel. 

Hancocks on St James's Street.

Instead of following the crowds we turned down St James's Street and admired the various Christmas trees and window displays that the businesses and shops displayed. Jermyn Street was the first street with lights stretched across it, that we saw. We passed Hancocks Goldsmiths, before we entered Blue Ball Yard, where the American Bar was festooned with Christmas decorations.

A Christmas tree in London's smallest square.

We then crossed the road and entered Pickering Place, London' smallest square, where a Christmas tree took up much of the place. We left Pickering Place and continued down St James's Street and turned onto Pall Mall until we reached Waterloo Place, with its blue star-topped Christmas tree. Here, more 'Angel' Christmas lights stretched across the road.

The Norwegian spruce in Trafalgar Square.

We then continued along Pall Mall onto Pall Mall East, which brought us to Trafalgar Square and the giant Norwegian spruce at its centre. A Christmas market, filled with stalls selling all sorts of trinkets, gifts and food occupied the area outside the steps to The National Gallery, while a choir sang carols from in front of the Trafalgar Square Christmas tree.

St Martin's Lane.

On leaving Trafalgar Square we headed up Charing Cross Road and onto St Martin's Lane, with its Theatreland Christmas lights. 

Goodwin's Court cottages.

As we approached New Row, my mum, Keilyn and I decided to walk through Goodwin's Court, while Emma and Erin continued along New Row. With its gas-fuelled lamps and cottages that have been here since the 17th century, this thoroughfare is a time capsule of old London. We weren't the only ones using the street, as a small group of people had also chosen this route, but, in their case, for its association with Harry Potter.

Covent Garden Christmas tree.

We exited Goodwin's Court, onto Bedfordbury, and joined New Row, where we headed east along King Street, where we met up with Emma and Erin by the Covent Garden Christmas tree. Emma and Erin had witnessed the 'snow' falling, which occurs every hour, but were less than impressed with it. It was a 'bubble-machine', that lasted less than a minute. 

Royal Opera House Arcade.

Christmas Lights Switch-on, 2025

A Wicked Christmas Tree, at St Pancras International.

With Christmas fast approaching various areas of London will begin to switch-on their Christmas lights, which began this month.

With the switch-on London becomes a cluster of areas that bring their own Christmas style, as they all try to entice as many visitors as possible.

Christmas in Westminster.

Below is a list of places, with dates, that will be getting into the festive season from this month.

There are other places that have yet to announce their timings, so check your local listings.

All dates are subject to change and were correct at the time of writing.

November 1st.

Leicester Square

Piccadilly

St Martin’s Lane

St Pancras Christmas Tree

November 3rd.

Oxford Street

November 6th.

Carnaby Street

Regent Street

St James's

November 12th.

Bond Street

Covent Garden

Marylebone Village

Old Spitalfields

Strand

November 13th.

Hay's Galleria

Kensington, Churchill Arms pub

Leadenhall Market

St Katharine Docks

November 14th.

Hyde Park Winter Wonderland

Kew Gardens

Christmas lights switch-on, 2024

With Christmas fast approaching various areas of London will begin to switch-on their Christmas lights, which begin in November.

With the switch-on London becomes a cluster of areas that bring their own Christmas style, as they all try to entice as many visitors as possible.

Below is a list of some of the areas, with dates, that will getting into the festive season from November.

November 5th

    

    Oxford Street

November 7th

    Carnaby Street

    Regent Street

    St James's 

November 8th

    Battersea Power Station

November 12th

    Covent Garden

November 13th

    Kew Gardens

    Marylebone Village

    Old Spitalfields Market

November 14th

    Leadenhall Market

    Savile Row

November 16th

    Mayfair

November 17th

    Belgravia

December 5th

    Trafalgar Square

January 2025

    Canary Wharf Light Festival

Of course, there other areas throughout London that have Christmas lights, festive activities and light festivals that are worth seeking out, too.

Please check before you travel as times and dates can be changed at the last minute.

(All dates were correct at time of publishing, but may be subject to change).

Piccadilly Arcade

The finest Edwardian Arcade left in London.

Considering the amount of times that I have walked along Piccadilly, I can count on one hand the amount of times that I have walked through the Piccadilly Arcade.

It is one of those hidden gems that so many people miss, but it is well worth visiting, even if it is just to escape the hordes of tourists, or escape from the London weather.

Waterstones, Piccadilly

Well worth the wait. 

I love London, books and Iron Maiden, among other things. So it was only right that on a wet October evening I had no qualms about queuing outside Waterstones Piccadilly, to meet Bruce Dickinson, entrepreneur, pilot, Olympic-class fencer, businessman and lead singer of Iron Maiden, to get a copy of his autobiography signed.

What was peculiar was that of all the bookshops that I had visited, in London, this one had passed me by. What a mistake that was. It is massive and spreads across six floors. It has since become my favourite bookstore, especially with the views that are on offer on the fifth floor.

Lumiere London, 2016

Leicester Square Illuminated.

Back in mid January, 2016, the Lumiere Festival came to the Unfinished City and it was something that I had to witness.

Spread across four nights there were plenty of opportunities to see all of the installations, as they were spread over four main areas: Mayfair, Piccadilly, Westminster and King's Cross.

Various artists transformed the city's streets, buildings, parks and squares into temporary art galleries, where light was the key element.

Gallery

Bomber Command Memorial

"... who now stood thankful, in the early morning sun."

The Bomber Command Memorial, Green Park, is, by far, my favourite memorial, in the Unfinished City. There are countless others that I have visited, but there is something utterly unique about this memorial.

I don't know if it is the sheer scale of the memorial, or the detailing of the statues, or its setting at the corner of Green Park, that makes this my favourite, but there is something that keeps drawing me back to it, again and again.

In fact, I was so moved when I first saw it, that I ended up writing a poem the following day, entitled 'Morning Sun'.

Walking with family: Green Park to Piccadilly... and beyond

Tuesday April 1, 2014.

With Emma getting in from a night-shift, at about 08:00, she headed straight to bed, while I looked after the kids. Emma then got up, just before lunch, when Lacey arrived to trim Erin's hair and cut Emma's. After a quick-lunch we headed to Watford Metropolitan station and looked forward to our trip around London.

Just as we passed Northwood Hills, Erin decided that she really needed to go to the toilet, so we alighted at Pinner, so that she could make use the conveniences on the platform. With Erin happy again, we boarded the next train and continued on to Finchley Road, where we took the Jubilee line to Green Park. We had never exited Green Park, with a battlewagon before, and found that we had to follow a myriad of tunnels, just to get to a lift that would take us up a level, before following more signs and tunnels that would take us to another lift that would bring us to the ticket hall. Luckily, this brought us out in Green Park itself, where the sun was now shining down on the grassy expanse.

We made our way south, towards Buckingham Palace, where we stopped in the shade for a coffee and a cold drink for the girls. Keeping to the shade, we made our way along The Mall, where Erin took a photo of a guard on Stable Yard Road, outside St. James's Palace.

We then continued along The Mall before turning up and on to Cockspur Street and then Pall Mall. From here we entered Waterloo Place and turned in to Charles II Street, around St. James's Square, up Duke of York Street and through Church Place and on to Piccadilly, where we stopped to look around the small market in the grounds of St. James's Church.

After a good look around we headed off up Sackville Street, turned on to Vigo Street and joined Regent Street. With both girls strapped securely into the battlewagon, they ate some sandwiches and crisps before we approached a toy shop, that I had already told Erin about.

Well, Erin didn't stay strapped in long after we entered Hamleys, as she suddenly realised where we were. She was out and holding my hand, dragging me left and right, before we managed to get to the lift and head up to Level 3, Girls, where everything was pink. I was sure that Erin was going to burst, when the doors opened, as her eyes took in the sheer number of dolls, toys, games, tiaras, dresses and so much more Meanwhile, all I could see was my bank balance nose-diving from black to red, as Erin, and Keilyn, eyed up everything.