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Hey dear friends! I am so, so excited about today, I can barely keep my cool! I have a big announcement to make. I don’t want you though to wait for it, so here it is! (Big sigh…) This blog is on the second stage of the UK Blog Awards 2019, which is the voting stage! When I started, I could not imagine that a year later, I would be here asking you to vote for me and my baby, but here we are! Ι am feeling incredibly happy and excited, so if you can vote for it here, that would mean the world to me!
Let’s go back to Christmas though! It feels so weird that I say that, partly because it’s 37 days to Christmas (!) and partly because I cannot believe how fast time has passed! Seriously it feels like just yesterday when I traveled to Italy and Milan for the first time or when I went to Enrique’s concert! Anyway, whether I like it or not (and believe me, I most certainly do!), Christmas is coming and the city is starting to feel festive! Lights, decorations and the shop windows are slowly transformed into heavenly Christmas! It feels so special to walk around the city centre with all the Christmas lights and I just can’t get enough of it.
It started with Carnaby street in the beginning of November and then Christmas cheer spread to Oxford Street, Covent Garden and elsewhere. By the time this blog is posted, you will undoubtedly see Christmas lights everywhere! It’s fantastic to see how a city (even slightly chaotic as London) is transformed during the holidays and it somehow gets a bit more beautiful. It’s like a Christmas fairy decided to spread happiness and cheerfulness around. It’s simply magic! Ho ho ho! (I’m joking ladies and gents, I’m joking!)
So, I started my walk in Oxford Street and moved east towards Carnaby street. John Lewis, The House of Fraser, The Selfridges all look so amazing with the Christmas lights on! Okay, to be fair someone would call them tacky and tasteless, but to me they look exactly like Christmas fairy dust! New Bond street also had some lights on, which were so utterly cool. I was surprised though that Regent street didn’t have any lights, as I always thought that they would switch them on around the same time as the Oxford street ones. Maybe I’m wrong though? I honestly cannot remember!
I think that one of my early favourites of Christmas shop windows is the one from Next. A beautiful Christmas tree (I envy this one! I wonder where they got it, as I want to buy one just like that! Or is it theirs? Can someone help?), garlants and coloured lights all give the idea that the Next people are feeling like Christmas. That’s what I’d do for Christmas; take my boyfriend, wear our best winter-warmers and take a walk around where there are a lot of Christmas trees and decorations. I mean, what’s not to like in this picture? However I think Liberty takes the cake of Christmas decorations! Not one or two, but several lit up Christmas trees greet the visitors, which is awesome by the way! Who said one is enough?!
I have left though the best for last. Carnaby street looks absolutely delightful this year! Heavily inspired by the Bohemian Rhapsody, the film about one of the greatest bands, their lights feature lyrics of the song of the same name. Also at the end of the street (or at the beginning, it depends on where you started from), you can find a pop-up that I so want to visit! You can find there Queen movie memorabilia, archive footage and costumes, so I think it’s a must for anyone who loves music and Freddie! As I said, I haven’t managed to go yet, but as soon as I do, I will update you on that!
When I visited, I was lucky enough that I stumbled across a shopping party, with a stage right in the middle of the street! There was a quartet of strings playing everything you can think of! Honestly everything! They started with Queen (of course they would, now that I think about it) and next cover was… All I want for Christmas is You! Yay! Mariah for the win! I couldn’t believe it! People were standing, holding their phones, swaying to the music and some of them even singing! And yes, I was one of them!
Festive London is one that I wholeheartedly encourage you to explore and visit. Even if you feel like the Grinch, you will not be disappointed by all the decorations and lights. So, take a walk, cheer up and take a lot of photos, as there moments will stay with you for a long time!
Till next time,
Sofia-Maria
It Happened Once 