The city’s set to sparkle with a flurry of Christmas lights switch-ons, so do your gift shopping in Carnaby Street on 6 November, when the sustainable All is Bright display is turned on, or head to Covent Garden to see more than 300,000 lights and gold bells in the Market Building (12 Nov).
Close by, Oxford Street, home to flagship stores, will be lit up by stars shining above the shoppers (3 Nov), while angels will watch over Regent Street (6 Nov).
Or you can enjoy the Southbank Centre’s outdoor illuminations with a cup of hot chocolate in hand, and hipster haunt Old Spitalfields Market’s roaming elves, gospel choir and workshops (12 Nov).
Whatever you do, visit Trafalgar Square for the Christmas tree light-up; each year Norway donates a towering spruce in gratitude for Britain’s support during World War II (4 Dec).
Equally sacred are the Blessing of the Crib in Trafalgar Square, a retelling of the Nativity with a real donkey (7 Dec), and the Lighting of the Menorah for the Jewish festival, Chanukah (14-22 Dec).
