Unfortunately, our students have been caught up in the snow-related travel chaos, and instead of getting to go home, they have an unexpected extra few days in London. It's far from ideal, but now that everyone's got somewhere to stay, and a new flight home booked, attention turns to making the best of the unstructured time in London.
Free things going on this week
If you were wishing for more time to delve into the British Museum, Tate Modern, Tate Britain, Natural History Museum, or Wellcome Collection - this would be a great time to visit London's many free museums and art galleries.
For a specifically Christmas twist, the Geffrye Museum's annual Christmas Past exhibition is a must - a glimpse of how Christmas has been celebrated in ordinary family homes in England from 1600 to the present day.
You could take a guided tour of the nativities in the National Gallery on Wednesday, 1–2pm, meet at the Sainsbury Wing Information Desk, or a 'The Ghost of Christmas Past' tour at the National Portrait Gallery on Thursday evening (19:30-20:00. Meet in Main Hall)
The V&A is always a treasure trove, but their 'So Noble a Confection: Producing and Consuming Chocolate, 1600 - 2000' exhibition seems particularly suitable for the season
Carol singing - we've already talked about the daily carols in Trafalgar Square, but if you'd like more of an opportunity to join in, why not attend St Martin in the Fields' Community Carols at 6.30 on Tuesday?
"The Christmas story told in carols and readings, through the voices of those who live and work around Trafalgar Square. Doors open 5.30pm. All are welcome. No tickets required but come early to be certain of a seat."
For a more alternative Christmas activity, try Cryptmas, an installation in the crypt under St Pancras Church, 11-7 until the 22nd.
Not-free things going on in London this week
Looking for a Christmas concert?
Westminster Cathedral's Christmas Celebration concerts are on the 21st and 22nd, and there are still ticket available.
Alternatives? concertfinder.org suggests:
Monday 20th
Who: Passamezzo
Where: St Johns Wood Church, London 7.30 p.m.
What: "To Shorten Winter's Sadness": 16th and 17th Century music, words and song for Christmas and Winter' - includes music by Byrd, Gibbons, Weelkes, Hume, Peerson and East and readings from Shakespeare, Stow, Herrick and Evelyn.
Ticket/Info: Tickets £10 (£8 concessions) from 07980 516054
Tuesday 21st.
Who: London Forest Choir
Where: St Mary's Church, Walthamstow Village, London E.17 7.30 p.m.
What: Christmas Concert
Ticket/Info: £10, concessions £8, students £5 - available from ticket secretary on 0208 531 4837
on the website: www.londonforestchoir.org or on the door.
Ballet is a traditional festive treat:
Both the Royal Ballet's traditional Cinderella and Matthew Bourne's version set in London during the Second World War may be sold out, but the Royal Opera House still has a handful of cheap seats for two seasonal ballet spectaculars - Les Patineurs / Tales of Beatrix Potter in the main theatre, and the festive Fairies in their smaller venue. They also have day tickets and standbys, which give you a chance of getting in to an otherwise sold-out performance. (For Matthew Bourne's Cinderella, Sadlers Wells do limited standby tickets from 1 hour before each show.)
Looking for something else out of a fairy tale? Kensington Palace's Enchanted Palace really is enchanting - save £1 on the ticket price by booking online.
20th December - Bloomsbury Voices: HOLLY, IVY AND DIRTY LITTLE CREEPERS. at the Poetry Cafe in Covent GardenWith Stephanie Gerra, Wendy Shutler and guest poet Tim Murdoch. Songs by Steve Dagleish, Ben Richardson and Ivor Game. £6/4
21st December - Poetry Unplugged at the poetry Cafe in Covent Garden - London's premier open mic night. Come and sign up between 6 and 7pm to be in the line up, 7.30 - 10pm to join the audience. Hosted by Niall O'Sullivan. £4/3
All the usual advice about last minute theatre ticket deals still stands, but, of course, the ultimate in Christmas theatre in the UK is the traditional pantomime. There's Jack and the Beanstalk at the Hackney Empire, the London story of Dick Whittington at the Lyric, or if you can't decide, there's 'Potted Panto' cramming seven classic pantos into a single evening at the Vaudeville Theatre.
- Miss Alice
What are you looking forward to - Miss Alice
Question of the week: What are you looking forward to in London for the first part of 2011? "What am I looking forward to? - Sadlers Wells Sampled in January - a two-day festival of top class dance at one of London's premier dance venues, at bargain basement prices.
It's designed as a taster menu, letting you sample a number of different dance styles, with tickets from just £6. This year's line up has some really big names including the Balletboyz, ABT and Zoonation - and you really can't argue with the price.
Even if you've never been to a dance performance - especially if you've never been to a dance performance - this is the perfect place to start."- Miss Alice
* Photo by speeds_UK, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.
What are you looking forward to? - Kris
Question of the week: What are you looking forward to in London for the first part of 2011? "One thing that I'm looking forward to in the new year is the upcoming exhibition at the British Museum 'Afghanistan:Crossroads of the Ancient World'. Many of the objects were believed to have been lost in the turmoil of the last few decades, but now they've been returned to the National Museum in Kabul. The site is well worth a look!"- Kris
* Photo by dynamosquito, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.
Personal festive traditions - Kris
Question of the week: Do you have any London-based festive traditions? "One of my favourite Christmas events in London is the wide range of Carol concerts. Some of them are free, some of them donate the admission price to charity, some are performed by professional choirs, some encourage singing along. There's really something for every taste. So, if you want a warm way to get into the holiday season, check out the concerts that are going on all month! Some of the best are listed here in Time Out"- name
* Photo by Steve Punter, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.
Personal festive traditions - Miss Alice
Question of the week: Do you have any London-based festive traditions? "Anyone who's been by my office this week will know that I've got my Christmas music mix on permanent repeat at the moment, and it's probably not that much of a surprise to discover that one of my Christmas traditions is to get to at least one or two festive concerts and carol services - including at least one where I can join in with the singing. It's been a very long time since I was a choir member, but there's something about those most familiar of songs, and the mingled voices of the crowd that I would miss no end if I couldn't share in."- Miss Alice
* Photo by Wolfiewolf, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.
Personal festive traditions - Kris
Question of the week: Do you have any London-based festive traditions? "I love heading down to Piccadilly Circus to look at the Christmas lights! Then I walk down Piccadilly, looking at all the Christmas-y things in windows, I take a turn around the outdoor market at St. James' Piccadilly Church (to see if there's anything perfect for someone on my list - one year I got my dad a pub sign!). After that I meander through the covered arcades to look at the beautiful (and too expensive) things, as well as the lights and decorations, and end up at Fortnum and Mason. They always have beautiful window displays, and lots of wonderful things to look at inside. After a cup of tea in the tea rooms, I head back home, full of the joys of Christmas!"- Kris
* Photo by Luigi Rosa, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.
Personal festive traditions - Miss Alice
Question of the week: Do you have any London-based festive traditions? "Oops - we missed a few days of blog - my apologies. It's a busy time of semester, as well as a busy time of year, for us all.
It's appropriate, really, that one of my personal traditions is to meet up with one of my oldest friends to do all our Christmas shopping on the day before Christmas Eve, which is a tradition partly because both of us are so busy at work in December it's the only chance we get!
I'm not really a recreational shopper, but just once a year, and in the right company, it makes for a good day around town, We usually do a loop that takes in Covent Garden, Soho, Oxford Street, and the Camden markets, which between them deliver gifts for all tastes. Plus, it's part of our tradition that we visit several of our favourite coffee shops en route, and that we get to collapse into a black cab to be driven home in style and comfort when we're done."- Miss Alice
* Photo by Susan Astray, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.
Christmas shopping - Kris
Question of the week: Is there anywhere you particularly like for a spot of Christmas shopping? "Try heading to one of the many Christmas Markets, like the one in Smithfield Market this Friday. Usually the stalls are selling things from small producers - things you might not see again, or anywhere else! There are lots, all over - check out Time Out for more!"- Kris
* Photo by Barbara Rich, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.
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