Christmas in London Podcast Hello and welcome to this podcast brought to you by That’s English! The Spanish Ministry of Education’s official distance learning English course. To find out more about That’s English! go to www.thatsenglish.com or contact your local Official School of Languages. It’s the most wonderful time of the year and if you’re lucky enough to be heading to the UK’s capital to celebrate Christmas, then this podcast is just for you. That’s English! has pulled together these five fabulous festivities of timeless London traditions to help make your yuletide visit a very special one. So, what are our top 5? Let’s begin… No trip to the city would be complete during the festive season without visiting one of its Christmas markets. There will be many all over the city, but the most popular ones are: Leicester Square, the Angel’s Christmas Market at Winter Wonderland and the pop-up Christmas by the River market in Tooley Street. This last one has amazing views of Tower Bridge. All kinds of Christmas novelties can be bought at all the markets, from Christmas tree decorations, food for the season, such as mince pies and mulled wine as well as special handmade gifts for loved ones. Take your pick! Secondly, don’t miss a stroll around the main streets of the capital to see the brilliant displays of twinkling lights that adorn the city. Maybe you’re interested in being there for the grand turning on ceremony, which usually takes place from mid to late November. Oxford Street, Covent Garden and Regent Street are sparkling favourites for many. If you want to see them ALL, and more, then you could book a special seasonal open-top bus tour. The lights really are spectacular! Now a bit of historic tradition for our third recommendation. Every year a very special Christmas tree is displayed at Trafalgar Square. It is usually a Norwegian Spruce that’s over 20 metres tall and between 50 and 60 years old. This tree has been an annual gift from Norway to Britain since 1947, as a thank you for the support Britain gave the Norwegians during the Second World War. This tree is specially selected from forests near Oslo months, and sometimes years, in advance. It is felled every November and brought to London by sea and lorry before being erected and decorated in traditional Norwegian fashion for everyone to enjoy. If you are lucky, you may see the lighting ceremony which, in London, traditionally marks the countdown to Christmas. If it is already lit when you get there, then there are other Trafalgar Square events to look out for such as the blessing of the crib and wonderful carol singing. Our fourth must-do is to experience the great British tradition of a Christmas pantomime. What’s one of those? we hear you say. Well, every yuletide, theatres around the country put on a comical theatre play based on a fairy tale or similar for people young and old alike, involving music, topical jokes, and slapstick comedy. Curiously, every pantomime, or ‘panto’, as they’re fondly known, has an amusing female character, called Widow Twankey, which is actually played by a male actor dressed in women’s clothes. This is definitely one NOT to miss, especially if you want to see something uniquely British. The final must-do is another quintessential English custom, but with a festive twist. If you haven’t tried one of London’s top venues for Afternoon Tea, then you don’t know what you’re missing. This is not just about drinking tea in the afternoon - Afternoon Tea is a meal in itself, often made up of triangular-cut shaped sandwiches along with sweet pastries, little cakes and scones, accompanied with, of course, copious amounts of tea, and often a glass of bubbly – don’t mind if I do! Once an upper-class tradition, it is now a popular pastime used to celebrate a birthday, friends’ reunion, or other special social event. The twist is that at Christmastime, many venues swap the usual egg and cress sandwich filling option for turkey and cranberry - and other such traditional festive fare - in their Christmas themed afternoon teas. Alongside bauble-shaped cinnamon spiced cakes, gingerbreads, and mince pies, get ready to indulge, delicious! These Christmas teas take place in many locations in and around London. We like Ting, Shangri La in the UK’s tallest building, The Shard, and the 1930s luxurious Dorchester Hotel on Park Lane but take a look at all the options and prices and make that booking! These are our top 5 but as there are so many things to do in London at Christmas, whatever you choose, we are sure you’ll have a great time. Don’t forget to let us know what you think. Do you have any recommendations for us? We also have a blog post on Christmas vocabulary that you might be interested in – why not read it?! Merry Christmas from the That’s English! team. We hope you have enjoyed this podcast, brought to you by That's English! Please follow us on social media. We look forward to hearing from you. Bye for now! Glossary Mince pie - a small sweet pastry pie filled with a spicy mixture of small pieces of apple, dried fruit, and nuts, known as mincemeat, which is often eaten at Christmas. Mulled wine - wine heated with added sugar and spices, drunk warm as a traditional winter drink. Crib - a model of the people and animals present at the birth of Jesus Christ, used as a decoration at Christmas. Slapstick - a type of humorous acting in which the actors behave in a silly way, such as by throwing things, falling over, etc. Bubbly – champagne or sparkling wine. Fare - the type of food that is served in a restaurant.