Lights, Panto, Action!

“Shopping streets began the lighting tradition in the 1950s, with Regent Street in 1954, and Oxford Street in 1959.”

By the time December arrives, London can only be described with one word: FESTIVE! The temperature drops to allow for fuzzy ear-muffs and cups of mulled wine, and the city magically transforms into a wintery playground teeming with activity unique to this time ofyear. Without fail, you can find numerous activities, both indoors and out, that will help keep you entertained. If you are looking to addsome fun into your December, perhaps one of these events will become an annual favourite!

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LightsLight displays are never out of place aheadof Christmas, and London is never with-out its options. Some might find it strangethat the major light displays that deck outthe large high streets are conducted with acelebrated 'switch on ceremony' as early as6 November. With Bonfire Night, cele-brated on 5 November or the weekendclosest to it, this leaves the calendar openfor Christmas to begin right after it. Onceyou have your fireworks, you can legiti-mately switch on the Christmas lights.

Individual stores have had theirChristmas lights for decades, withSelfridges having a lighting display since1935. e store has 27 windows, and isknown for its creative, innovative andsometimes confusing window displays forwhich staff begin planning as early asMarch. e shopping streets themselvesbegan the tradition of lighting as decora-tion during the 1950s, with Regent Streetorganising its lights in 1954, and OxfordStreet following suit in 1959.

Each year there is a theme to tie the dec-oration together. In recent years, thesehave become opportunities to launch ortie-in with new films or merchandise. ismay seem a bit tacky, but it is executedwith care and probably assists in fundingsuch elaborate designs. To get your fill oftwinkling and bling, here’s where you’llwant to go: Oxford Street, Regent Street,Carnaby Street, Covent Garden, LeicesterSquare, Sloane Square/King’s Road/Dukeof York Square, Bond Street, MaryleboneHigh Street, Waterloo/Southbank, CanaryWharf, Charlotte Street and Fitzrovia.

If you are feeling in a Christmassymood, the American Tour Guide has awalking tour that takes in the beautifulChristmas lights plus film locations fromthe movie Love Actually. It’s called theLove Actually Christmas Lights tour, andit’s a great way to stroll around to soak upthe atmosphere.

Pantoe British have their quirky traditions;think Morris dancing, Swan Upping orHorn Dancing. By far, one of the best ispantomime which was developed inEngland in the Middle Ages from some-thing called the Mummers’ Play, whichfeatured a sword fight and was performedby amateur actors or audience members.Today’s pantomime has all of the tradi-tional ingredients: a boy hero, his mother(known as the dame and played by a maleactor), the hero’s love interest, a comediccharacter who engages with the audience,and a villain (known as the baddie). estories are based on traditional fairytales,so you’ll see performances such asCinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, andHansel and Gretel.

To look at pantomime, you would thinkit is a play aimed at children, but you willquickly discover that the jokes are just asentertaining for adults. Outrageous cos-tumes, dancing and singing, and jokesabout current events will keep you en-thralled. Audience participation is often re-quired, with characters encouraging theaudience to yell out phrases in unison.Recent years have seen certain pantomimeperformances offer a career-boost tocelebrities. Henry Winkler (e Fonz),Baywatch’s Pamela Anderson, Olivier-award winner Sharon D Clarke, JulianClary, Sir Ian McKellan and WarwickDavis have all performed in pantomime.

Hackney Empire has become the trendyplace to attend pantomime, but othersmaller theatres like e Peacock eatre,Charlton and Hoxton Hall all have greatperformances. e London Palladium isthe West End’s pantomime HQ, but havea look at any local theatre in your area fortheir upcoming performances. e showsbegin in December and stretch throughthe first weeks of January.

6 FOCUS The Magazine November/December 2017 www.focus-info.org

Amber Raney-Kincade is theAmerican Tour Guide in London,offering walking tours and privatehire to those looking to explore onfoot. Find out more atwww.AmericanTourGuideInLondon.com orfollow her on Twitter @AmericanLDN

MarketsYou need not hop over toGermany because Christmasmarkets have invadedLondon. Leicester Square,Southbank, Tower Bridge,even the massive WinterWonderland in Hyde Parkhave their versions of theGerman Christmas markets.If you’ve tried and tested allof those, here are someothers:

Red Cross Christmas Market isan annual event at Guildhallin The City. This year it’son 27-28 November andhas a preview evening for£40 or regular entry for £5.www.redcross.org.uk/Get-involved/Events/Challenge-and-social-events/Social-events

Junior League of Londonmarks the holiday seasonwith Boutique de Noel. Thisyear is the 38th celebration,and shopping happensacross two days inNovember at Chelsea OldTown Hall.www.jll.org.uk/boutique-de-noel2017

The Scandinavian ChristmasMarket is gaining moreexposure with Finnish andNorwegians, as well as otherLondoners with a taste forthe Nordic. Tucked away inRotherhithe, go for the foodand stay for the unique giftoptions.www.scandimarket.co.uk

Swedish Christmas Markettakes place at The SwedishChurch near Edgware Road.Glögg is served in manylocations, along withtraditional delicacies and desserts.www.svenskakyrkan.se/london/julmarknad-/-christmas-fair.

CarolsHymns can be traced back to 4th centuryRome, and after the reformation,Protestant churches sang because theLutheran faiths were accepting of music.William Sandys published ChristmasCarols Ancient and Modern in 1833, be-ginning the popularisation of carols andoffering a gateway for more books to fol-low. Many traditional carols sung atChristmas have English links. “Hark! eHerald Angels Sing” was written byCharles Wesley, leader of the Methodistmovement, in 1739. “Good KingWenceslas” is about a Bohemian king trav-eling in harsh winter and was written byAnglican priest John Mason Neale in1853. Contemporary English composerJohn Rutter has added to the illustrious listwith countless carols and arrangements forchoirs including “What Sweeter Music”,“Shepherds’ Pipe Carol” and more.

Churches all over London offer carolservices open to the public, including thosewho are not regular members. is is agreat way to see some of these beautifulbuildings. Larger churches like SouthwarkCathedral, Westminster Abbey and St.Paul’s Cathedral offer a few ticketed serv-ices, but some are free. Smaller churcheslike St. Mary le Bow, St. Andrew Holborn,and St. Bride’s give you a chance to hearthe incredible acoustics in a ChristopherWren-designed church. Each individualchurch will offer times on their websitesfor carol services.

MenorahSince 2007, a public menorah has ap-peared in Trafalgar Square, alongside theannual Christmas tree. e symbol ofHanukkah is one of many that can be en-joyed around London. ere is one outsideGolders Green station each year, with thelocal rabbi using a cherry picker to lightthe candles each night! West Hampstead,Finchley Road, and Wimbledon also havea menorah to view and enjoy. Lighting thecandles and eating fried food remembersthe miracle of a drop of oil burning foreight days. Some lighting ceremonies offerfree doughnuts or potato latkes as treats toeat. L’Chaim! (To Life!)