So, being from Texas, I am far from used to these bitterly cold days and nights that have suddenly taken over. The beautiful cool autumn days were far too short, as I now find myself bundling and layering myself silly every morning. I still am not sure how to adequately keep my legs warm, or which weight scarf is appropriate for which temperature, and especially how to remove all of these layers quickly enough while descending into the scalding hot tube station.

The light at the end of this freezing wintry tunnel is CHRISTMAS! London skips right past Thanksgiving (sadly my first not spent with my family) and wastes no time jumping into the holiday spirit. I’ve found embracing the Christmas season helps warm me up a bit from the descending temperatures. I have spent lots of my time lately visiting the various London spots decked out in Christmas spirit and can share a few of my favorites.

Oxford Street. This is very close to my dorm, so walking home I get to take in the beautiful lights, and even attended my very first Christmas lighting! Jessie J turned on the lights – how cool is that?

Covent Garden. This gorgeous area is decked out with Christmas ornaments hanging everywhere, a giant lit up reindeer, and Christmas trees everywhere. There’s also live music on the weekends, and it’s a great destination for a lovely evening.

Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park. So I may or may not have been counting down the days for weeks until Winter Wonderland opened. This is 5 minutes away from my dorm, and I visited twice in the first 4 days after it opened. It is even bigger than I imagined! There are rides everywhere, Christmas crafts, and attractions to keep your eyes wandering all over. Not to mention the tons of food stalls which gave me the most delicious Belgian waffle with chocolate I’ve ever had. You can easily spend hours of Christmas bliss here, and not to mention it’s FREE to enter!

So while there are still another three and a half weeks to get through until Christmas break, I’m making the cold nights a bit brighter with over the top Christmas spirit.

Happy Holidays!