Lifestyle Ideas | Monthly Archives: December 2013

Staying in London over Christmas? Top Christmas Attractions in London

Posted on December 20, 2013 by lifestyle Posted in Family Leave a comment

Christmas time in London can be especially exciting. The special and festive mood just spreads in the air as the streets come alive with festive lights, and carol concerts. Count yourself lucky if you happen to be in London during the festive time. There is so much to see and do here. You can just hop on an open bus tour and feast your eyes on all the celebrations in the city and the classic sights like the Tower of London, Piccadilly, Harrods, etc. Well, there is still a lot more to Christmas in London. Just explore the following ideas.

Christmas carols in Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square, London’s popular sightseeing destination gets abuzz with Christmas Carol services and singing. You will love those rousing seasonal tunes under the warm glow of 20 meter tall Christmas tree that is gifted by the people of Norway to London every year since 1947, in memory of Britain’s support to them during World War II. Be a part of this and historical gesture and enjoy your Christmas.

Christmas at Kew Gardens
Head straight for Kew Gardens, as it adorns a special festive feel this December and offers a guided Winter Walk to its visitors! Enjoy carousel rides on the Kew Palace lawn along with a Santa’s Grotto. Entry is free for kids and the adults pay £13.90 to get enter into the Kew Gardens. You will love those carousel rides, face-painting and a lot more fun. This is a great way to spend some quality time with your family and kids among all that hustle and bustle of Christmas. Get Kew’s unique family experience this year at Christmas.

Westfield Shopping Centre
Don’t miss London’s biggest shopping Centre, the Westfield Shopping Centre and one of its main attraction is the ice rink. This where you can spend some quality time while shopping for Xmas, what with those sales going on. This is one of the biggest department stores in London and if simply great for plenty of exciting Christmas shopping at some great rates. It is crammed with new shops and fashion boutiques. It is also referred to as one of the largest in Europe.

Christmas Carols by Candlelight
Enjoy Christmas carols by candlelight at St Martin-in-the Fields performed by the Vivamus Choir. The audience can participate and will love those seasonal readings. You get to hear the best selection of hymns and choral music and this is the best way to celebrate the start of the Advent season. The choir is well known for its remarkably broad repertoire and expressiveness of its performances.

There is plenty to do and see in London this festive season, once again and you are in for a swell time, whatever your age. The mood is set for the winters, with the mistletoe up and presents under the tree. Explore London if you want to add to your excitement beyond the usual turkey dinner. Start with the above attractions to make a good start.

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How to survive Christmas with family

Posted on December 12, 2013 by lifestyle Posted in Family Leave a comment

Christmas is the best time of the year. It is the time when the entire family comes together even if they are miles apart. The birth of Christ brings with it the joys of festivity. You would want to spend it with family and friends and hence even return home if you stay far off. But all of this ‘get-togetherness’ after a long time can bring in awkward moments as well. So if you live far away from home and visit the folks just this time of the year then there are certain aspects to bear in mind. You need to be prepared for such an occasion to interact and spend time with all your close ones whether comfortable or not.

Coming home for Christmas

You must keep one thing in mind that you are coming home after quite a while and would be seeing your relatives after a long time for a festive reason. You must hence keep all your differences aside so as to not spoil it for the entire gathering. Christmas is a fun festival once in a year and you should plan your bit to treat your family with gifts and surprises. If you behave well and cordially there is a good chance that you will avoid all the particulars of an awful assembly. This can be a fun way to make a start for the celebrations for the much awaited holidays. This is that one time when you must take leave from your busy schedule to spend some quality moments with your family.

Watching that behavior

Meeting anyone after a long time can bring in awkwardness, thus breaking the ice is the most important gesture you could prepare yourself with. Be nice and polite and be ready to discuss your life to catch up with the relatives. Show a little interest in their life to get back to talking like old times; this will help clear off the weirdness. Take the most favorite items as a gesture of affection to show that you still know their taste very well, and would love to celebrate Christmas with them.

Offer a helping hand in the preparations like food, decorations and other errands so that you seamlessly fit in with the family again. A helping hand amidst the chaos would always be appreciated. There might be certain family members you would not want to face, whatever be the reason, however, do not let that enunciate in your behavior. Christmas is the season to be happy and spread the happiness, thus, curtailing on your true feelings can help you pass the entire day without any further awkward moments.

Play with the young ones, interact respectfully with elders, organize interactions and games to get the entire family together and truly feel the spirit of Christmas. No matter the current scenario in a person’s life, the fact is that everyone wants to get back home for Christmas.
A little patience and respect doesn’t harm anyone especially on a festival like Christmas that is to be enjoyed with family.

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Are you ready with your Christmas decoration?

Posted on December 9, 2013 by lifestyle Posted in Family, Home & Garden Leave a comment

London streets already get bright and colorful with Christmas decoration, weeks ahead of Christmas. Churches, shopping malls, offices and homes start planning and making preparations to welcome the festive season ahead. Placing the Kissing Bush on the centerpiece was a well-known tradition in England from the 18th century and was soon taken over by the Christmas tree. It was common to see hanging confections, paper garlands, artificial flowers, colored candles as part of those decorations during the Victorian times. With Christmas just a couple of weeks ahead, it is high time you too started planning your Christmas decorations.

The traditional colors of Christmas are snow white, pine green and heart red. You also find use of blue and white to represent winter, as well as gold and silver. Just look around the space you need to decorate and plan accordingly. One will come across different types of decorations in different countries depending on the traditions and the needs. You will find these decorations put up in early December with major retailers. Thus, you get plenty of time to plan, pick and choose.

Christmas decorations will be simply be incomplete without a Christmas tree and the ornaments to decorate it. One will find a large range in the variety, style and color of those trees in the market. There are artificial Christmas trees in white and green and some even come with complete decorations. Many people still like to follow the old tradition and use a real tree for their decorations. Make use of those typical holiday icons like Baby Jesus, Santa Claus, and the star of Bethlehem as well as penguins, snowmen, icicles, etc. You will need both outdoor and indoor Christmas lights and can get them in a spectacular ranges, such as garden lights, icicle lights, LED connectable lights, rope lights, etc.

Christmas also means good food. Therefore, prepare and decorate your table with care. Make sure that your table is long enough to seat all the family members and guests. The table should be preferable next to the Christmas tree to set the festive mood. You can make special decorations for the table in red, white and green. Lay out the tablecloth and flowers in these colors to add to the festivities. You can wrap the cutlery in a brightly colored ribbons

It is the little things that count and make Christmas more meaningful. Make cards for every family member as well as your guests, to make them feel loved and specials. Sprinkle a little glitter or even fake snow inside the room to give it a magical touch. Don’t forget the candles and get fragrant burning candles that can really set the tone of the day. Get a nice collection of soft festive music running in the background day and night, and give you the real feel of Christmas and that finally Santa is here. After all, it is the season of sharing, loving and giving.

Once the festivities are over, you should also plan how to take those Christmas decorations down. Many people like to pack away their decorations carefully for use the next year.

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