Our Christmas in London

This year, Aaron and I decided to spend Christmas - just the two of us - in London. It was very different from how we normally spend the holiday, but very memorable.

On Christmas eve, we headed out to catch the carol service at St. Paul's, a massive church in the heart of London. We knew there was a minimal chance we'd get to attend the service inside, but our friends went last year and said they broadcast the service on a large screen in the square next door. Unfortunately when we arrived, the line to get into the church was wrapped half way around the building and they were not broadcasting it in a second location this year.

So we thought up a new plan and headed to the Charles Dickens museum located in one of his former homes. I had read they were doing "A Very Dickensian Christmas Eve" with a few things to celebrate the day. That was an understatement. Every room in the house had actors and actresses re-enacting scenes from Dickens' infamous novel, A Christmas Carol. We learned how to make Christmas pudding in the kitchen; spoke with a grave digger who was putting dirt on Scrooge's grave; sang carols and played games in the sitting room with Scrooges' nephews and nieces; and more. Charles Dickens loved Christmas, so naturally, the house was adorned in decorations. A Christmas Carol was published by Dickens himself and to this day it has never gone out of print. The story popularized many of the Christmas traditions we have today.

After the museum, we headed over to Winter Wonderland where we rode an amusement ride (it went so high up that it was actually really scary!), Aaron won me a little snowman by knocking coconuts off of jars, and we met some friends for a few pints and festive music.

On Christmas morning, we opened our stockings and gifts. Then we headed over to a friends house for some merriment. December 25th is the only day that public transportation in London shuts down so the roads are extremely quiet. Aaron and I ended up biking to our friend's house which was actually fun because the streets were empty! We hung out there for a while and then headed back for a lobster dinner at our place and some pumpkin pie. More friends came over to our place and we played games late into the night.

We hope that your Christmas was memorable as well!