Stuff December

Presumably you all know exactly what you're doing at this time of year, and don't really need to know about umpteen other things to clog your schedule as you run mindlessly from one party to the next:

• Eat to the point of a food baby on a (sometimes more than) daily basis. And have dessert with every meal.
• Go shopping for presents but spend way more on yourself than on anyone else, and decide to keep those that were intended for everyone else as well.
• Drink way too much and with meals that usually don't include alcohol at all. But at least when this happens you usually end up in bed by a reasonable hour.

But actually, being in a cold city for the festive season has its charms that should be experienced and enjoyed at least once:

• Strolling through a European-style Christmas market, either at the South Bank, or Hyde Park's Winter Wonderland. Or you could really go to Europe, apparently the German ones are the best.
• Go ice-skating somewhere glamorous like Somerset House. Of course, this requires booking far in advance (something I am a bit averse to doing) and those skates really hurt my feet last time!
• Visit Kristie and Coralie's Christmas Cooler Drink, Shop & Do pop-up shop and bar in Kings Cross, with events on each weekend leading up to Christmas for those into DIYing. Or just drinking and eating cake.
• More drinking, but this time you must sample the seasonal specialities like mulled wine, winter Pimms, or hot toddies. No, I haven't tried any of these yet! But don't they sound intriguing??
• Go to see Where The Wild Things Are!!!! How long have we all been waiting for this movie? I am so excited, but finding the time to go to a movie in December may be a challenge...
• Cross your fingers for a White Christmas. I had a white birthday last year, which was pretty awesome, but imagine a white Christmas day! Just like in the movies.
• Find Santa. I've said for a few years now that I'd really like to get our photo taken with Santa to send back to our parents at home, but with only one Westfield in this whole city I think that Santa might be a bit busy. Where else do you find Santa in London? There is also no Harvey Norman or K-Mart. I'm guessing maybe Selfridges or Harrods.