During this time of year, choirs are in full swing. There are Lessons and Carols aplenty in many churches across England, most notably at Kings College, Cambridge, where the tradition started a little more than a century ago. Many concert venues and churches also offer Handel’s Messiah, with more than a few offering a sing along version. St Martin in the Fields, a historic London church offers a variety of carol events for both families and others throughout the holiday season. They most notably offer Carols by Candlelight and the Messiah by Candlelight, as well as a Viennese Christmas.
What could be more traditionally British than caroling at night in Trafalgar Square?
In addition, this year John Rutter will be conducting the Royal Philharmonic performing his works. That’s a pretty fine accomplishment.
If being outdoors is more your speed, there are guided walks through some of London’s parks. One of the best is through Kew Gardens, running on a daily basis. There is a nightly walking tour of London architecture and Christmas decorations that surround central London.
Different parts of London offer different types of lighting displays, ranging from traditional to the fantastical.
If the whimsical is your taste, Carnaby Street is the place to be. The heart of London’s fashion district, with 60% of the shops in the area independent sellers.
Convent Garden features a digital nativity and reindeer petting, as well as some of the more famous regional choirs singing in the plaza.
Father Christmas, as Santa is generally referred to throughout Great Britian, makes his appearance all over London, most notably at Harrods Department Store (which a sight to behold this time of year). There are also numerous street corner Santa’s, who are the equivalent to Salvation Army bell ringers-they are collecting monies for various charities. [writers note: that last paragraph has now enabled the Kinks’ Father Christmas to get stuck in my head]
One decidedly British Christmas tradition are the pantos or pantomimes. They are theatrical productions of traditional fairy tales, which include the following elements:
• The leading male juvenile character (the principal boy) - is traditionally played by a young woman, usually in tight-fitting male garments (such as breeches) that make her female charms evident.
• An older woman (the pantomime dame - often the hero's mother) is usually played by a man in drag.
• Risqué double entendre, often wringing innuendo out of perfectly innocent phrases. This is, in theory, over the heads of the children in the audience.
• Audience participation, including calls of "He's behind you!" (or "Look behind you!"), and "Oh, yes it is!" and "Oh, no it isn't!" The audience is always encouraged to boo the villain and "awwwww" the poor victims, such as the rejected dame, who usually fancies the prince.
• Music may be original but is more likely to combine well-known tunes with re-written lyrics. At least one "audience participation" song is traditional: one half of the audience may be challenged to sing 'their' chorus louder than the other half.
• The animal, played by an actor in 'animal skin' or animal costume. It is often a pantomime horse or cow, played by two actors in a single costume, one as the head and front legs, the other as the body and back legs.
• The good fairy enters from stage right (from the audience's point of view this is on the left) and the villain enters from stage left (right from the point of view of the audience). This convention goes back to the medieval mystery plays, where the right side of the stage symbolised Heaven and the left side symbolised Hell.
• Sometimes the story villain will squirt members of the audience with water guns or pretend to throw a bucket of 'water' at the audience that is actually full of streamers.
• A slapstick comedy routine may be performed, often a decorating or baking scene, with humour based on throwing messy substances. Until the 20th century, British pantomimes often concluded with a harlequinade, a free-standing entertainment of slapstick. Nowadays the slapstick is more or less incorporated into the main body of the show.
• In the 19th century, until the 1880s, pantomimes typically included a transformation scene in which a Fairy Queen magically transformed the pantomime characters into the characters of the harlequinade, who then performed the harlequinade.[10]
• The Chorus, who can be considered extras on-stage, and often appear in multiple scenes (but as different characters) and who perform a variety of songs and dances throughout the show. Due to their multiple roles they may have as much stage-time as the lead characters themselves.
There are also specialty Christmas events and tours, including a Dickens Christmas at the Dickens Museum (http://www.dickensmuseum.com); Christmas at Hampton Court Palace (http://www.hrp.org.uk/HamptonCourtPalace/) in the tradition of Henry VIII
I'm Henry the Eighth, I am,
Henry the Eighth I am, I am!
I got married to the widow next door,
She'd been married seven times before.
And every one was an Henry
It wouldn't be a Willie or a Sam
I'm her eighth old man named Henry
Henry the Eighth, I am!
There are also a number of open air ice skating rinks in London, most notably at Hyde Park and near the London Eye. Hyde Park also features Winter Wonderland,
To round out Christmas time in London, attending a (free) service at Westminster Abbey (http://www.westminster-abbey.org)
which is the spiritual seat of the Church of England in London (also the final resting place of Handel in the Poets Corner, along with many, many others including memorials to Dickens, Shakespeare, Blake, Tennsyson, Eliot, Austen and Bronte).
There is something about baking a pudding and having wassail during the season as well. This is my go to recipe which is found here: http://www.veganfamily.co.uk/easyfruit.htm
Easy, Last Minute Christmas Fruit Cake by Jean
This cake has no added sugar or fat (suitable for a range of diets) but is still really sweet and rich. It should be stored in the fridge and eaten within one week.
8oz/250g/2 cups of cooking dates with the stones removed
10 fl.oz/300ml/1 and a quarter cups of water (you could substitute a quarter cup of brandy or sherry for a quarter cup of the water if you like)
6oz/175g/1 and a quarter cups of wholemeal flour
1 lb/450g/3 cups of mixed dried fruit of your choice - including lots of dried apricots works very well
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of mixed spice
4 tablespoons of orange juice
For decoration: You can either do a traditional marzipan and white icing topping or use rows of different nuts such as walnuts, pecans, brazils and almonds.
Heat the dates and water until the dates are soft. Remove from heat and mash with a fork. Add all the other ingredients and mix well. Spoon into a greased 2lb/900g cake tin and level top. If using the nut topping place rows of different nuts on top of the cake prior to cooking. Bake at 170C/340F for about an hour and a half until cooked. Once cooled the nut topping can be glazed with a little syrup (melt some sugar into hot water) or you can ice traditionally
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