December 2023 – Getting Festive – Out, About and at Home

Monday December 18th, 2023

Welcome to your final issue of 2023! We’ll be going fully festive with a round-up of top Yuletide trips and Christmassy visits at various UK locations. And we’ll explore what’s available to maximise your family fun when you’re staying in too.

Have a ball at the Royal Albert Hall

From Christmas carols and traditional concerts, to drag, jazz, gospel and more, The Royal Albert Hall brings you its jam-packed Christmas programme. From 21^st to 24^th December, join sing-along carol concerts at three time slots throughout the day. From 18^th to 20^th December, a brilliant interactive tribute to Raymond Briggs invites audience members to provide sound effects in a short workshop prior to the screening of the much-loved animation of The Snowman, first screened over 40 years ago and based on Briggs’ beautiful illustrations. Then you can choose from soul, gospel or big band brilliance in the build-up to the big day. Visit https://www.royalalberthall.com/tickets/series/christmas-at-the-royal-albert-hall/ to find out more and to book.

Explore Oxford

It’s the most wonderful time of the year to explore this most magical of cities. During December only, you can take a lantern-led tour of Oxford Castle & Prison to hear tales from the city’s 1,000-year history. The perfect antidote to the spooky depths of its cells and crypt lit by the flickering glow of a lantern is the stunning panoramic view from the top of St George’s Tower (be ready for the 101 steps though!)

Christ Church Cathedral offers a lantern-led guided tour too – every day at 4 pm between 29^th November and 22^nd December (booking is recommended). Or explore this magical space at your own pace, discovering (among other delights) where famous scenes from Harry Potter were filmed.

For Christmas shopping opportunities – and tasty festive treats – right up until Saturday 23^rd December, look no further than Broad Street’s Christmas Market. And for traditional pantomime hilarity until 7^th January, Oxford Playhouse offers you a brilliant Jack & the Beanstalk production.

Outside the city, but still in Oxfordshire, ‘Christmas at Blenheim’ offers sensory light trails inside and outside the palace. The UNESCO World Heritage Site boasts water fountains dancing to music, ropes of light shooting up trees, and carpets of colour across its famous grounds. Indoors, you can enjoy a festive reimagining of the classic Sleeping Beauty story.

Christmassy days out

Lots of UK towns and cities host Christmas Markets. Bath’s is famous for having almost 200 wooden chalets dotted around the iconic Roman Baths and the beautiful Abbey. There’s also a Christmas Tree Carol Trail – spot 10 trees decorated in a musical theme. Or Head to Birmingham for the largest German-style Christmas market outside Germany and Austria.

Theme Parks get festive with Paulton Park (home to Peppa Pig World), Alton Towers and even Cadbury World inviting guests to enjoy a visit to Santa’s grotto as well as all their usual favourite rides and characters. Sleepover at Legoland Windsor or Warwick Castle with extra festive-themed fun and entertainment. Safari Parks around the UK, such as Longleat and West Midlands host their annual lantern festivals, where the parks are transformed after dark to a magical landscape of colour and light.

If you fancy exploring a city with a festive feel, York’s Christmas Festival offers spectacular shows and ice sculptures; Edinburgh is lit up with its traditional Hogmanay torchlight procession and extraordinary light displays across its castle walls; and Rochester (Kent) honours its perhaps most famous resident with the Charles Dickens Christmas festival. Streets come alive with performers, markets, pantomimes, and artificial snow in a tribute to ‘A Christmas Carol’ and its author.

Festive things to do at home

But you can appreciate and enjoy Dickens’ classic Christmas story without leaving home as well. It’s 180 years since he penned the novella and published it in instalments for his Victorian readership. Over almost two centuries, the story has been dramatised on screens and stages all over the world. Digital Trends has curated half a dozen versions you might like to try, whatever your age! Feel festive, embrace the season, but stay warm and cosy in the comfort of your own home.

And if you’re starting to feel like you should embrace a spot of culture / get back to your books* – but you can’t really face it yet, why not compromise with the BBC’s insightful Shakespeare: Rise of A Genius, marking 400 years since the First Folio was published posthumously, seven years after his death.

Or if you’re looking for inspiration that brings generations together AND involves the all-hallowed screen break this Christmas, what about a board game or two? It’s good, old-fashioned family fun, and the range of games available is impressive. There’s a new game called ‘Zingo’ – billed as a cross between snap and bingo – that will appeal to all ages. There’s ‘Gullible’ – think ‘Would I lie to you’ (TV) or ‘Call my bluff’ (radio), and ‘Quirkle’ – maybe Scrabble meets Connect 4 for ages 6 and above. There’s also a trend for classic games, like Cluedo and Pictionary, reimagined with popular themes and modern technology, such as Pictionary Air Star Wars. Teamed with a smart phone and smart TV, your pen (/light sabre) brings your air-drawn shapes to life on screen!

*If you’re applying for the September / October 2024 university intake, chances are you’ll be finalising your UCAS application form and personal statement ready for that 31^st Jan ’24 deadline. The Christmas break is a good time to make finishing touches. For inspiration, check out our July 2022 blog, or drop us a line for advice or feedback.

With best wishes for a wonderful Christmas and a peaceful start to your New Year. Until next year!