Christmas Shopping in London

I'm not mad. I didn't really intend to go to Oxford Street with a 2 year old in a buggy, two weeks before Christmas. But we were over that way, and I needed to pop to one shop. How bad could that be?

Well I walked up Regents Street and we looked at the Hamleys window, which is Lego themed.

Then, in a hope to avoid the masses (although I'm not sure why I thought that it would be quieter) we went through to Carnaby Street, which had really lovely decorations and Christmassy buskers.

We headed onto Oxford Street and had been in the shop I was aiming for. I intended that we would jump on a bus to Victoria and get out of there. Somehow, despite having actually been walking on the road myself at points, having stood in the cross road between Regents and Oxford Street listening to carol singers, it never registered to me that it was that weekend where they close off the roads to traffic. So no bus then!

Weighing up my options I decided that I didn't want to brave the tube carrying a toddler in a buggy (Kit was asleep by this point so not even the chance to collapse it). My other option was to walk out of it. Obviously I was at the midpoint by now so I just started walking towards Marble Arch. I didn't brave any other shops but I did stop to enjoy some of festivities as we went along. When we reached Selfridges, Kit had woken up, I showed him some of the windows. I remember coming up to London with my Mum and Dad when I was younger (although much older than Kit) and really looking forward to seeing the Christmas windows. I can't decide whether I've just lost my awe, or whether they are getting less interesting and more commercial. Here were our favourites at Selfridges...

We survived to the bus stop at the other end and then headed to Victoria, picking up a Gingerbread Latte and a Babychino before jumping on the train home. I'd do it again next year. No shopping, just wandering down the streets taking in the Christmas cheer.