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Top 5 Places to Visit in London This Christmas

With less than a week until Christmas, thousands of people across the people are rushing frantically about, grabbing anything in sight that could possibly pass as a viable present to give someone. I am one of these many thousands of people.
I've bought one present so far. And I can't even remember what it is (to be fair, I did buy it over two months ago for my brother but that is literally all I can remember, so I have nothing to go by when searching for it. His next Birthday present instead, perhaps?).
So, if you're like me and are finally heading out to do that dreaded Christmas shopping in London, why not visit some of my top 5 places to go at Christmas in London?

1. Winter Wonderland, Hyde Park 
Photo from www.royalparks.org.uk
I went to this place for my Birthday (Birth-mas is a thing, you know) and you truly cannot visit a Christmas-ier place. With adorable little German market stalls selling everything from waffles to woolly socks, festive funfair rides and a spectacular ice rink (which seems to be booked-up before the beginning of December every year, by the way) surrounded by over 100,000 lights, Winter Wonderland is definitely the place to be if you're yet to feel that it's the season to be jolly. I recommend visiting earlier on in the day as I went at about 6:30pm and had to queue for 40 minutes to get in.
www.hydeparkwinterwonderland.com; until 4th Jan 2015

2. Oxford and Regent Street
I can't remember the last year that I didn't visit these two famous streets to check out the Christmas lights. Teamed up with a hardcore shopping session, this is probably the most productive place to be if you're lacking inspiration for those presents. Even if I did outgrow Hamleys about 10 years ago, this and a trip to Abercrombie & Fitch (on Burlington Gardens, off Regents Street) never fail to keep me entertained.
Lights until 6th Jan 2015

3. Harrods, Brompton Road
Photo from www.starsandroses.co.uk
Another place I love going to at Christmas is London's most luxurious shop, Harrods. Yes, pretty much everything is well out of my price range but the price on the labels of the items there never fail to amuse me (a £35,000 purse, anyone?) and the lights outside the shop are a stunning sight. I highly suggest taking a trip to the Ice Cream Parlour here as the ice creams served are incredible. Be aware that we're talking Harrods ice creams here, not just normal ice creams, so the average ice cream is about £12.
www.harrods.com

4. South Bank
If Winter Wonderland seems a hassle to get to, South Bank also has many German market stalls (these stalls are arguably even more adorable than Winter Wonderland's!) and an ice rink where you can 'Eyeskate'- yup, it's directly behind the magnificent London Eye. South Bank is one of my favourite places to go at any time of the year but, at Christmas, it's just a little bit more special.
www.southbanklondon.com; Eyeskate until 1st Jan 2015

5. The Paddington Trail
Photo from www.luluguinness.com
This year, to celebrate the release of 'Paddington', 50 different statues of everyone's favourite bear have been placed across London for you to find. Each one has been designed by a celebrity, including Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock Bear), Boris Johnson (The Bear of London) and David Beckham (Golden Paws). My personal favourite is Jonathan Ross's Futuristic Robot Bear... Why not do the trail and choose your favourite bear?
www.visitlondon.com/paddington; until 30th December




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