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May I begin this festive list by wishing all my readers a very merry Christmas.
London is looking particularly festive at the moment and the lights are sparkling all over town, and, as December progresses, more and more fun and festive events will be taking place all over London.
And this month's list has got some wonderful presents to get you into the Christmas mood.
You can attend carol services at St Paul's Cathedral over the Christmas period itself; enjoy a German Carol Service at London's oldest parish church; see the Christmas tree light up in Trafalgar Square; and guffaw at an hilarious pantomime horse race in Greenwich.
And, if all that hasn't got you breaking down the door eager to get out and experience all these wonderful free things that London has to offer, then how about a free Harry Potter tour of London?
I'll be doing my annual "Charles Dickens: A Christmas Carol Walk" on several days over the Christmas period, albeit several of the dates are now fully booked. Details here.
There will also be the Jack the Ripper and Ghost Walks over the period, all the dates are on this page.
As many of you will know I'm gradually working my way through all the film versions of A Christmas Carol and reviewing them.
You can read the reviews and watch some of the really old versions (1901 is the oldest) on this page.
Remember that any new additions, or changes to the current list, are placed on our Facebook page, so it's worth joining us and liking us (as in Facebook likes!) to ensure you're kept fully informed of and up to date with what's going on in London throughout the weeks ahead.
So, without further ado, here is my December 2019 list of ten things to do in London.
The Trafalgar Square Christmas tree is usually a Norwegian spruce (Picea abies) over 20 metres high and 50-60 years old. It is selected from the forests surrounding Oslo with great care several months, even years, in advance. The Norwegian foresters who look after it describe it fondly as 'the queen of the forest'.
The tree is felled in November during a ceremony in which the Lord Mayor of Westminster, the British ambassador to Norway and the Mayor of Oslo participate.
It is brought to the UK by sea, then completes its journey by lorry.
A specialist rigging team erects it in the square using a hydraulic crane. It is decorated in traditional Norwegian fashion, with vertical strings of lights. Energy-efficient light bulbs are used.
Then, in early December, it is switched on - and this year the ceremony will take place at 6pm on Thursday 5th December.
Full Details On This WebsiteAs the nights draw in, we celebrate the chillier side of science...
From low-temperature physics and the freezing cold of outer space, to Antarctic deserts and sub-zero chemistry desserts, embrace the chill in our Winter Wonderlab!
Imperial Lates are after-hours celebrations of science and engineering, which is brought to life through the creativity of our researchers. Inside our Winter Wonderlab you can discuss Antarctica melting with polar explorers, and enjoy liquid nitrogen ice-cream made by our culinary chemists, before journeying to Neptune with a planetary scientist plotting NASA’s next mission to ice giant. For those of a more creative mind set, you can make and take your own Chemistry Christmas decorations, inspired by low temperature research into the chemistry of life.
So join us for a mince pie or two during an evening of discovery where you can bring out your inner child and have fun with our science.
Full Details On This WebsiteEnjoy all the fun of the fair, or at least of the organs, at this musical and entertaining open day, which isn't just for hardened enthusiasts.
Full Details On This WebsiteThe myth of Santa Claus has been translated into an extraordinary market on a global scale. We see Santa everywhere in adverts and products, and people also travel quite long distances to meet the 'real Santa' in his faraway home.
The first Concorde flight from Britain to Northern Finland was organised in 1984 with around 100 passengers wanting to experience the magic of Christmas in this authentic setting.
But how did this marketing success materialise? How did Finland become the home of Christmas?
Come along and find out.
Full Details On This WebsiteThis year, "the Horse" will be with the 10th Anniversary edition of the world-famous madcap London Pantomime Horse Race, with a day, dedicated to all things Star Wars.
Featuring over 30 costumed nags, dressed in the style of iconic Film & TV characters, Panto-Horse teams must navigate various pit-stops and unexpected obstacles during the quarter mile street race.
For this extra special event, which is great fun, the streets of Central Greenwich are transformed into a course for glammed up comical looking 'pop/rock star' lookalike nags.
Before the 1 pm race, the fun gets underway at 11 am with "The Pre-Race Ceremony" show at Devonport House King William Walk, Greenwich.
Some years ago, St Bartholomew the Great began to hold this carol service, entitled Stille Nacht, to provide an opportunity to experience some of the music that helps make Christmas in the German-speaking countries so special.
This has grown to be one of the church's best-attended Christmas services in the year, with a wonderful atmosphere.
After the service, Gluhwein, Stollen, and other refreshments can be obtained in the Cloister – all of them further wonderful traditions of the season from the German-speaking world.
Full Details On This WebsiteThere's something almost post-apocalyptic about this place. It is, after all, slap bang in the centre of London, yet it is an oasis of greenery - and tropical greenery at that. It appears to have sprouted, triffid-like, just a stone's throw from St Paul's Cathedral.
It perches on top of the Barbican Arts Centre and has the distinction of being London's second-largest heated conservatory, which on a cold Sunday in December makes it a perfect place in which to banish those winter blues that you might be noticing on the end of your finger tips!
With over 2,000 species of tropical plants and trees, plus exotic fish, it makes for a great place to visit and, if I've not mentioned this already, it's warm!
Full Details On This WebsiteLooking for something do do with kids of all ages over the Christmas holiday and beyond? Well the Harry Potter self-guided tour might be right up your Diagon Alley.
You can do it in your own time and at your own pace. You simply download the detailed PDF of the walk, print it, or have it on your mobile phone, and away you go.
You can either do it as a full day tour, or you can break it down section by section and do it over several days.
Can there be a better place to enjoy carols than St Paul's Cathedral?
I don't think so.
Throughout the festive period the Cathedral will be holding regular carol and prayer services, plus, of course masses on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
A truly enchanting experience awaits.
The perfect way of seeing in the New Year, this colourful spectacle promises 10,000 participants from the USA, UK, Europe and beyond to delight our street audience of over 500,000 and our TV audience which reached more than 300,000,000 in 2016.
It really is a joyous start to the New Year.
I hope you find the December 2019 list useful and that you get to enjoy at least some of the things that I have suggested.
If you require further directions to any of the places suggested could you ask it via the Facebook page as that then enables me to answer quickly and, should it be something that everybody wants to know, it becomes useful to everyone.
All the best and a very merry Christmas to one and all,
Richard