It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

With barely a nod to the holiday that is Halloween and no Thanksgiving buffer, Christmas comes pretty early to London town.

• The lights have been lit on Regent Street and Oxford Street
• The tree is up in Covent Garden (although, as of 9.00 am this morning the lights were not on)
• The shops have the Christmas displays up
• I bought my tickets to the Nutcracker.
• My mom is calling and asking for my Christmas list.

I am not going home for Christmas this year. At 30 years old I am spending my first Christmas without any of my nuclear family members. It's a bit odd. At the time I made the plans, I was fresh off my summer world tour and could not face the idea of getting on another plane. Literally. The idea of one more second at Heathrow made me a bit crazy.

Now, 3 months later, I have sufficiently recovered from my Heathrow loathing but am still glad I chose not to travel at Christmas. I will still be getting some much needed USA infusion though. We are jetting to NYC on 29 November for a bit of holiday shopping and Christmas fervor. I have always wanted to see New York at the holidays - the lights, the ice skating, the bustle of Christmas shoppers...hmmm. Although, now that I say that, it does sound an awful lot like London. The last time I was in NY was when I got my visa approved for my trip to London. I wonder if it smells the same? I am guessing it does.

So what about the rest of you? Christmas with the fam?