Windows and Shopping, Fa la la la la

Every year, we try to make it up to town to see the Christmas windows in all the department stores (and the lights). This year, we actually had a sneak preview of the lights when we went up to town in early December, but we tried to avoid looking in any windows until our official trip, which usually takes place between the end of school (sometime near the 20th usually) and Christmas itself. One year, we left it until the 27th, and the windows were all down, covered by paper "SALE" signs. Very disappointing.  

When the kids were smaller (especially Alex, who had little or no interest in most shops as a small boy) we usually started at either the Natural History Museum or the Science Museum for a few hours and then walked along to Harrods to see their windows before hopping a bus to Oxford Street. These days, we avoid the museums, but usually start at Harrods anyway. This year being no exception.

The windows were pretty good this year, some fun stuff, with a train theme - carriages on the train, dining car, sleepers, etc. A few bits and pieces which caught my eye...

And although we don't usually buy anything inside (one year, I did book their Father Christmas visit, which was ok, but not worth the long wait, frankly) we do at least pop in and have a look around, especially at the food halls, which I adore and could look at time and again (and in fact, do). 

We did not buy the dressed lobsters on the half shell 

or the chocolate covered strawberries

or the gorgeous red roses (and I'm not even a huge fan of roses, but these were truly amazing). 

We then went up to Oxford Street and did some looking in shops (here's what Mum does in the New Look dressing room while advising on tops) and visited the windows at Selfridges

(which had tiny Santa, elves, penguins and whatnot with large scale items like shoes, shirts, toys) - here are some small figures scaling Mount Trainer (and I love that the window reflects the buildings across the road - makes the whole thing look totally surreal!)

Oh no! Tiny Santas are about to have a skiing accident!

Poor tiny Santas...

This one was great - a huge tub of spilled "Playdoh", complete with pink Playdoh snowmen.

And there was a nicely self-referential Snowglobe

complete with some Christmas windows, including a spilled tub of Playdoh with tiny pink snowmen...

We also go inside Selfridges, where we usually visit the Food Hall (and buy cheese) and the Christmas shop, where I usually get an ornament or two. The selection this year was poorer than it has been some years, but I did manage to find one I liked (no photo) -  a little gold Converse style shoe.

We also made sure to check out the windows in John Lewis, which had been recommended to us - and indeed, they were great - all the animals in the windows were made from household items (presumably) for sale inside. These turkeys were all made from towels and so on. 

There were several kinds of birds, including this woodpecker made from cutlery.

Here's a pair of hairbrush hares

and a kettle penguin.   There were some larger ones as well, but they didn't photograph so well!

After this point, Sarah, Alex and Grandma went on home and Olivia and I stayed to poke in a few more shops, check out the windows in Hamley's, walk through Carnaby Street and go down to Picadilly Circus to check out what was there (a giant snowglobe)... and then home! Hurrah for Christmas traditions.