London goes all-out for Christmas, with homes, stores, streets, and squares boasting elaborate decorations. The long nights encourage beautiful light displays, often including massive designs that are draped along major shopping streets. Throughout December I’ve snapped photos of some of my favorites – and even my full gallery of photos doesn’t begin to demonstrate the breadth and depth of the decorations across the city. Perhaps the most elaborate was produced by Anabel’s, an exclusive club on Berkeley Square, London. Its entire façade has been overlaid with an fantastical scene inspired by the Narnia stories.
An elaborate holiday display superimposed on the entrance to Anabel’s, an exclusive club on Berkeley Square, London.
Part of the joy of spending Christmas in London is the opportunity to explore the city as we prepare for the holiday. We began by attending a production of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. It was a real treat to see one of my favorite stories, on stage, in the city where the story is set!
Christmas on Kiawah Island – and wildlife photography.
Osprey, Kiawah Island
We spend nearly every Christmas on Kiawah Island, South Carolina. One of the “sea islands” that form a chain of barrier islands near Charleston, Kiawah is heavily developed with vacation homes and golf courses… but is also carefully managed for green spaces and wildlife. As a result, it is a beautiful place to explore and to photograph wildlife. I enjoyed the perching birds (hawk, osprey, herons) and the shorebirds. But… read on!
After 10 days in Switzerland it is sad to leave, hard to part with the opportunity to explore both new and unexplored areas of the city and the country. It was a pleasure to be back, to revisit old colleagues, to return to my favorite shops and viewpoints and morning walks. I certainly hope I can return again soon! Today’s gallery includes snapshots from various days and scenes in Zürich, including several from the Christmas markets and from the illuminated evenings.
St.Peter’s church seen from across the Limmat river, Zurich.
On our final full day in Zürich, I took my usual morning walk to Zurichberg. The sky was cloudy and the valley foggy, once again, but at least this time the fog was a bit above me and I could see across the lake. Not much to photograph today, but as I lingered at the viewpoint and was passed by every morning jogger and dog-walker, I noted a familiar sight approaching. An old gray lady, and her even older gray dog, approached slowly along a parallel path. I recognized them immediately, having encountered them almost daily on my walks two years earlier… but not yet on this return visit. The woman now needs a walker, and moves slowly while the old gray dog follows even more slowly behind. I admired their persistence in their daily outing, and am glad I had a chance to see them again.
On my way downhill, picking my route randomly through the residential streets while aiming my internal compass toward Honold for my daily dose of heisse schokolade and butter gipfeli, I noted this little gnome standing by a tiny little tree, on a curb near trash and recycling bins.
A gnome and a Christmas tree, left out by someone’s trash bin.
It is not uncommon for people to put items out for free use by passers-by; indeed, we gave away many things when we were preparing to leave in July 2020. This little fellow seemed lonely, so I decided to bring him home.
Later in the day, Andy and I made a pilgrimage to Sprüngli chocolatier, on Bahnhofstrasse, for a stay at their sidewalk tables and for a taste of their grand cru hot chocolate, which comes with a mousse light enough to spoon on top but rich enough to sink you for the afternoon.
Sprüngi hot chocolate, grand cru, with accompanying chocolate mousse.
Despite the chilly weather, the outdoor tables filled quickly; it is a wonderful spot to sit and enjoy a warm drink as the holiday shoppers bustle by.
About a month ago, as it became clear we would be staying home for Christmas rather than spending Christmas with family in SC, Andy looked on the bright side: the potential for his first “white Christmas”, with a snowy landscape all around. This, his 20th Christmas, is the first time we’ve spent it in New Hampshire; last year we were in Switzerland, twice before in India, and otherwise always in South Carolina. No snow in any of those places!
So when winter arrived last week, with a glorious foot and a half of fresh powder, it seemed he would get his wish!
Our home in the season’s first real snowstorm.
Last night, however, a terrible warm front blasted through, bringing temperatures near 60º and a torrential downpour. Most of the snow (other than snowbanks) melted rapidly… from shin-deep to bare ground overnight.
Overnight rain and warm temps decimated the snow on Christmas Eve, leaving us without a white Christmas.
Still, it appears that Santa made it through the storm! … lured as always by Granny Kate’s famous Christmas Cookies.
Santa Claus came through! lured by Granny Kate’s Christmas Cookies.
At dawn, Sebastian identifies the presents he is most interested in opening, but the children are still nestled all snug in their beds.
Sebastian is ready to open presents at sunrise on Christmas morning.
Fresh snow makes Christmas trees all the more beautiful.
This year, just as we do every year, we make the short pilgrimage to Nichols’ Christmas Tree Farm, just on the other side of the hill, to choose and cut our own tree. I returned today, with the snow still fresh and fluffy from the snowstorm two days ago, to explore this landscape under a blue sky and a white blanket. Magical!
Every year we visit a nearby Christmas-tree lot run by a Lyme family to choose and cut a tree for our home. So, on Sunday, we found ourselves out in a field dusted with fresh snow, searching for the perfect tree. We quickly found one we liked, and the boys cut it down even faster by using two saws at once.
John and Andy cut our Christmas tree with two saws!
When we set it up at home, we discovered a small birds-nest tucked into the higher branches.
I happened to be walking along the Green in Hanover at the moment when Dartmouth was raising its annual Christmas tree. This year’s tree was selected from a tree farm in Wallingford, VT. Soon it will be decorated with lights and adding cheer to this quiet campus!
raising the tree…settling the tree into its underground base.
Zürich really knows how to do Christmas. All the main streets are hung with Christmas lights, ceremoniously illuminated in mid-November, every commercial building (and many residential buildings) are decorated for Christmas. In the early weeks of December there are Christmas markets in all the major plazas – each with dozens of stalls selling seasonal foods, decorations, and beautiful handicrafts. One platz has a “singing Christmas tree” – a tiered riser, decorated with evergreen boughs to look like a Christmas tree, on which choral groups stand to sing Christmas carols. Along the lakeshore, an artist installed a Friedenslicht (peace light) that flickers in the lake breeze. And every café places sheepskin and fleece blankets on their outdoor chairs, so visitors can snuggle while enjoying glüewein or hot chocolate. We took many strolls about town, exploring these sights and smells. On Christmas morning, I walked up to my usual viewpoint, then down through town, along the central avenue to the lakeshore, then back through the narrow alleys of old town. The churches – so numerous – all with their belltowers ringing, called parishioners to morning services. Lovely! We finished the day with a fine dinner at the Dolder Grand Hotel – wow. See the full gallery.
David Kotz 