London Christmas Lights

Yesterday after work I followed up on my vague plans to go out and take pictures of holiday lights. When Dave and I were returning from Gatwick Airport on the train over the weekend, I saw that the top of The Shard was lit up with colorful lights for Christmas. I hadn't seen that before, though it may well happen every year, and it made me think I should go check out other Christmas illuminations.

So here's the result -- a four-minute video of Christmas lights, London-style:

It begins on Bond Street, where we check out the decorations on shops including Montblanc, Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Dior. (Don't ask me what the green blob is atop the Dior store because I'm not sure.) We then proceed to Savile Row, the home of high-end tailors, where the lights depict scissors snipping ribbon.

Then on to Regent Street, draped with angels as it was last year, and then to Carnaby Street, which has again used those weird "Skylab" lights. At least this year they're more colorful.

We see an exterior shot of Liberty of London, followed by perpetually-crowded Oxford Street, including a bus offering a Christmas Lights tour! Notice the passengers wearing their Santa hats. Then we take an invisible tube ride to the City, where a bus passes the columned Royal Exchange before we join the hordes on London Bridge, looking out over the river at the illuminated Tower Bridge and the top of The Shard.

Finally, we stop for some mulled wine along the river (yours is virtual!) before taking a look at the Christmas market on the south bank of the Thames. The photo at top shows a pub near the market, beside the HMS Belfast warship.

The music is "Christmastime is Here" by the Vince Guaraldi Trio, taken from the "Charlie Brown Christmas" soundtrack. (Fortunately the copyright holders allow its use on YouTube.)