This England: Christmas at Selfridges

Selfridges is one of London's oldest department stores and it is a beauty. It's not always for the fiscally faint of heart but no one can deny there are some beautiful things there. This is no more obvious than at Christmas time. Even in October, they had their "Christmas Shop" open -- and it was enchanting.

I think you can imagine that when I saw these two trees flanking the entry as I was walking down the aisle, my pace quickened a bit because I knew I had to see what was inside!

London: My Biggest Travel Tip of All -- And Finding My Roots

My rule number one for traveling anywhere is to make a detailed itinerary of what you might like to do every day, checking hours if it's an attraction that might be closed, weather if possible, and location so you can best group your perfect day with the least amount of travel time. And of course, you take it with you as your guide, sharing it with those at home so they know just what you are up to that day (like they care).

My second rule is to blow that baby to smithereens.  And that's exactly what we did on our second day on our own in London! (You'll see weather forecasts in red on the itinerary -- these were from before we left for the month-ahead predictions, U.S. Farenheit scale. It was only partially accurate!)

I had it planned. We were going to go to Harrods, then hit the Victoria and Albert Museum and check out what might be playing in the West End and line up some theatre tickets. All good!

But then we ended up swapping out Monday's day (more or less) for that Friday and moving those other things along -- and once we did that, all bets were off. Things were added, things were crossed off. Some things were done twice. And it was just fine! (Or, as Seth Kugel writes in the New York Times, "The itinerary is just the rough draft for your journey.)

One of Rick's "musts" was to visit the Guitar Studio on Duke Street, just off Oxford. It was on our list for a different day but why not? So off we went.

He was in hog heaven trying out guitars! And he sounded pretty good.

Well, for as long as I listened. But as we were walking up to the shop, I noticed we were a block from Selfridges. Yeah. I was out of there soon and into this store I'd long wondered about and remembered from the popular "Mr. Selfridge" series on PBS.

It has a long history and if one looks hard, they can see things more or less as they were back "in the day," like the beautiful facade.

But for the most part, it was modernized, as one would expect. But there were still plenty of original touches.

I especially loved the clocks...

...and art nouveau style in the exterior.

We would return to shop later! (And Marks and Spencer, too. Although I did do a quick run through and especially enjoyed their holiday shop, along with others we saw on our trip. You can check that post out here if you missed it.)

While Rick was playing guitar, he learned that there were recitals taking place from a music conservatory in St. James Church, Piccadilly. Well, that was on our Monday list, too for a very different reason. So off we went.

For me, St. James was one reason I wanted to come to England. My second great grandmother had been christened there and her parents married in this Christopher Wren church. I longed to see it.

Back in the 1600s when St. James was built, Piccadilly was (as it remains) one of London's fashionable spots with a great deal of history attached to it, and quite near St. James Palace. In fact, in 1772, one traveler complained that to get a seat for a church service cost as much as a theatre ticket! I suspect it was the parish church for my family's district, for I'm thinking my bootmaker second great-grandfather was probably not buying a seat for the key services! In fact, during the 1800s, they built seats specifically for the poor.

St. James isn't one of Wren's more imposing facades -- in fact, that was a criticism of its architecture at the time. It was no St. Paul's in terms of impact. But it is a gem -- and a well-restored one. It was badly damaged in World War II.

Thoughts of both World Wars I and II are present everywhere one visits in England. Many churches either have war memorial plaques or indications of restoration. I applaud those who in less than a century could repair what was done centuries before.

At St. James, four thousand books of gold leaf were used to gild the ceiling in its restoration.

The baptismal font is original and by Grinling Gibbons, depicting Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. It is located in the back of the church and while I'm not sure if that's its original location within the church, I like to imagine Stephen and Elizabeth Grainger baptizing their twin children there on a cold December day.

The beautiful altar work in wood is also by Gibbons, the master carver of the period.

He also did the limewood carving around the altar.

Light and airy, the church has some beautiful architectural details and a handsome altar.

It also has some interesting plaques and the one below particularly caught my eye. While visiting Kensington Palace, we learned that Victoria came to the throne because the rightful heir, Princess Charlotte (daughter of George, the Prince Regent and his wife Caroline) and her offspring, died after childbirth. Princess Charlotte had been attended by Sir Richard Croft. She was put on a poor diet and bled liberally to encounter "morbid excess of animal spirits." Charlotte's child was stillborn and soon after, she, too, died. With a ruined reputation, Croft (who had treated a woman with similar symptoms after Charlotte's death who also died) shot himself. Many years after Croft's death, after the manner of suicide was somewhat forgotten (bodies of suicide were not allowed burial on holy ground) a memorial was placed, recognizing him.

While Rick was enjoying the concert, I checked out the church, then the rather delightful market outside.

And, with my guidebook and maps, settled down to enjoy a snack in the lovely attached Southwood Garden.

It featured a rather lovely sculptural display and the whole area was a delightful haven.

There would be more music to come in our trip. Much more.

But this day -- this unexpected, out-of-itinerary day -- ended with knowing we'd done just the right thing!

And that's the best! (Next time we'll check out some of the historic area around St. James and some of the fun shopping!)

Travel Tips:

• Window shopping is a ball. I loved seeing things I wouldn't buy in a zillion years because it told me what the neighborhood was like (or catered to). And you can usually find something low priced somewhere if you need a souvenir.
• Holiday Cards -- St. James had quite a selection of holiday cards for sale (I'm probably talking over 100 different designs) at very reasonable prices, all of which had profits going to any one of a variety of charities. I was delighted with some I chose and for 4 pounds, it was a fun souvenir. We were there in October, but you can often find holiday cards any time of year in a major tourist destination.
• Free Recitals -- I'll say this again -- check out churches for free, inexpensively priced or "offering based" classical recitals. We saw several and all were excellent (and a good break for the feet!)
• Eating on the Cheap -- That little street market at St. James offered some delicious food. You don't have to break the budget for a snack. A spot like this -- or the chain Pret a Manger -- offers reasonably priced food.

Christmas In London: Mackenzie, Calendars and Angels on High!

How can I write about Christmas in London when we visited in October? Well, just take a look! The department stores were already decking the halls.

At Harrod's, the Mackenzie Childs fans were in for a treat. She had an entire area devoted to her holiday items like this pretty wreath...

...elaborate nutcrackers...

...cheerful ornaments...

...happy Santas...

...and even her china! (Although that wasn't officially Christmas -- but it would work, and I've seen lots of it in some of your holiday decorating posts!)

 I gave some tough consideration to this one! (But he was a little big for the suitcase!)

I was also fond of the penguins in this display...

...and the bows on the tree looked really cute! (I thought of all you traveling toters!)

Of course, it wasn't all Mackenzie! I loved some of the things on this table, too.

Nutcrackers seem to be hot this year. Here we are at Fortnum and Mason.

I was wild about the advent calendars. These were enormous...

...and elaborate, many of them with different carols as you opened the drawers or windows.

I often forget to open a window on my own but I have a feeling you couldn't forget with these! They had lots of other cute decorations, too.

Selfridge's also was ready for the season.

Do you think nutcrackers are a "thing" for this year's holiday? They were everywhere!

I loved this bright display of paper (of course!) And I resisted. Because how do you get paper home with two more weeks to travel in just a carry on bag?

 And while nothing was yet illuminated, it was pretty clear that the streets of London are getting their holiday makeover too.

It felt rather festive and I have to say that while I don't usually get "into the spirit" in mid-October, I was rather enchanted.

There was even a fully-done tree on a street corner in South Kensington, near the Victoria and Albert.

So bring it on!

 

Angels on high, boughs of holly, the Sugarplum Fairy.

I'm ready. (Or at least, getting there!)

And another note -- I just realized that yesterday, December 20, marked 11 years of blogging here on Marmelade Gypsy. I just wanted to thank those of you who have been with me that long and those of you who have come along for the ride in times since, for reading, sharing, inviting me into your worlds (sometimes literally, not just virtually!) And while I'm thanking, a big shout out to the family and friends who seem to be relatively K with being featured here every now and then! It would be much more boring without you!

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A Little Decor, Baby Granding and a Preview of Christmas in London!

It's December and life feels a little schizophrenic -- can anyone relate? I've started decking the halls and hopefully can post a little more in a few days. (Actually the halls are pretty well decked; it's the posting that's behind!)

Rick's been off at a trade show and that's good time to get my merry going. Parts of the house look great and the rest looks like a combination of a tornado disaster and a storage unit. Cards are done and out of out-of-towner packages are mailed. Now baking awaits! 

Here's another sneak preview!

Sometimes when you lose a day to one thing you find something even better. We spent the weekend with the Baby Grands while their parents took "time out." And we loved every second!

There was plenty of book reading -- Little Big Guy is really into books and now that he's picking up words, it's even more fun. We finish one and in comes another!

He's also a very happy eater and seemed to like just about everything on his plate!

Rick introduced him to his first live music concert! He sat pretty contentedly on his stool, listening, for quite sometime. Now and then he'd get up to touch the guitar and then Rick would say "bottom down" and he'd go back to the stool. I hope we have more of those experiences!

Little Guy is still pretty little! I changed my first diaper on him (I passed the test!). He's one of those incredibly happy babies who smiles a lot!

(Well, most of the time -- trust me, the tears stopped pretty quickly after that. It was feeding time and selfies weren't in the schedule!)

We tried it again a few minutes later!

Since I can't share much of my holiday decorating yet, I can share a preview of my Christmas in London post (That's coming up on that soon!) In October the department stores were full-fledged holiday (at least in their Christmas department!) I loved these colorful wraps at Selfridges.

And everywhere I went I saw a lot of nutcrackers. You always see some, even many, but this was far more than I'd seen over here in the past. So I'm not sure if that's an British thing or just a trend!

 Personally, my favorite  look is always the woodland theme. And I was delighted to see a little of that there, too.

I leave you with a little sweetness.

How's your wrapping and decorating going?

Any helpers? My executive assistant is rather enjoying the season!

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