24 hours of Christmas bliss in London

“If things happen anywhere, they happen in London,” Queen of Crime Agatha Christie once said. Well, London is never more happening than during the Holiday season, when my favorite city is transformed into a magical, fairytale-like lighting spectacle. From scoring sexy stocking fillers to scarfing down scones at the Ritz; here is how my daughter Zilver and I like to spend 24 hours in London’s Christmas wonderland.

9:00 AM

Breakfast in London? Thanks to the EUROSTAR, I can hop on the train in Rotterdam at 7 am and sit down 3 hours later at vegetable-focused chef YOTAM OTTOLENGHI’s original Notting Hill restaurant for scrambled tofu with rose harissa. I’m a green-tea-kinda girl, but I hear the mimosas are perfect to get into the Holiday spirit… Ready to go? Let’s hit the (shopping) streets!

11:00 AM

Gloriously historic department store LIBERTY is first on the list, to stock up on presents with the iconic floral Liberty print. After we pop into Harrods to pick up this year’s Christmas bear, we visit foodie heaven FORTNUM AND MASON for some gourmet treats and check out SELFRIDGES’ breathtaking window displays. While we’re in the neighborhood, we must dash into CLARIDGE’s to see which designer, following in the footsteps of icons like Karl Lagerfeld and Diane von Furstenberg, designed this year’s ab fab Christmas tree. Last but not least, we hit some of Soho’s many sex-positive boutiques to score some seriously sexy stocking fillers.

1:30PM

Afternoon tea at the RITZ is as British and iconic as the Queen herself. Book well in advance, leave your jeans at home (strict dress code!) and make sure to wink at the top-hatted staff opening the door for you. Sitting in the PALM COURT underneath glittering chandeliers, listening to the Ritz Choir’s Christmas carols, we choose from the extensive tea menu, curated and blended by The Ritz’s tea sommelier. And while we nibble on delicate finger sandwiches and scones served with strawberry jam and thick Cornish clotted cream, we plan our next adventure of the day…

4:00 PM

Time to lace up our skates at the NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM! It doesn’t get more romantic than zooming around the ICE-SKATING rink together right in front of one of London’s most iconic museums, transformed for winter with twinkling fairy lights and a formidable Christmas tree. Afterwards, we catch our breath over hot chocolate or mulled wine in the museum’s cozy cafe and giggle at other skaters’ ice escapades.

6:00 PM

Now that dusk has settled, let’s go on a stroll to bask in the glow of the more than 300.000 Christmas lights above REGENT STREET and flirt underneath the mistletoe chandeliers at COVENT GARDEN. We continue our walk along the SOUTH BANK with a bag of roasted chestnuts while taking in the twinkling lights next to the THAMES, and end up at the TATE MODERN (open till 10 pm during the weekends) for a taste of their supreme collection including works by artists such as Jackson Pollock and Nan Goldin.

9:00 PM

Peckish again? CHINATOWN is perfect for a late-night dinner and nothing beats BEIJING DUMPLING’s delicious, handmade-to-order dumplings. Choose a filling (I recommend the combination of crab meat and pork meat) and watch the chefs busily crafting your ‘JIAOZI’ in the open kitchen. I like mine in soup, so I can inhale the intoxicating aromas above my steaming bowl.

10:30 PM

To close of the day in the coziest style possible, we head to the COPPA CLUB where we have reserved a ‘COCOON WINTER IGLOO’. Snuggling up in our beautiful Perspex capsule, furnished with candles and recycled-wool blankets, we enjoy the breathtaking, crystal clear views of the river and the TOWER BRIDGE. London, you were amazing!