We all love a good Pantomime, probably one of the last bastions of traditional family entertainment, and a great way to support your local theatre. East Anglians should not forget the wonders of Great Yarmouth’s Hippodrome Circuswhich, built in 1903, is one of only 2 purpose-built circus buildings in the UK, and which puts on a spectacular show, complete with synchronised swimmers, every winter.
And have you got tickets yet to Dolly Parton’s Smokey Mountain Christmas Carol at London’s Southbank Centre? Here Ms Parton promises to weave the magic of the Smokey Mountains into this timeless Christmas classic. We are not sure what Dickens would make of it, but we are in!
Hands up who has booked a space at London’s new Roller Disco? Originally opened in the 1970’s in LA, Flippers Roller Disco has been re-imagined for the UK with a newly opened roller skating ring in London’s White City. Fantastic for a bit of family fun, although be warned that the latest booking for children is 6.30pm.
How about trying your hand at wreath making this Christmas? There are workshops all over the country, from our very own factory in Stoke-on-Trent this weekend, to Manchester’s Harvey Nichols and the beautiful In Bloom workshop in Birmingham’s jewellery quarter. Book now to wow your friends and neighbours.
There will not be too much time for snuggling up with a good book as Christmas gets closer, but if you do, our current obsessions are O Caledonia by Elspeth Barker, a darkly comic tale of a doomed adolescent growing up in Mid century Scotland, and Along the Enchanted Way by William Blacker, a memoir of love and life among the Gypsies in post-communist Romania.
And top of our Christmas wish list has to be Top Dogs by Georgina Montague, which documents our very British love affair with dogs, with beautiful photographs by Dylan Thomas.