THE United Kingdom is already emerging as the next city of lights as far as Christmas season is concerned. When the Eiffel Tower is lit during Christmas in Paris, London Bridge, the Westminster Bridge and the London Eye – all in the nation’s capital – are equally illuminated. Thus, tourists who will be coming here during the holidays will surely not be disappointed. If you are a Catholic and you want to concentrate on celebrating the more solemn parts of Christmas, then you can still certainly do so at will here in London because there are lots of Catholic churches here even though most of the people are Anglican. Anyway, there is even a Jewish community here and it is also heartwarming to note that the Jews are celebrating Hannukah during the time when the Christians are celebrating Christmas. A Hannukah celebration is literally a festival of lights celebration commemorating the successful conquest of the Maccabees against King Antiochus IV Epiphanes.

Anyway, it is still very cold in the United Kingdom during Christmas season because it’s understandably the middle of winter here. So you better yourself don some parka and other very usable sweaters during Christmas season. You’ll outerwear will then become your underwear because temperatures here can reach as low as -3 degrees Celsius. It will really freeze you to death if you’re stark naked in the streets which is not a wonderful form of suicide anyway. But make sure not to don any cottony fiber as cotton tends to absorb moisture making you shiver even more. If you have not prepared yourself with layers of clothing along the way here, then do not panic because there are lots of bargain discounts in the entire United Kingdom area during Christmas season. There are several garage sales even in such upscale neighborhoods like Notting Hill. Or if you really want to go out and befriend some warm bodies, then there are nightly concerts during Christmas season at the Hyde Park.

The Hyde Park is after all one of the favorite venues for concerts by Elton John and Bono along with the rest of U2. And take note too that the United Kingdom is not just composed of London. Even Ireland and Northern Ireland can be considered part of the United Kingdom and in areas such as these as well as in Wales and Scotland, there are unique celebrations for the Christmas season. If you embark on a road trip to the entire United Kingdom particularly in the island of Great Britain, then you must be prepared for a lengthy trip. Make sure that you tag along someone with you or even a couple of friends at that so your road trip will even be more enjoyable.

Try to drop by some of the shopping malls in the entire Great Britain and you will see adorable Santa Clauses who can certainly give happiness to your three-year-old kid. One of the Santas you may ultimately encounter are the slim Santas. The heatlhy-conscious lobbyists in this part of the world have finally succeeded in convincing the corporate world as well as the shopping malls that presenting a very chubby Santa can create negative notions to the children who may be enticed to eat more and more to become fat and obese later on in life. So a slender Santa is suggested to take the place of a chubby Santa. This year, you may want to take your child to a kiddie Christmas movie in London at an IMAX theater. I suggest Fred Claus. It’s a wonderful kiddie Christmas movie about the slender and slimmer brother of Santa Claus. There are also numerous gift items available if you want to give your loved one a surprise gift back home if you’re a traveler from the United States. Just make sure you will not confuse the driving lane here in the United Kingdom, otherwise your body will really be in big trouble.