Oxford Street Christmas Lights
I do love my annual walk around the West End to see the London Christmas Lights. The Oxford Street lights are the same as last year - simple white balls with no slogans or festive messages. The lack of sponsorship is appreciated on such a commercial street but I would still have liked there to be more color.
Selfridges - Oxford Street
Selfridges are using the 2 tonne huge neon sign - Destination Christmas - again over their main entrance. This sign was created by Chris Bracey - a London artist who sadly died in November 2014.
This year has some fairy tale themed windows with gold as the predominant color throughout. (See next photos for examples.)
Selfridges Paddington
Gold is the predominant color throughout all of the Christmas windows at Selfridges for 2014.
There are 50 Paddington statues across London to promote the Paddington movie, due for release in the UK at the end of November 2014.
See more Selfridges Christmas windows in the next photos.
Selfridges - Christmas Sleeping Beauty
The goldness continues and here's one of the fairy tales themes: Sleeping Beauty.
Selfridges - Santa
There was a time when the Christmas windows at Selfridges on Oxford Street were the best in town but now the windows seem to be more of a luxury goods advertisement - which makes sense at a department store but it's disappointing for those who remember what they used to offer. (See 2008 Christmas photos.)
John Lewis - Oxford Street
John Lewis had the best Christmas windows last year and this year's windows feature plenty of playful penguins (see next photos). Monty the Penguin is the star of their tearjerker Christmas TV advertisement.
John Lewis - Christmas Penguins
John Lewis has discovered the power of a TV advert and lovable animals so have penguins in their windows for Christmas 2014.
John Lewis - Penguin Family
John Lewis has discovered the power of a TV advert and lovable animals so have penguins in their windows for Christmas 2014.
John Lewis - Penguin Pants
John Lewis has discovered the power of a TV advert and lovable animals so have penguins in their windows for Christmas 2014.
Boots - Oxford Street
John Lewis has discovered the power of a TV advert and lovable animals so have penguins in their windows for Christmas 2014.
Bond Street Christmas Lights
Boots on Oxford Street (near Bond Street) had a similar colorful message as last year but, again, it stood out along the street.
St Christopher's Place Christmas Lights
Bond Street is worth seeing this year as there are huge illuminated peacock feathers and crowns. (See more photos here.)
Regent Street Christmas Lights
Just off Oxford Street, it's worth peeking in to St Christopher's Place.
Carnaby Street Christmas Lights
Regent Street's lights were sponsored this year by the family movie: Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb - due in cinemas in the UK on 19 December 2014. (The film includes one of Robin Williams' final screen appearances.) I went to see these lights a few hours after that had been switched on by Take That so the street was still closed to traffic.
The lights have the same outer sections as previous years with sponsorship branding for the movie added in the middle.
There were also some centerpieces promoting the Regent Street brand itself.
While it's rather overtly commercial this is still a good route to enjoy a bus ride to see the lights. Have a look at the 139 London bus route for sightseeing opportunities.
Seven Dials Christmas Lights
The Carnaby Street Christmas decorations are generally some of the quirkiest and most fun to see (example) and this year there are funky Christmas headphones and dark glasses giving more than a nod towards the area's musical heritage, and Santa has gone hipster with his curly moustache. There was a selfie competition so the night I saw the lights there were plenty of people taking phone snaps at arms length.
Covent Garden Reindeer
It's good to see Seven Dials in Covent Garden looking so sparkly this year. (And new lights from last year too.) There are different lights on the side streets and woven copper balls at the center. (More info.)
Covent Garden Candy Canes
Just as they did last year, Covent Garden has live reindeer visiting each Saturday leading up to Christmas. Also as they did last year, Covent Garden piazza has a huge fake reindeer but it's a differently posed reindeer with different lights (see last year's).
Covent Garden market has huge candy canes along some of the walkways for Christmas 2014 and I liked this area more than this year's reindeer.
I do love my annual walk around the West End to see the London Christmas Lights. The Oxford Street lights are the same as last year - simple white balls with no slogans or festive messages. The lack of sponsorship is appreciated on such a commercial street but I would still have liked there to be more color.
Selfridges - Oxford Street
Selfridges are using the 2 tonne huge neon sign - Destination Christmas - again over their main entrance. This sign was created by Chris Bracey - a London artist who sadly died in November 2014.
This year has some fairy tale themed windows with gold as the predominant color throughout. (See next photos for examples.)
Selfridges Paddington
Gold is the predominant color throughout all of the Christmas windows at Selfridges for 2014.
There are 50 Paddington statues across London to promote the Paddington movie, due for release in the UK at the end of November 2014.
See more Selfridges Christmas windows in the next photos.
Selfridges - Christmas Sleeping Beauty
The goldness continues and here's one of the fairy tales themes: Sleeping Beauty.
Selfridges - Santa
There was a time when the Christmas windows at Selfridges on Oxford Street were the best in town but now the windows seem to be more of a luxury goods advertisement - which makes sense at a department store but it's disappointing for those who remember what they used to offer. (See 2008 Christmas photos.)
John Lewis - Oxford Street
John Lewis had the best Christmas windows last year and this year's windows feature plenty of playful penguins (see next photos). Monty the Penguin is the star of their tearjerker Christmas TV advertisement.
John Lewis - Christmas Penguins
John Lewis has discovered the power of a TV advert and lovable animals so have penguins in their windows for Christmas 2014.
John Lewis - Penguin Family
John Lewis has discovered the power of a TV advert and lovable animals so have penguins in their windows for Christmas 2014.
John Lewis - Penguin Pants
John Lewis has discovered the power of a TV advert and lovable animals so have penguins in their windows for Christmas 2014.
Boots - Oxford Street
John Lewis has discovered the power of a TV advert and lovable animals so have penguins in their windows for Christmas 2014.
Bond Street Christmas Lights
Boots on Oxford Street (near Bond Street) had a similar colorful message as last year but, again, it stood out along the street.
St Christopher's Place Christmas Lights
Bond Street is worth seeing this year as there are huge illuminated peacock feathers and crowns. (See more photos here.)
Regent Street Christmas Lights
Just off Oxford Street, it's worth peeking in to St Christopher's Place.
Carnaby Street Christmas Lights
Regent Street's lights were sponsored this year by the family movie: Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb - due in cinemas in the UK on 19 December 2014. (The film includes one of Robin Williams' final screen appearances.) I went to see these lights a few hours after that had been switched on by Take That so the street was still closed to traffic.
The lights have the same outer sections as previous years with sponsorship branding for the movie added in the middle.
There were also some centerpieces promoting the Regent Street brand itself.
While it's rather overtly commercial this is still a good route to enjoy a bus ride to see the lights. Have a look at the 139 London bus route for sightseeing opportunities.
Seven Dials Christmas Lights
The Carnaby Street Christmas decorations are generally some of the quirkiest and most fun to see (example) and this year there are funky Christmas headphones and dark glasses giving more than a nod towards the area's musical heritage, and Santa has gone hipster with his curly moustache. There was a selfie competition so the night I saw the lights there were plenty of people taking phone snaps at arms length.
Covent Garden Reindeer
It's good to see Seven Dials in Covent Garden looking so sparkly this year. (And new lights from last year too.) There are different lights on the side streets and woven copper balls at the center. (More info.)
Covent Garden Candy Canes
Just as they did last year, Covent Garden has live reindeer visiting each Saturday leading up to Christmas. Also as they did last year, Covent Garden piazza has a huge fake reindeer but it's a differently posed reindeer with different lights (see last year's).
Covent Garden market has huge candy canes along some of the walkways for Christmas 2014 and I liked this area more than this year's reindeer.