Happy Christmas!

Christmas took on a special note this year as we celebrated the holiday in one of our favorite places in the world...London.  This meant cooler weather (wearing hats & scarves), child like spirit (watching the Nutcracker & Matilda), and festively decorated castles and palaces (Hampton Court, Windsor, Kensington & The Tower).  My mom joined us making the time even merrier. 

We enjoyed an unforgettable Christmas Eve at the Royal Albert Hall which included music from the Mozart festival choir & orchestra (all dressed in 18^th century costumes…complete with wigs), a reading from Dickens’ Christmas Carol, a passage from the Bible telling of Jesus’ birth, and traditional carols sung by all.  After a morning of opening gifts on Christmas day (no coal this year as we were all on the "nice" list), we made our way to Brown's Hotel for a special afternoon tea complete with sandwiches, scones, and British Christmas cake.  

Before leaving, we managed to catch up with some of our dear British friends as well as pop in on the Queen (at least the Lego version at Hamley’s Toy Store).  Not many places capture our hearts (and the spirit of Christmas) quite like London, so it's fair to say that sugar plums danced in our heads the entire trip.