Nowhere beats London for Christmas, not even New York

I ’M NOT sure there’s a better place to be at Christmas than London.

- Dylan Jones

When I was young, festive West End shopping trips were the things you looked forward to all year, whether it was seeing the Oxford Street lights (in the years before they started to be sponsored by the likes of Primark and Mini Cheddars), being photographed outside No 10 (in the days when anyone could knock on the door), gawking at the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang car in Regent Street, or visiting Madame Tussaud’s. Then there was panto, watching the likes of Wendy Craig play Peter Pan.

Later, older, with funny hair and loud clothes, I’d seek out places like Heddon Street, where David Bowie was photographed for the Ziggy Stardust cover, or Abbey Road, hoping to catch an absent-minded Beatle hopping along the zebra crossing.

London still feels special at this time of year, especially if you’re theatre-bound. Two weeks ago I saw the Rory Bremner show Quiz (where he successfully plays Chris Tarrant) in Bromley. Last week I finally saw Dear England in darkest Soho, and next week — Christmas family outing, no less — I’m off to see the much-acclaimed revival of Guys and Dolls.