Glorious London theatre needs your help this Christmas

No panto, no Pinter... our playhouses make their money in December, so do book

Even if you're having a bit of a Bob Cratchit Christmas, this is the time of year to spoil your family with something special. A show is always a treat but especially so at Christmas, a time when theatre comes into its own. Of course, it's great all year round - especially in London - but during the festive season something magical happens.

Theatre brings people together, fills them with joy and sends them away with hope. And what a range of shows the capital offers this December - from the lamplit Old Vic's A Christmas Carol, to the uplifting spirit of Ballet Shoes at the National. There are the leading stars too - Lily Collins in Barcelona, Daisy Edgar-Jones in the soon-to-open Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and Ncuti Gatwa in The Importance of Being Earnest. Then there's the traditional pantomime.

Gloriously vaudevillian, sometimes smutty, always joyful, for many theatres it is what keeps the lights on. As the old saying goes, no panto, no Pinter. Not only that, it is fun, irreverent, democratic and can spark a love of theatre in young people that never leaves them.