Here’s a lovely video from British Airways, showing two of their cabin crew, Mark and Lucy, enjoying a perfect day in London. 

From London Heathrow Terminal 5, to the Houses of Parliament, Primrose Hill, Camden Passage, The Langham, Hamleys, Fortnum & Mason, Natural History Museum Ice Rink, and Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, they certainly enjoy a busy day. (I’m just not sure about that picnic, considering today’s temperatures are hovering around the 3°C mark.)

For more London videos, check out our YouTube channel.

Using a bit of his Christmas magic, Santa is appearing at spots all over the capital this month, sometimes even at the same time!

Santa’s Grotto in Duke of York Square
Kids can have their photo taken with Santa and receive a gift at Duke of York Square’s free grotto, where there’s also a special post box to send your Christmas lists to Lapland. On some dates in December, Liz Earle will provide complimentary hand and arm massages in the back of the grotto, so parents can get pampered while the kids chat to Santa. Advanced booking recommended. 
Until 23 Dec

Santa’s Grotto at Westfield London and Westfield Stratford City
Seeing Santa in the flesh is exciting enough, but at Westfield London and Westfield Stratford City he’ll be appearing in 5D. Every child will see their name and picture appear in a personalised film, which sees Elbow the Elf save Santa’s presents. Visiting also lets you download the “Elbow Saves Christmas” mobile phone game, so you can take him away in your pocket. Tickets are £3 per person or £10 for a family.
Until 24 Dec

Santa Baby
Santa will be popping into this pop-up Christmas cocktail bar, tucked away in the arches under the railway lines at 347 Old Street in Shoreditch. Indie Christmas tunes provide the soundtrack and top mixologists have designed treats like mulled champagne and molecular Santa Baby Eggnog, using techniques like high-pressure distillation. Santa Baby has a vintage feel - the venue is modelled on a 1950s American suburban living room. 
Until 23 Dec

Santa and His Reindeer at London Zoo
Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Blitzen and of course Rudolph are all at London Zoo this Christmas. You can visit them in their paddock, as well as meeting Santa and telling him your present list (as long as you’ve been good). Cheeky elf photographers will be on hand to take a picture and each child will receive a gift to take home. Tickets are £7.
Until 24 Dec

Winter Wonderland
Every Winter, Hyde Park becomes more festive than a penguin in a Christmas jumper. Winter Wonderland is back in the park with a Christmas market, ice skating, observation wheel and a kingdom of ice and snow sculptures. Santa Land includes a free visit to Saint Nick, as well as the new “Santa’s Factory” where the elves are making gifts ready for the big day.
Until 6 Jan

Find Christmas grottos all over London with our Christmas grottos guide

Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park

One of London’s most popular festive attractions returns, with even more rides, stalls and entertainment. Take a spin on the giant observation wheel, buy a tasty snack from the Bavarian Village or show off your moves on the UK’s largest ice rink. A new feature for this year’s Winter Wonderland is the Magical Ice Kingdom, a captivating maze of ice sculptures that will spark your imagination. Entry is free, although some attractions require pre-booking. 23 Nov – 6 Jan

Mickey & Oswald’s Epic Tales, Westfield Stratford

The Getty Images Gallery at Westfield Stratford hosts this fun temporary exhibition, which celebrates the launch of the video game Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two. Featuring important artefacts and cartoons, it charts the history of early Disney character Oswald the Lucky Rabbit and his more famous successor Mickey Mouse, both of whom feature in the game. After enjoying the exhibits, some of which date back to the 1920s, visitors can try Disney Epic Mickey 2 for themselves. Entry is free. 23-25 Nov

West End VIP Day, Oxford Street and Regent Street

Regent Street and Oxford Street are pedestrianised for the day, allowing visitors to roam freely around this excellent shopping destination. Not only will you be able to stroll beneath the Christmas lights between Selfridges and Hamleys without seeing a single car, but there will be lots of special promotions, festive performances and surprises. 24 Nov

The Scandinavian Christmas Market, Rotherhithe

Find unique Christmas gifts at this festive market, which contains a range of great Scandinavian products. Better still, after you’ve shopped for everything from jewellery to furniture you can unwind with traditional food and a glass of mulled wine. See the website for opening times. 23-25 Nov

London: Your Universe, at University College London

Now in its seventh year, UCL’s popular astronomy festival is a great way for families to explore the wonders of the universe. All of its fascinating events, exhibitions and activities are free: highlights include special telescopes that let you peer at the stars, a lecture on the Large Hadron Collider and the amazing Magic Planet projection. See the website for full programme details. 23-24 Nov

Last night Visit London celebrated the best of the capital in a circus-themed ceremony at The Bloomsbury Big Top.

Some of London’s favourite attractions picked up awards including ZSL London Zoo, The V&A, Hyde Park Winter Wonderland and Museum of London.

It was a great night for the Natural History Museum which picked up two of the coveted People’s Choice Awards, voted for by the public. See the full list of winners on the Awards website.

There were also special awards for Alesha Dixon as the Sound of London and 60s legend Twiggy received the Outstanding Contribution Award for her services to fashion and culture.

Magic 105.4′s Neil Fox hosted the evening and guests enjoyed performances by Mica Paris, The London Community Gospel Choir, cast members from Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Circus Space and award-winner Alesha Dixon.

Congratulations to all the winners. We had a brilliant night and hope everyone else enjoyed it as much as we did.

If you went to the Visit London Awards, we’d love to see your pictures, so please add them to Visit London’s Flickr pool tagged “vlawards2010″.

If you hadn’t guessed, we love this time of year! This morning, there’s a real chill in the air, but the lovely winter sunshine is making us wish we were outside enjoying the city at Christmas.

One of our favourite things to do when the weather turns crisp-cold is to head out and play on one of London’s fantastic ice rinks. We’re not the greatest skaters in the world, but practice makes perfect!

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If you’re inspired to get your skates on sometime soon, don’t forget to book your place on your chosen ice rink online with Visit London.