1. Experience Christmas at the Postal Museum from the 3rd of November to the 2nd of January. Mail Rail will be getting a festive makeover, there’ll be a Letters to Santa display and there’ll even be special Festive Family Fun Days on the 4th, 11th and 18th of December.
2. Christmas Past returns to Museum of the Home’s Rooms Through Time from the 9th of November. Explore how and why homes were decorated and winter events celebrated. Find out where Boxing Day got its name from, and witness a rainbow of Christmas colour.
3. Club Curling comes to Coal Drops Yard from the 12th of November to the 30th of December. The whole family can give curling a try, with teams of up to four players across six synthetic ice rinks. Kids go free and adults can enjoy refreshments from the Club Curling Bar.
4. Enchanted Woodland returns to Syon Park from the 12th-28th of November. See the gardens transformed by a display of lights, from high-tech lasers to candles, illuminating your way through the arboretum, past Syon House and ending at the Great Conservatory.
5. Meet Father Christmas at the National Gallery from the 13th of November to the 24th of December. Earn your honorary Elf badge by making magical snowflakes, then settle into the wintry forest to hear an Elven Story, before visiting Father Christmas and receiving your gift.
6. Hampton Court Palace ice rink opens from the 13th November to the 9th of January. Then, from the 8th of December to the 3rd of January, the palace’s Palace of Stardust illuminations will lead visitors on a magical trail, inspired by the palace’s astronomical clock.
7. The iconic Skate at Somerset House returns from the 17th of November to the 16th of January. Expect a 40ft Christmas tree, Hotel Chocolat pop-ups and Disney+ sessions with the Kiss DJs on the 20th and 27th of November and the 4th and 11th of December.
8. Hyde Park’s Winter Wonderland is back from the 19th of November to the 3rd of January, complete with family-friendly fairground rides, a Santa’s Grotto, Zippo’s Christmas Circus, a German Irrgarten, a helter skelter, a real ice slide, a Bavarian village and street food galore.
9. Lightopia presents The Palace of Light at Crystal Palace Park from the 19th of November to the 2nd of January. See the history of the park brought to life and the landmark reborn through interactive displays, colourful lasers and magical water shows.
10. Raymond Briggs’ Father Christmas returns to the Lyric from the 24th of November to the 24th of December. Children aged six and under are invited to join Santa as he prepares for his Christmas deliveries, feeds his reindeer and finally takes flight into the snowy night.
11. Winterfest: Reunited in Light comes to Wembley Park from the 25th of November to the 4th of January. ‘Reunion’ will fill Market Square with a series of light arches, while ‘Reflections of the Future’ will take visitors on a journey of optical illusion, light and sound.
12. Wakehurst welcomes Glow Wild from the 25th of November to the 2nd of January. See the Walled Garden transform into a Twilight Garden, illuminated by dazzling glowworms; and experience animated projections, hand-made lanterns and spiralling tendrils of fire.
13. Scrunch appears at Unicorn from the 26th of November to the 22nd of December. Share in your baby’s excitement at the anticipation of Christmas Day, including scrunching the wrapping paper. At the end of the show there’s a chance to play together in the space.
14. Sharky & George’s Christmas Grotto and Christmas Grotto for 2-4s returns from the 20th of November to the 23rd of December. Enjoy a story with Father Christmas before telling him your Christmas wishes then going on a treasure hunt around the station to find your gift.
15. Christmas comes to Kenwood from the 26th of November to the 9th of January, as its gardens become home to an illuminated trail for the first time. Step into a winter wonderland and be captivated by a visually stunning, multi-sensory mix of light, fire and sound.
16. The Magic of Christmas comes to London Zoo from the 27th of November to the 3rd of January. Meet Santa, go on a fun festive family trail and discover the Sensory Sweet Shop, featuring clouds of candy floss, a marshmallow meadow and a forest of candy canes.
17. Santa’s Grotto is back at Hamley’s from the 30th of November to the 9th of December. Meet the Hamley’s elves and take part in their festivities before meeting Father Christmas, telling him your wishes and receiving a special festive goody bag.
18. Winter Wonderland takes over Bekonscot Model Village & Railway from the 1st-12th of December. Enjoy festive scenes around the village and ride the Snowflake train. Find the Santa express and the reindeer hidden around the village, and enjoy warming festive drinks.
19. Enjoy Storytime with Father Christmas at Royal Albert Hall from the 2nd to the 21st of December. Step inside a whimsical world and be greeted by Father Christmas and Crumpet the elf as they take you on a joyful journey ending with your child taking home a gift.
20. The Victorian Santa’s Grotto arrives at the Museum of London from the 3rd-23rd of December. Take a stroll through a twinkling Victorian Walk, discover Santa in his secret grotto, tell him your Christmas wish and receive a gift. Personal photography now permitted.
21. Experience Christmas at the Museum at the London Transport Museum from the 4th of December to the 2nd of January. Track down Santa and help fix his sleigh in time for Christmas. Expect festive stories in the winter garden, a trail and a Christmas poster parade.
22. A Circus Carol comes to Jacksons Lane from the 17th of December to the 2nd of January. Suitable for all ages, this acrobatics show features flying ghosts of past, present and future, capturing all the heart and beauty of Dickens’ original with even more spectacle.

Roma hangs out in Santa’s workshop outside The Ivy, Chelsea.