Christmas is my favorite holiday. London is my favorite city. Thus, I was very eager to attend my very first Christmas lighting ceremony on Regents Street. I was getting increasingly excited as the time came nearer. I put on my sleeping-bag jacket, earmuffs, Gryffindor circle scarf, leg thermals, gloves, and I was ready to go. As I was changing into my winter outfit, it felt like I was gearing up for a snow storm. It ended up not being nearly as cold as I had dressed for; I suppose I overdid it. As I walked with my flatmates to Regents Street, I could not control my excitement. I started skipping ahead and singing Christmas songs. Once we arrived, my eyes widened. The first thing that caught my eye was the Double Decker Bus that displayed “Regents Street Christmas Lights.”
Regents Street Christmas Lighting Ceremony Stage/Audience
Me/Meyya in front of "Regent Street" Double Decker
We arrived thirty minutes into the show, thus there was already a large crowd gathered. We arrived as the Gospel Choir was singing its final song. I was slightly disappointed at our late arrival because we were so far from the stage, but my frown was quickly turned upside down, remembering that I came for the lights, not for the pre-lighting show. I was not very fascinated nor impressed with the Michael Jackson musical performances. This is probably due to the fact that I am not a huge fan of Michael Jackson. I felt like it was a very random advertisement for the musical.
Matt Cardle
I have seen an episode of X-Factor and felt like all the singers were very untalented, but when Matt Cardle sang, I was very impressed. He was a good looking guy with a talented voice. Then, the performance which I was most excited about was Kelly Clarkson. She put on a great show. I had fun singing along to her popular songs. Talking to my flatmates, I came to realize that I did not hear any Christmas songs. In addition, when reading reviews online, people were generally very disappointed that the majority of the pre-show did not focus on Christmas. In fact, many stated that the show was so focused on advertising celebrities, that it stole the Christmas lighting ceremony's Christmas Spirit. However, it didn’t matter to me. As the count down occurred, I got to see Ashley Jensen from Ugly Betty which was very exciting and random. The whole countdown was surreal. It was something that would happen in a movie. I felt the Christmas spirit simply from being with so many people. Hundreds of people gathered in a crowd, on balconies, on the top of double-decker buses made me feel like I was part of a Christmas amoeba. The actual turning on of the lights was really anticlimactic. I think this is because all the lights went on at once, instead of in a domino-style. I think that people didn't get to show their disappointment because random fireworks quickly quelled the disappointment. I have learned that fireworks can often "save the show." I personally, thought it was very unnecessary and out of place. The Christmas lights were turned on, on Regents Street, but we are immediately forced to focus on the loud, random fireworks, instead of marvel at the beautiful lights. Afterward, I was informed that Billy Nighy, one of the celebrities, is actually the guy who sings the song "I feel it in my fingers, I feel it in my toes...Christmas is all around me...so let the feeling grow~!," in one of my favorite British films- Love Actually. I also discovered that Emma Bunton is Baby Spice. I believe the entire ceremony was particularly entertaining for me because I had hyped myself up for it. In addition, unlike other British people, I did not have anything to compare the ceremony to. Additionally, even though there was not many Christmas songs sung, I still enjoyed listening to Clarkson and Curdle sing. I felt the Christmas spirit, even though it was not directly presented.
Fireworks at Regents Street
Celebrities
Some of my flatmates' reactions to the show:
Left to Right: Me, Matt Curdle, Meyya, Brooke
Afterward, one of my flatmates wanted to meet Emma Bunton. We were able to see her in the back of a black Audi car, driving away. This was a let down. However, we did see Matt from X Factor. He was hanging around with his friends, body guard, and a few fans, and then a crowd gathered. We didn’t get to take a picture and were kind of sad, but not too much considering none of us really knew who he was. But, having felt star-struck already, we decided to walk towards the direction he walked in, and... we found him behind police cars! =] We got to take a picture, and he was really nice. After saying thank you, he said it was his pleasure to take a picture with us and said that he loved my earmuffs. We all got a tiny crush on him after this. A good ole celebrity photo is always great icing on the cake. To top it all off, I was able to see this ceremony with flat-mates, who are my most cherished buddies in London. Here is the wonderful picture:
The After: Me and my flatmates
I highly recommend you go watch a Christmas lighting show! All the lighting ceremonies have already occurred for 2011, but if you are around in London at this time of year next year, I highly recommend you attend the Regent's Street Lighting Show. It is a great Christmas lighting ceremony for those who want to see a lot of celebrities.
Me/Brooke jumping on Regents Street after the Christmas Lighting Ceremony
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