Christmas has a way of stirring up nostalgia in all its forms. The smells, the sounds, the lights, the music \u2013 and of course the treats and delicacies that Ina Paarman and Betty Crocker would be equally proud of. All these memories that December brings made me realise again how each country lives its own traditions, but that there is one significant similarity: the search for light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In London, Christmas was something magical \u2013 straight out of a fairy tale. I am a woman in my thirties, but the little girl in me literally cheered the first time we went to see the lights on Oxford Street. Because the sun sets at three in the afternoon, the lights cast a glow over the city very early. The biting cold bothers no one enough to stay at home. Street stalls fill the air with the smell of warm caramel nuts, and the pubs\u2019 dim, steamed windows beckon you to come closer for a touch of warmth before you walk on again. Christmas markets spring up in every suburb \u2013 a true winter wonderland. And, of course, a mug of hot mulled wine is almost a survival aid. But above all, the abundance of lights and the effort with the decorations always leave me speechless.<\/p>\n\n\n