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Caption: Sir Paul Smith’s Claridge’s Christmas Tree 2024. Courtesy: Claridge’s/Maybourne
From Smoking Bishops to giant snow globes,
discover Mayfair Christmases through the ages
“Christmas already!” wrote Richard Le Gallienne in his 1915 Vanishing Roads and Other Essays. “However welcome its coming, Christmas always seems to take us by surprise.” And for those with presents still to buy, this sentiment might feel all too real.
But the brisk chill in the air, the soft flicker of lights overhead, and the streets bustling with shoppers all remind us that a Mayfair Christmas is upon us. In this journal entry, we’ll explore the quirks and wonders of the holiday season in Mayfair, weaving historical insights with modern traditions, and rounding up the must-see festive destinations for this year.
A Brief History of Christmas in Mayfair
Christmas was a month-long celebration for the aristocracy of 19th-century Mayfair and other affluent London neighbourhoods. Beginning on December 6th – St. Nicholas Day – family and friends would exchange gifts, in honour of the aforementioned Saint’s penchant for gift-giving. Historically Christmas season culminated on 6 January, known as Twelfth Night, which was celebrated as far back as the Tudor era with lavish feasts and theatrical performances. However, these indulgent parties were outlawed in 1870 by Queen Victoria, who deemed them excessive.
For those in service to London’s elite, the period was a rather different affair. While Christmas Day was dedicated to ensuring the festivities for their employers ran smoothly, the day after was their long-awaited day of celebration. On St. Stephen’s Day, they were relieved of their duties and would often receive boxes of gifts from friends, family and even their employees, giving rise to the day’s contemporary name: Boxing Day.
Centuries of Christmas Activities
Christmas has always been a time of merriment, and 18th-century Mayfair was no different. Families would gather for games of ‘Blind-Man’s Buff’ and ‘Hunt the Slipper’, as well as the rather peculiar ‘Shoe the Wild Mare’. This involved a daring player sitting astride a wooden beam suspended from the roof, attempting to mimic the act of shoeing a horse.
One festive reveller from Henry Mayhew’s London Labour and the London Poor described the spirit of the season with gusto: “Sometimes we dance all night—Christmas time, and such times. Young women dance with us, and sometimes old women. We’re all merry; some’s lying on the floor drunk; some’s (sic) jumping about, smoking; some’s (sic) dancing; and so we enjoy ourselves.”
Fortnum & Mason’s Christmas decorations continue to reign supreme. Courtesy: Fortnum & Mason
The Evolution of Christmas Feasting
The Christmas table in Mayfair evolved throughout the Georgian and Victorian eras. Early Georgians enjoyed roasts, primarily venison or other fowls. However, by the mid-19th century, turkey was on the ascent as the quintessential Christmas centrepiece, though venison remained a popular choice among the gentry.
London’s bustling food markets bore witness to the seasonal culinary frenzy, as remarked by Henry Mayhew in 1851: “So great, indeed, has been the supply of game and poultry this year, that a stranger, unused to the grand scale on which provisions are displayed in the great metropolitan marts… a week before or after Christmas, might have imagined that the staple food of the London population consisted of turkeys, geese, and chickens.”
Sweet treats have also long held a special place on the Christmas menu. Today’s mince pies would have been unrecognisable to the Georgians, as the originals combined ox tongue with sweet fruits and spices. “The plum-puddings!” said one dessert-loving fellow speaking to Mayhew. “Why, at least there’s a hundred thousand of ’em eaten, in London, through the Christmas and the month following.” And no Victorian Christmas was complete without Smoking Bishop, a warming mulled wine punch so beloved it was mentioned in Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.
Christmas Shopping in Mayfair
There is something sublime about finding the perfect present for a loved one, a sentiment that held true a hundred years ago. As writer Richard Le Gallienne put it in 1915, “As to Christmas presents, I regard them as definite means of grace. For weeks—sometimes months—before Christmas returns we concentrate our thought on our friends instead of ourselves.”
Embracing all that a Mayfair Christmas embodies could be the perfect place to honour Le Gallienne’s altruistic musings.
For literary gifts, Heywood Hill Books on Curzon Street is a treasure trove. Its festive window dressing and rich history (Nancy Mitford famously worked here during the Second World War) make it a must-visit.
Over on New Bond Street, luxury shines bright, with designer labels like Ralph Lauren, Cartier, and Tiffany’s transforming their storefronts into festive masterworks. Annabel’s, the iconic members’ club, is particularly captivating this year, inviting visitors into its magical snow globe façade – designed by Tatiana Kharchylava, Creative Director of The Birley Clubs – to evoke “innocence and delight.”
However, it is Fortnum & Mason on Piccadilly Street that continues to reign supreme over London’s holiday storefront scene, with its intricate displays drawing crowds of revellers every year. In this year’s installation, a glittering array of pinecones move in balletic synchronicity.
Walking Around Mayfair
Decorating for the holidays has a rich history in London, and few places have quite such an exquisite range of decorations on offer as Mayfair. From twinkling lights that crisscross the streets to stunning store displays, walking through this neighbourhood during the holiday season is an experience in itself.
The joy of holiday greenery has long been part of London’s festive traditions. In 1851, Mayhew wrote about the practice of Christmassing, defined as “the sale of holly and mistletoe, for Christmas sports and decorations. According to Mayhew, even the Churches were partial to a little festive adornment, with one interviewee noting: “The pulpit was so clustered with holly and ivy that the congregation, like Moses, heard the word out of a bush.”
Today, the hotels of Mayfair extend festive grandeur to new heights. At Claridge’s, British design icon Sir Paul Smith has taken the reins this year, adorning their Christmas tree. Meanwhile, The Connaught’s Christmas Tree – a hotly anticipated annual feature in the village – illuminates Carlos Place once more. The 9-metre Nordmann fir’s decorations were designed this year by artist Conrad Shawcross RA, who has a personal connection to the hotel’s arboreal offering: “I first stepped inside The Connaught as a young boy in the ‘80s when my stepfather, Jonny Dewe Matthews, was an artist in residence at the hotel. I’ve been using light for over 30 years in my work so I hope my unique perspective on this medium will be a fitting and welcoming continuance of the designers who came before me.”
Have a very Mayfair Christmas
Christmas in Mayfair has for centuries been a time for celebration and rest. Today, the timeless village charm of the neighbourhood comes alive with festive cheer. So whether it’s for staying, shopping, dining, or simply strolling through its magical streets, we hope to see you enjoying your slice of Mayfair Christmas magic. As the poet Charles Mackay put it in ‘Under the Holly-Bough’:
“In this fast-fading year;
Ye with o’erburdened mind
Made aliens from your kind,—Come gather here.
Let not the useless sorrow
Pursue you night and morrow;
If e’er you hoped, hope now,—
Take heart, uncloud your faces,
And join in our embraces
Under the holly-bough.”
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