A couple of years ago I wrote a post about the 8 best British gifts to get Americans (that I would never give to a Brit). Whoa! People went crazy for this post. It was the hit record of posts. Styles and tastes move on, so I’ve updated my (modestly) blockbuster post, featuring the bestContinue reading “11 best British gifts to give Americans (and anybody else)”
Tag Archives: Christmas
3 top tips for ice skating at Natural History Museum
Ice skating is a regular part of the Christmas season for us. Maybe it’s because I grew up with visions of myself twirling on ice like Dorothy Hamill (the US equivalent of Jane Torville in singles skating). This rarely happened. I grew up in a semi-arid desert, the nearest rink an hour and a halfContinue reading “3 top tips for ice skating at Natural History Museum”
The problem with thank you cards
The gifts are unwrapped, the leftovers are in the fridge covered in foil, and Christmas songs have lost their lustre. That means only one thing in our house: the race to complete thank you cards is on. On my husband’s side of the family, we draw names and everyone buys one “big” present for someoneContinue reading “The problem with thank you cards”
The best holiday ice skating in London
Over the past several years my family and I have criss-crossed the city trying out different ice skating rinks. I’ve loved it since childhood, when I would force my mother to drive from 2 1/2 hours to the nearest ice rink so I could pretend I was an ice princess. (I have a great pictureContinue reading “The best holiday ice skating in London”
Where to shop this weekend to help London children
When you go out shopping for affordable, thoughtful and delightful gifts for family and friends this weekend, you can also help give to Kids Company, the charity that helps disadvantaged children. The usual sidewalk scrum at Oxford and Regent Streets will be replaced with a completely pedestrianized experience, with the streets closed to traffic. It’sContinue reading “Where to shop this weekend to help London children”
Review: The ice rink at Westfields London
Just as blockbuster screenwriters all get the same idea at the same time (annihilating animal virus almost wipes out humanity, obscure comic-book hero gets reimagined as self-consciously cocky metrosexual), several years back a lot of the premier tourist attractions in London all had the same brainstorm: let’s open an ice skating rink! In truth, youContinue reading “Review: The ice rink at Westfields London”
All I want for Christmas is this song inserted into my brain via microchip
I can safely say that until about a month ago I had never heard of the band Bowling for Soup, but suddenly I’ve heard about them from a couple of sources, which for me – in my “so not hip to the music scene” zone – is a LOT. (It might also mean that BfSContinue reading “All I want for Christmas is this song inserted into my brain via microchip”
A magical night of Christmas storytelling in Henley
Avril Lethbridge was disenchanted with Christmas seasons animated by the latest Nintendo or Apple accessory. As a result, this granny decided to do something about it. “I dreamt up this very silly idea of a walk around trees, which are lit, and the trees tell you their stories.” A simple idea: to create a holidayContinue reading “A magical night of Christmas storytelling in Henley”
8 British gifts to get Americans (that I would never give to a Brit)
I’ve updated this post with new ideas and links. Go read it here. In an era when every shopping mall and high street plays host to the same set of shops, one of the exciting things about living in a different country from your family is that you can actually give them gifts that surprise, astonishContinue reading “8 British gifts to get Americans (that I would never give to a Brit)”