Christmas London Date Night

Christmas is, if you can believe it, one week from today.

We've really struggled to get into the spirit this year, and I know we aren't the only ones, so I've got to blame the weather. It was 10 degrees this week. Celsius! Not at all Christmassy. Or perhaps its the commuting, the house buying, the fact that we are always on the move, and always very tired (3 hour commutes one way!), and currently have little quality time together or with friends. But whatever it is, I'm not a fan. Christmas is my favourite holiday, and only comes but once a year!

So we took it upon ourselves to stay in London for three nights this week, and do some London-y Christmasy things. We're in a very cheap hotel, which is probably more of a hostel, but it'll be worth it if we come out of this feeling restored, and festive. So last night, we braved the rain in search of a date night.

WARNING: This post comes with probably the worst quality photos in the history of blogging history. It was rainy, foggy, and I only had my phone with me. Sorry!

We went to TGIF in Leicester Square, which was delicious, as usual!

We walked up to Primark to get Sarah some clothes for her Christmas party at her new job today, and I got myself a £3 skirt. Score!

Then we headed through the streets of Soho, and happened upon something which made the night for us - a tiny old London pub, heaving with Christmas decorations, which inside had a drag queen cabaret act named Cookie MonSTAR. It was fantastic - her first song was Cabaret, which is my Liza Minelli fan's favourite, and she followed it up with one of my favourite Barbra Streisand songs. We were hooked!

Could I have taken a worse photo? Probs not.

As we stood in the warmth and sang along with everyone in the packed pub, something came upon us - I think it must've been what the Grinch felt when he realised Christmas isn't about presents (thank goodness, because we're very poor this year!) - it was Christmas spirit! And the realisation that everything is great, despite all the changes and all the rushing around we do lately. I particularly loved the two theatre gays in the corner who thought it was the best thing ever to harmonise with the last note of every song - it reminded me of my choir days, and of my high school Christmas concert I try to get to whenever I'm home at this time of year.

Tonight Sarah is going to her work Christmas party, so I'm going to Winter Wonderland with our friends Alison and Dave, and then to (hopefully) successfully do the bulk of our Christmas shopping. I feel like a boy, not having done it yet - hoping our family won't receive petrol station Christmas Eve presents from us! ;D

 Tomorrow? We're heading back to that pub for the gayest kind of Christmas cheer.