A Kew Christmas walk

Each year, Kew Gardens hosts a nighttime Christmas event in the arboretum, a walk filled with lights and music.  My w.wezen and I went a few years ago and found it enchanting.  Word of mouth for this year was good, so we got tickets and headed out into the year-end cold for a look.

Entry is via on-line ticket application: book for a specific time and get a couple of hours to wander a loop through the park.  There’s a small village with food and shops midway through, bathrooms and a kids play area.  Otherwise, it’s a leisurely stroll through a half-dozen set pieces, lots of lit trees, and several good performances. 

 

The stand-out arrangement this year was the five gold rings of  Christmas, cast in flaming yellows circles, each surrounding iconic sculptures from the song.

 

I had a bit of fondness for the bauble-laden tree, marshmallows, and stage plays.

   

And the display of candles, and the light show over the lake, were both great.

  

I think the only discordant bit was playing with hats in the gift shop afterwards…

  

No worries, I didn’t purchase the pudding head.