Hampstead - Tree Trimming

Hampstead Village had a tree lighting on a Sunday afternoon at the end of November. It was supposed to begin at 4:30 and the village was filled with children in their prams, tons of parents, a sleigh doing a loop repeatedly. live music and closed streets to allow everyone to wander.

One of the greatest reasons we first liked this neighborhood (or borough to be specific) was that it reminded us of England, and not just London. There is a real sense of nature with the close proximity to the Heath, plenty of little winding streets with a good mix of local shops and quaint restaurants and pubs.




While the afternoon was a bit frustrating for us, as we found that all of our favorite spots, (The Wells, and The Horseshoe) both were between services.

They stopped serving lunch at 3:00 and didn't start dinner service until 6 or 6:30. A bit frustrating when you want an early dinner around 5:00...after much grumbling and a few mumblings of 'really....seriously the kitchen is closed...why would they do that on a Sunday' we figured out our plan and enjoyed seeing the lights alighted and the village don its Christmas best.

As I sit, listening to Christmas music, watching the first snow fall of the year come down outside our front window...about to gear-up for a run in the Heath and thinking of our to-do-lists filled with tasks to get us ready to come home to the US for the Holidays...I feel very grateful. We have truly so much to be thankful for.

This glorious neighborhood and our home here is just one of them.