Christmas Archives | Bright Lights Big City

England, Hampshire, Hampshire Guides, seasonal, UK, Uncategorized, Winter

Hampshire Christmas Wreath Making Kits 2020

November 26, 2020November 26, 2020by Rebecca Henderson1 Comment

Discover Christmas Wreath Making Kits from Hampshire florists near you! Perfect for getting in the Christmas Spirit and holding on to those traditions in 2020.

Normally I make a wreath every year at a workshop but, it’s unclear if they can go ahead. I don’t want to miss out so a kit delivery is the perfect alternative, and might suit you too.

If you’re looking for a Wreath Making Kit from Hampshire, I’ve take the hard work out of the research and you can find a beautiful selection of kits across the county in this post. Take a look…

Continue reading →

England, Hampshire, Hampshire Guides, seasonal, UK, Uncategorized, Winter

How to get that Festive Feeling in 2020

November 23, 2020November 23, 2020by Rebecca Henderson2 Comments

Have you been wondering how to get that festive feeling in 2020? I certainly have.

All those little outings, traditions and things we do to make the season festive seem to be scattered with uncertainty.

But, if you look a little closer there’s plenty of things still to do and tweaks to traditions that can be made.

These suggestions will help you find a way through what will possibly be one of the strangest Christmas seasons we’ve ever had.

Pull on your Christmas jumper, strap on your reindeer ears and get ready to wobble your belly like a bowl full of jelly, because I’m here with some ideas to inject some festive feels into your life.

Continue reading →

Kit for your Trip, seasonal, UK, Uncategorized, Winter

The #KitForYourTrip Christmas Gift Guide 2020

November 10, 2020November 9, 2020by Rebecca HendersonLeave a Comment

The #KitForYourTrip Christmas Gift Guide 2020 is here to help you find the best and most useful travel products to gift.

Lots of these gift ideas will make great suggestions for avid travellers and people spending time outdoors. There’s nothing quite like a useful and thoughtful gift. Plus, all of these items can be found online, to make shopping in the middle of a pandemic that little bit easier.

Here’s some of my favourite bits of kit to inspire your gift giving this year.

Continue reading →

Hampshire, Romsey, seasonal, UK, Uncategorized, Winter

Christmas at Mottisfont in Romsey

January 9, 2020January 8, 2020by Rebecca Henderson3 Comments

There’s nothing quite like catching the last of the Christmas feels just before Twelfth Night!

Just because the festivities are over doesn’t mean you have to be done with all those gorgeous decorations and twinkly lights.

I’m loving making the most of my National Trust membership and ticking some local travel hotspots off my bucket list!

Take a look around the gorgeous estate at Mottisfont in Romsey. It embraced a Flower Fairy theme to celebrate Christmas and bring a touch of the beautiful gardens and a bit of fairy magic to the inside of the house.

Continue reading “Christmas at Mottisfont in Romsey” →

seasonal, Uncategorized, Winter

How to make a Christmas snowflake jingle bell garland

December 31, 2019December 31, 2019by Rebecca Henderson1 Comment

In this ‘how to’ creation I’ve embraced this year’s resurgence of the macrame trend and mashed it up with Christmas for a festive make.

I hope you like this festive creation from my brain, once you have the individual bits it’s relatively quick to put together.

The knotting of the macrame garland is the bit that takes the most time though.

I gave these as gifts this Christmas and some have been hung up and others put on Christmas trees as alternative tinsel decorations.

Here’s a step by step guide if you fancy making your own…

Continue reading “How to make a Christmas snowflake jingle bell garland” →

Lifestyle, seasonal, Uncategorized, Winter

Merry Christmas 2019

December 30, 2019by Rebecca Henderson1 Comment

An alternative belated Merry Christmas from me to you…

Typical, I had a message prepared and then I went and caught THAT bug that’s been going around which stopped me from posting it.

And, I’m actually really pleased it did. It was just too darn fluffy and not realistic, so here’s a shortened re-worked edit for all of you in chrimbo limbo out there.

Continue reading “Merry Christmas 2019” →

seasonal, Uncategorized, Winter

How to make homemade recycled Christmas crackers

December 16, 2019December 16, 2019by Rebecca Henderson2 Comments

I love a seasonal ‘how to’, and if you do too you’ll want to check out my festive makes from previous years under the ‘Seasonal’ section in the menu.

This year I knew I wanted to make some of my Christmas gifts and crackers are a little luxury that really lend itself to a festive make and gift that goes down well.

I don’t know about you but I loathe spending money on Christmas crackers because they are really expensive, usually rubbish and a horrible drain on the environment.

I first tried making recycled crackers last year and they went down a storm with friends and family, so I’ve decided to make them again and refined the process a little.

There’s plenty of things you can use from your home to make these, and the key to making sure they are made from recycled materials is good preparation.

Here’s my step by step guide to making your own Christmas crackers…

Continue reading “How to make homemade recycled Christmas crackers” →

Hampshire, Portsmouth, UK, Uncategorized, Winter

20 years of The Victorian Christmas Festival at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard

December 4, 2019December 2, 2019by Rebecca HendersonLeave a Comment

ad* This year the Victorian Christmas Festival returned to Portsmouth Historic Dockyard to celebrate 20 years of the iconic event that’s become a landmark event in the countdown to Christmas.

As November drew to a close and the first day of advent dawned I knew it was time to get a hearty dose of festive spirit.

And, what better way to capture some of that seasonal magic than with a little bit of Christmas cheer, historic attractions and plenty of entertaining characters!

Continue reading “20 years of The Victorian Christmas Festival at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard” →

England, Food and Drink, Hampshire, Hampshire Food & Drink, Southampton, Southampton Food & Drink, UK, UK Food & Drink, Uncategorized

Dinner at The Chilworth Arms in Southampton

November 25, 2019October 4, 2020by Rebecca Henderson1 Comment

ad* What’s not to like about drinks with friends, hearty food and cosy fireplaces?

The Chilworth Arms is a real winter warmer, the place you could easily while away a Sunday afternoon after a long walk in the countryside.

With the festivities upon us, the nights drawing in and temperatures dropping – the restaurant and pub is a welcome escape capturing a slice of that seasonal magic.

Recently I was invited to try its new festive menu, take a look at what I dishes I tried and a peek at the interior…

Continue reading “Dinner at The Chilworth Arms in Southampton” →

Food and Drink, Hampshire, seasonal, Travel, UK, Uncategorized, Winchester, Winter

Winchester Cathedral Christmas Market 2018

November 20, 2019November 17, 2019by Rebecca Henderson13 Comments

It’s well known that Winchester Cathedral Christmas Market is one of the best, regularly getting featured in top 10 festive markets guides nationally and internationally.

I go every year and it always helps kick start the festive spirit, take a look at this magical market…

Continue reading “Winchester Cathedral Christmas Market 2018” →

Welcome to Bright Lights Big City!

If day trips and big eats are your thing, you’ve landed in the right place.

I’m Bex, I live in a beautiful county called Hampshire on the South Coast of the UK and I love living by the sea. The county is famous for growing watercress, its maritime history and for being Jane Austen’s home among many other famous literary giants.

I share my travels, great places to eat and as many different and unique experiences as I can with you through this blog.

Take a look around to see what I’ve been up to and for top travel and food recommendations.

Hampshire and Cornwall are by far my biggest sections but new posts are being added all the time, so please sign up to receive notifications of what’s been published lately.

Click on ‘Home’ to see the latest posts. But, if you’re new you might want to head to ‘Start Here’.

Don’t forget, if you’re looking for a specific place, you can also search by location under ‘Destination’.