Here at London Bicycle we love it when we start to feel a chill in the air, because it means our favourite time of year is under way! Sure, we love the balmy days of summer, but Christmas in London is something special. The streets are abuzz with excitable christmas shoppers and the smell of roasted chestnuts, the screams of revellers scaling the heights of the rides of Winter Wonderland can be heard for miles around, and some of the world's best christmas shop window displays and light installations can be enjoyed across the capital. Not to mention the wonderful array of Christmas jumpers on offer. What's not to love?
Here are 5 intriguing facts that I bet you didn't know about Christmas and will go down a hit with guests over the dinner table:
1. Speaking of dinner, did you know that the average Christmas Dinner contains a whopping 957 calories? Better start stretching your belly now, by eating, drinking and generally being merry as is traditional at this time of year. And why not start cycling to work to burn off some calories in anticipation..
2. Apparently the eating part of christmas also extends to your christmas tree (provided it's a real one) as there are many parts of it that can actually be eaten! We’ve heard the needles are a particularly good source of Vitamin C. Perfect for staving off those winter colds.
3. Our appetite for christmas trees is enormous it seems. To meet current demands around 60 million in Europe alone are grown each year!
4. You don't have to worry too much about snow delaying your travel on Christmas day too much, as the chances of a white Christmas are just 1 in 10 for England and Wales, and 1 in 6 for Scotland and Northern Ireland.
5. On the subject of white christmases, bet you didn't know that the famous song of the same namesake is the best selling song of all time. I wonder how many people are listening to it right now...
To find out more fun festive facts and see those famous lights of London, join us on our Christmas Lights Tour, leaving every day at 15:30 from Gabriel's Wharf.
