Christmas for me is all about glistening trees, sparkling decorations, and flurries of snow. The festive fever has already begun and what better place to experience it than Covent Garden? From its unmissable Christmas tree, bauble-shaped dining domes, festive market, and this Christmas sprinkles of snow – everything was set to lift my Christmas spirits.
When the fake flurries of foam started to billow, I had a Déjà-vu moment that made me nostalgic for the first time I ever saw snow, which was three years ago in London. A light sprinkling of small flakes danced around the streetlamp lights. It didn’t last long enough for my emotions to settle; but it was still beautiful. Although lasting merely a minute, it was enough to bring some magic to me and the others who saw it.
Back to Covent Garden. As the clock was about to strike seven pm, a crowd gathered around and started a countdown. The excitement was contagious, and everyone was smiling as their eyes glinted in Christmas lights. The spectacle again was short, but filled with camera flashes as people tried to capture the memory.
Afterwards I read that some people had complained online that the fake snow was a ‘scam’, and a ‘waste of time’. But my guess is that they were not close enough to the tree where you needed to be to get the full experience.
So what are our chances to get the real thing? Although most forecasters agree that there will be at least some snow, their opinions about how much are polar opposites.
According to The Met Office, we could see mild snowfall whereas the BBC forecasts prolonged cold temperature with a deep freeze. But sadly for any East Londoners who love snow, whatever does fall will be predominantly limited to the highlands of Scotland. So while London waits patiently for its turn to be swept by the arctic blast, we can only expect an 80% chance of rain.
But forget anticipating whether there will be a White Christmas or not. The Covent Garden version is a lovely alternative. Even if the snow is quite short lived, the Christmassy market vibes are not.
