Christmas lights

This year, the main displays in central London seem to have moved away from the heavily commercial and promotional styles of recent years. Regent Street is all angels:

even if the crowd outside Hamleys looks like as mad a scrum as ever. The small streets around are getting in on the act as well, and Oxford St has gone to town on a starry theme as a charitable promotion:

Carnaby Street is reviving its 1960s reputation:

Not to be outdone, Covent Garden has seized on a mistletoe theme:

 

Seven Dials was severely modernistic for several years, but is now back with a more traditional sort of look:

but down on the Strand, they've gone for something more abstract, perhaps echoing the traditional austerity of the Norwegian donors of the Trafalgar Square tree:

 

 In the shops, some have gone for similar restraint, and John Lewis doesn't go much beyond imagining woodland animals' burrows full of everyday products:

 but Selfridges has Santa on an expensive winter sports holiday, which seems to include a hot tub full of champagne:

 

And up in Soho, your friendly neighbourhood sex shop is keeping up with the season: