Highgate Literary and Scientific Institution Christmas Fair

Now that it is December it is officially okay to start getting Christmassy (not in August, thanks supermarkets). The grandly named Highgate Literary and Scientific Institution, or just plain old HLSI to the locals, is a cute Victorian building in the heart of the equally cute Highgate Village. This part of London is definitely worth a visit, for strolling round leafy Waterlow Park with an expensive coffee from one of the village's many expensive coffee shops, or maybe visiting the stunning and historic Highgate Cemetery where Karl Marx is just one of the many VIPs buried there. Speaking of VIPs, the village is home to Kate Moss, Geri Halliwell, George Michael, Ray Davis, and... (drum roll...)... Les Dennis! Anyhoo, the HLSI is a members club with reading rooms and a private library, and they also hold several events open to the public throughout the year, including the annual Christmas Fair.

The week before the fair the village Christmas lights are turned on by one of the local VIPs, this year it was actually two for the price of one - Homeland star Damian Lewis and his missus Helen McCrory. Then the HLSI flings open its doors for people to buy all manner of Christmas decorations, presents, crafts, booze, and pies, as well as classic tombola stalls and guess the weight of this thing in a jar, or that thing in a box. They do have a stall for kids, but it's not always a kid-friendly event, which can lead to boredom and tears, and parents wanting to leave before their tombola-ing is fully finished. This year for the first time they had a room dedicated to children, which...ahem...I thought of and helped to organise.

I had the idea of either a storyteller fairy or a magician who could do tricks with the kids, and got my friend was Kate Farrow, a professional actor and writer of stories, involved. She was amazing, she transformed into the most delightful fairy, and spent ages making a wee room at the top of the HLSI look like a wonderful, sparkly, snow covered fairyland.

As well as telling stories, Kate invited adorable little Highgate tots with posh names to write on the walls, count fairy footsteps placed around the room, and gave each of them a little treasure to take away. The kids really liked it, even the older ones. It allowed the parents to go off and browse the fair at their leisure without being hassled by their offspring for mince pies, or worrying about the tinier ones getting lost. The incredibly sweet girl in the picture above tried to touch the Christmas tree lights, and when the fairy told her they might be a bit hot for her to touch, she looked puzzled, then leant forward and blew onto the light to cool it down. How cute?!