Live BlogLONDON — With roasting chestnuts, glistening lights in the trees and tinsel in the square, London is in the Christmas spirit, and some of the NYU London students cannot help but join in.

NYU London freshman Samantha Chong explained that the yuletide gay made her feel more at home.

“What I like about Christmas in London is how people seem to go all out,” Chong said. “Decorations, Christmas music blaring in all the stores, frenetic shoppers, but there’s just this overall festivity and cheer even when people are rushing to get last-minute things done.”

Indeed, Christmas decorations began to make their appearance the day after Halloween. By the end of November, Christmas mayhem had begun.

One of the most popular places to shop at this time of year is Harrod’s, a luxury department store that has anything from home furniture to designer brands. Harrod’s is a prime destination if one wishes to have the full experience of Christmas in London, and is a quintessential English holiday experience.

Christmas is a magical time of year for Londoners. With organized events to celebrate such as Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park, friends and families can enjoy amusement park rides, good food and of course, shopping at the Christmas markets.

But there are often very large crowds at these big events, so Chong suggested some more low-key events.

“If someone was in London this time of year, they should go to the South Bank,” she said. “There are Christmas markets there and a lot less people than Winter Wonderland in my opinion.”

Christmas truly begins in London when the Oslo tree in Trafalgar Square is lit. Every year since 1947, the city of Oslo, Norway has presented a Christmas tree to the people of London as a way to commemorate the British support of Norway in World War II. It is a symbol of the friendship between the two countries.

The tree is cut down on the Nov. 23, travels from the forests of Oslo to London, and is decorated with hundreds of white lights for an event on Dec. 6. The ceremony begins with an orchestra playing music before inviting the crowd to join in a rendition of “The Holly and the Ivy,” a traditional Christmas carol.

Then the Lord Mayor of Westminster and Norwegian ambassador make a speech before inviting the mayor of Oslo onto the stage to light the tree. It is an event that made an impression on the NYU in London students who attended.

“It was beautiful,” said NYU London freshman Courtney Escoyne. “The way the white lights transformed that dark square, it was just magical and definitely put me in the Christmas spirit, though it did make me a bit homesick.”

Escoyne is not the only student to feel homesick. The holidays tend to bring up this feeling in most people, but attending events such as these and experiencing London during this festive season seems to have eased the pain of being so far away from home.

“I can’t wait to tell my friends and family all about London,” said NYU London freshman Kristina Teow.

A version of this article appeared in the Tuesday, Dec. 11 print edition. Stephanie Lam is a foreign correspondent. Email her at [email protected].