25 ways to countdown the 25 days to Christmas

1 OUT OF DOORS

It’s time to prise open the first door of your Advent calendar! Don’t get sidetracked by inferior versions — here are the three calendars you need. For an easy chocolate fix, crack into Hotel Chocolat’s Supermilk calendar (£12.50) or, for a luxed-up cocoa treat, splash out on Prestat’s salted caramel Rocking Horse calendar (£22.50, right). If you need something stronger to get you through the next three weeks or so, Drinks by the Dram’s Scotch Whisky Advent calendar (£149.95) will make all the emergency shopping, work drinks and enforced jollity seem much more manageable.

2 BREAK OUT

Take a break from the hordes of shoppers, blaring music and snaking till queues, and get tipsy at these convenient watering holes.

• Round off late-night Xmas shopping Wednesdays on Columbia Road with a whisky at The Royal Oak.

• After stocking up on silky pyjamas at Liberty, sink a pint at John Snow off Carnaby Street.

• Refuel after a Matches Marylebone spree with a seasonal G&T at The Grazing Goat.

• Stop yourself from getting harried at Harrods with a Shaky Pete’s Ginger Brew at Hawksmoor.

3 SHOPPERS DELIGHT

Get going on the gifts at Petersham Nurseries. With the sprawling new site in Covent Garden, as well as the original one near Richmond, it’s a lifestyle emporium of all things festive and fabulous. If you’re still stuck after visiting the florist, deli, wine cellar and homeware departments, head over to east London to visit the Craftacular Market — a bright American export popping up at Bethnal Green’s York Hall for all those Etsy-enthusiasts out there. (petershamnurseries.com) Craftacular Market, 3 December (bust.com)

4 BASKET CASES

Time to think beyond the bird and Brussels sprouts. These niche hampers have serious gourmand appeal.

• LINA STORES Grande hamper (£120). Panettone, pasta and prosecco — this one’s for the Italophiles. Molto bene.

• BERRY BROTHERS Heritage Hamper (£350). The best festive plonk from the Queen’s fine wine merchants.

• LA FROMAGERIE Regional France Box (£100). Did someone say cheese? A neat selection of the best French varieties.

• DAYLESFORD Daylesford Crate (£200). A brilliant all-rounder bursting with fresh farm produce from the organic supremos.

5 WHAT A SHOW!

Catch the Royal Ballet’s bright young things in their annual spectacular of The Nutcracker — with principals Yasmine Naghdi and Francesca Hayward both dancing the role of the Sugarplum Fairy to Tchaikovsky’s score. For something a little less trad, try Matthew Bourne’s twinkling production of Cinderella at Sadler’s Wells, or the bad boy of ballet, Sergei Polunin, in Satori, a mixed multimedia programme at the London Coliseum.

6 WREATH LECTURES

Doors need to be decorated too. Instead of a plasticky number resurrected from the attic, do a Kirstie Allsopp and make your own. The renegade east London florists Grace & Thorn are hosting evening workshops (from £90) on how to put together a fresh foliage wreath. Short on time?

Here are our top three ready-to-buy:

• FOR THE ONLINE SHOPPER Flowerbx medium outdoor wreath (£95). Scots pine, holly and berried ivy.

• FOR THE FLORAL FAN Scarlet & Violet bespoke Christmas wreath (£125). Pine, hydrangea and dried fruit.

• FOR THE BEAUTY JUNKIE Jo Malone London Christmas wreath (£95). Boxwood and foliage.

7 CAMERA, ACTION!

What better way of getting in the Christmas spirit than watching a celebrity switch on some lights? Bad news is you’re about a month too late for Rita Ora’s button-bashing turn on Oxford Street and Emma Bunton’s quick-click at the Royal Exchange, but the good news is you can still catch John Cleese doing the honours in Shepherd Market next Friday. And the other displays are still there in all their glory, of course.

8 ANTI-RAISIN BRIGADE

Christmas cake is divisive. Chocolate is not, especially when it’s slathered over über patissier Dominique Ansel’s Bûche de Noël (£35), the chicest Christmas pud out there. Those who do fancy the fruits of tradition should try The Christmas Cake company’s sultana-studded beauties — not a dry crumb in sight (£72). (dominiqueansellondon.com; thechristmascake.com)

9 BUY YOUR CHRISTMAS TREES

We’re officially declaring today the perfect day for purchasing your Christmas tree — not so early that you’re wading through needles come Christmas Eve, but with ample time to show off your tinselled topiary on Instagram. Buy your towering pine from The Christmas Forest, which has stores in Islington, by the cricket club in Dulwich and in Putney Leisure Centre — or get philanthropic with We Tree Kings, who work with learning disability charity Newlands Bishop Farm. (christmasforest.co.u; wetreekings.com)

10 GET YOUR SKATES ON

Somerset House’s 18th-century courtyard (left) and the Natural History Museum’s now-12-years-old rink are the capital’s best known spots for tumbling onto your arse during the festive season. For an alternative backdrop, both Hampton Court and Alexandra Palace carve out a place in the capital’s classiest rinks. Those less bothered about skating around in the environs of awesome architecture, meanwhile, should head east to the neon-drenched Canary Wharf ice rink. (somersethouse.org; nhm.ac.uk; icerinkcanarywharf.co.uk)

11 ALL WE WANT FOR CHRISTMAS....

Is to be serenaded by Mariah Carey (right) in all her festive glory. Good thing, then, that the American singer is fulfilling our fantasy by taking over the O2 for one night of Christmas tunes and 1990s classics. It’s going to be emotional… Tickets from £60. 11 December (tickets.axs.com)

12 THE ADVENT OF CINEMA

Elf? Love Actually? Die Hard? Whatever your fave festive flick, there are plenty of special places to watch it over the next few weeks. Backyard Cinema’s Snow Kingdom in Borough has multiple screenings of all the above and more (erm, GoldenEye anyone?), One Aldwych has its Festive Film & Fizz season, while down on St Katharine Docks there is the Floating Film Festival. And don’t forget Prince Charles cinema’s ever-fun quote-a-longs. All together now: ‘Santa! I know him!’ (backyardcinema.co.uk; onealdwych.com; skdocks.co.uk; princecharlescinema.com)

13 TURKEY TIME

She’s the MVP at your Christmas lunch — and no it’s not your gran. Truth is, finding a superlative bird needn’t get you in a flap. Source your free range bronze turkeys from a butcher that’s a cut above.