'The Making of Christmas' at Liberty
There are department stores, and then there's Liberty. While other shops are busy flogging discounted candles and panic-buy presents, this Tudor revival masterpiece on Great Marlborough Street transforms into something altogether more magical when December arrives.
Founded in 1875 by Arthur Lasenby Liberty—a man who decided Victorian London needed rather less beige in its life—the store has spent 150 years perfecting the art of being utterly, impossibly lovely. And at Christmas? Well, it's the kind of place that makes you want to abandon all online shopping forever and just wander its creaking wooden floors for hours.
A Building That Actually Feels Like Christmas
Step through those distinctive mock-Tudor doors and you're immediately somewhere special. The store features elegant atriums, working fireplaces, bespoke carved panels, and what's said to be the longest chandelier in Europe. It's less "shop" and more "extremely well-stocked stately home where everything happens to be for sale."
This year's Christmas theme is "The Making of Christmas"—fitting for a store celebrating its 150th anniversary and deeply connected to British arts and crafts. Throughout the displays you'll find 25 handmade Liberty elves, each sporting different iconic Liberty prints on their arms and legs. The centrepiece? The Good Ship Liberty, suspended at the heart of the store, mimicking the weathervane ship atop the building, complete with fabric sails made from Liberty's signature prints and overflowing with presents as the elves crew the vessel.
And those windows. While other retailers are toning things down, Liberty has gone gloriously all-in. Expect whimsy, bubble baths, and enough festive chaos to remind you that Christmas should be fun, not just photogenic.
The Christmas Shop That Opens in September
The Christmas shop on the fourth floor opens in September—which initially sounds insane until you remember this is Liberty, where even the Christmas baubles are works of art. The shop offers shimmering baubles, statement decorations, London-themed pieces, quirky novelty ornaments, and snow globes.
This isn't your standard tinsel-and-plastic affair. We're talking luxury decorations, themed collections, and the kind of baubles that make you wonder if it's actually acceptable to never take your tree down. Whether you're styling a tablescape or just want something beautiful to hang on a branch, the fourth floor delivers.
That Advent Calendar Everyone Goes Mad For
The Liberty Beauty Advent Calendar is the original and still the best, with the 2025 edition selling out despite being worth £1,245 and priced at £275. It contains 30 products including 20 full-size treats from cult brands like La Mer, Augustinus Bader, Trinny London, Jones Road, and Ex Nihilo, plus an iconic Ianthe print drawstring bag.
Regular collectors know what they're getting—proper beauty heroes, not sample sachets and disappointment. The demand is so high that if you want next year's edition, you need to register your interest now. Yes, really.
Five Floors of Actual Good Taste
Beyond the Christmas magic, Liberty remains one of the last great British emporiums for innovative design. The store spans five floors of fashion, beauty, accessories, homeware and antique furniture, plus Little Liberty for childrenswear. Liberty buyers scour the globe for the ultimate designer edit, with established names like Stella McCartney, Vivienne Westwood, Isabel Marant, Dries Van Noten and Paul Smith alongside rising stars from London Fashion Week.
Their beauty hall is legendary. The homeware department could furnish an entire life. The fabric department—well, if you know, you know. Liberty prints have been covetable since the 1870s, and wandering through bolts of jewel-toned silks and velvets is its own kind of festive treat.
The Practical Stuff
When to visit: Doors open 10am to 8pm Monday to Saturday, and 12pm to 6pm on Sundays. For the best shopping experience avoiding crowds, visit on weekday mornings—weekends in December tend to be extremely busy.
How long: Allow at least two to three hours to explore all six floors, browse the Christmas shop, and enjoy a break at Seventy Five restaurant. If you're planning serious Christmas shopping or joining a festive workshop, set aside three to four hours.
Where it is: Great Marlborough Street, just off Regent Street in Soho. A festive trip to Liberty isn't complete without taking in the sparkling Christmas lights of Regent Street and Carnaby Street just moments away.
Why It Matters
In an age of homogenised high streets and algorithm-driven shopping, Liberty remains defiantly itself—a heritage-listed landmark where craftsmanship, creativity and genuinely beautiful things still matter. At Christmas, when the store pulls out all the stops, it becomes more than a shopping destination. It's a proper festive experience, the kind that reminds you why people still make pilgrimages to physical shops in the first place.
You might come for a bauble. You'll leave three hours later with a Liberty print scarf, some impossibly lovely wrapping paper, possibly a piece of furniture, and the unshakeable conviction that this is exactly what Christmas shopping should feel like.
Liberty London
Great Marlborough Street, London, W1B 5AH
020 3893 3062
libertylondon.com
