It's time to take the bull by the horns and head up to the bright lights of London to crack your Christmas shopping.

You can't beat that feeling that you’ve broken the back of your festive shopping list in one day.

Soak up the atmosphere with a trip to Oxford Street, which has all your online favourites within easy reach and you can take your purchases home instead of waiting for them to be delivered to the Post Office while you’re out.

Once you get off the tube at Oxford Circus, it’s a short walk to everything you could want – shops, food, drink, even pampering.

And as if the gods of shopping were thinking of you, just in time for Christmas, a new Oxford Street gift card has been launched. Buy it for yourself, or for a loved one and use it in all the main retailers on the street from Primark to Selfridges. For details go to oxfordstreet.co.uk.

One of the least extravagant but most relaxing stops on your trip should be Lush, which is a spa over three floors. On the top floor, there’s all the usual sweet-smelling bath bombs you see on the high street, plus a children’s area for parties, while on the ground floor there’s everything from hand creams to henna hair dye – which you even have done in a salon there (not in December due to volume of shoppers) if you’re a henna hair virgin.

In the basement, there’s a spa area with a country cottage feel to it where you can try treatments including a full-body treatment to reworked Beatles songs Hard Days Night Treatment for £95, or a deep-tissue full-body massage to rid tension in the Good Hour for £90. Enthusiastic and knowledgeable staff will be able to tell you everything you need to know.

In December there will also be a special cinema, with scented screenings and vegetarian and vegan snacks. For details go to www.lush.co.uk/shop/london-oxford-st.

If pampering’s your thing, you can head to a make-up counter in any of the big department stores and have your make-up done. People from all walks of life pop into John Lewis for just such a treatment.

On the Laura Mercier counter they’ll spend an hour working out what make-up works best for you, showing you how to use it and even telling you what skincare routine you should try. Make-up artist Jay on the counter will even tell you things about yourself you didn’t even know.

If you’re making a day of it, you’ve got to be well-fuelled.

Tucked away just off Oxford Street, is one place where you’ll feel like a shopping queen for the day. Berners Tavern, run by Jason Atherton, feels like nowhere else with its hundreds of different artworks on the walls, which stretch up to high ceilings with two custom bronze chandeliers inspired by Grand Central Station.

The menu is simple yet elegant. Phil Carmichael, who has cooked with Jason for more than 10 years, is heading up the kitchen, creating a contemporary British menu, inspired by the Great British traditions using the very best produce that the British Isles has to offer from Orkney scallops to chargrilled quail served with bacon, and grass fed Buccleuch estate cuts of beef cooked on a charcoal grill. You can also try some curly kale juice.
For details go to www.editionhotels.com

At the Scoff & Banter tea rooms, a stone’s throw from Debenhams, which is open between 1pm and 7pm daily, treat yourself to the quintessential British time-honoured tradition of afternoon tea. It’s a cosy retreat serving the very best in Great Britishness. For a limited time only, enjoy the amazing Christmas afternoon tea selection and receive a complimentary bottle of Prosecco when two people dine from the full tea menu.

Afternoon tea starts at £34.00 per person. For details go to www.scoffandbanter.london/tearooms.

During the festive period, John Lewis opens its Lunar Lookout winter roof garden where you can explore the starry London skyline through telescopes, enjoy a bite to eat, and relax in a cosy cabin, or try the new Christmas menu which includes hot espresso martinis, mulled wine, Italian hot chocolate and polpette meatballs.

To continue the relaxation, Selfridges also has its famous Elfridges service, which offers complimentary gift list advice, personal shopping, and even personalised tree decorating services.

Recharge your batteries at the flagship Debenhams store with its new eaterie tucked away among the Christmas goodies.

Chi Kitchen, a new pan-Asian restaurant, is open on the ground floor serves a diverse all-day dining menu influenced by Thai, Chinese, Malaysian, Japanese, Vietnamese and Korean cuisine, guiding guests on a culinary journey through South East Asia. You can pop there at any time throughout your busy shopping day – you can even try a Korean omelette with seafood for breakfast.

It also has very handy USB ports at the tables, for when you’re battery’s running low.
Enthusiastic restaurateur Eddie Lim, owner of Thai institution Mango Tree restaurant in Belgravia, said: "Our aim is to build a brand exclusively to Debenhams, which is going to offer not only good pan-Asian food but also good energy to Debenhams loyal and new customers. The food is exotic, colourful and incredibly tasty."

Try spring rolls or a selection of dim sum, Korean steak with Bulgogi sauce and seabass with chilli and lime, or a noodle dish. And don’t forget the puddings – the chocolate mousse is a particular treat. For more information go to www.chikitchen.co.uk.

A SHORT WALK AWAY

Hamley’s Toy Store is in Regent Street – while away the hours looking at toys and fill a few stockings too.

Liberty’s department store is also in Regent Street, a few minutes away.

Head to Carnaby Street if you’re looking for something slightly off the high street, just off Regent Street.

The Ice Bar – the place to try right now – is on Heddon Street; only a few 100 yards from Hamleys.

DID YOU KNOW?

Oxford Street is the longest high street in Europe, with three miles of shopping and 4.27m sqft of retail space.

It runs from Marble Arch to Tottenham Court Road and is serviced by four tube stations: Marble Arch, Bond Street, Oxford Circus and Tottenham Court Road.

It’s home to 83 flagship stores, including the Primark flagship which is the largest in Europe and spans four floors and the TopShop flagship – a fashion mecca for 50 years.

House of Fraser’s World of Shoes covers the store’s basement.

The old-school glamour of draws 15m shoppers a year. It was the first purpose-built department store in the UK and also the first in the world to open a beauty hall, in 1911.

World-renowned stars have switched on the Oxford Street Christmas Lights, including Kylie Minogue this year.

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