• 10.00am - 5.30pm
  • FREE
  • Chelsea, London
  • 10.00am - 5.30pm
  • FREE
  • Chelsea, London

Christmas

A child visiting Father Christmas
Featured

19 - 21 December 2024

Meet Father Christmas

Join the festive fun at Play Base this holiday season and meet the one and only Father Christmas in his winter grotto. Every child will receive a sustainable gift and some Christmas chocolate.

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Explore Christmas stories

Christmas greetings from the front line

Christmas greetings from the front line

Here we look at some of the Christmas cards sent by soldiers during the First World War, and how they helped ease the pressures of life on the front line.

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Christmas in the trenches, 1915

A First World War Christmas

Soldiers throughout the First World War found ways to maintain morale and mark the festive season while separated from their loved ones.

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Parliamentarian soldiers at a tavern, c1645

The war on Christmas

In 1647, Christmas was almost cancelled as the Long Parliament and its army tried to banish all festivities that smacked against the sober Puritan values of the period.

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Explore Christmas events

Children attending a festive family tour
Tour At Museum

7 December 2024

FREE

Marching Orders: Chaotic Christmas

Join us for this fun-filled family tour as we explore some of the festive stories and items in our galleries.

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The Chelsea Pensioner Singers
Performance At Museum

8 December 2024, 11.00am

FREE

Christmas Carols: The Chelsea Pensioner Singers

Get into the Christmas spirit with the Chelsea Pensioner Singers as they perform carols live at the National Army Museum.

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People dressed in 1940s style dancing at the National Army Museum
Museum Late At Museum

8 December 2024, 6.00pm

£25.00

Jingle Bell Jive

Put on your dancing shoes for an evening of seasonal swing at our Christmas-themed 1940s dance night.

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Children attending a festive family tour
Tour At Museum

14 December 2024

FREE

Marching Orders: Chaotic Christmas

Join us for this fun-filled family tour as we explore some of the festive stories and items in our galleries.

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A child visiting Father Christmas
Workshop

19 - 21 December 2024

£22.50

Meet Father Christmas

Join the festive fun at Play Base this holiday season and meet Father Christmas in his winter grotto.

find out more
Children attending a festive family tour
Tour At Museum

19 - 20 December 2024

FREE

Marching Orders: Chaotic Christmas

Join us for this fun-filled family tour as we explore some of the festive stories and items in our galleries.

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Children attending a family tour
Tour At Museum

3 - 4 January 2025

FREE

Marching Orders: Food

Join us on this interactive tour as we travel through time to discover what soldiers have been eating throughout history.

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Explore Christmas learning resources

Operation Science: Supply Drop
Video

KS2-KS3 (Ages 7 to 14)

Operation Science: Supply Drop

Explore the science behind parachutes and see how well Brussel sprouts can fly in this festive-themed video.

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Make Your Own Gift Tin
Home Activity

KS1-KS2 (Ages 5 to 11)

Make Your Own Gift Tin

Discover the story of the Princess Mary Gift Tin in this festive First World War activity.

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Join the conversation

"First time @NAM_London today. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Thought the presentation & interpretation made the subject accessible..."

National Army Museum, Royal Hospital Road, London, SW3 4HT
Registered Charity Number: 237902