December is a month filled with festivities and we’ve hand-picked our favourite upcoming cultural events. Read on for our recommendations for Christmas holidays 2019, from wreath-making and woodland walks to a new pottery studio and an exhibition of intriguing self-portraits.

Dora Maar, Tate Modern, London
Even if you’re not familiar with the artist Dora Maar, you might recognise some of her most celebrated surrealist photographs. ‘Untitled (Shell hand)’ (1934), perhaps, with graceful fingers replacing the body of a hermit crab, emerging from a salvaged seashell. She also shot documentary street scenes and 1930s fashion, painted abstract landscapes and was Picasso’s muse (a role she’s best remembered for). Tate Modern presents the UK’s first Maar retrospective, shining a spotlight on her multifaceted career as well as her eye for the unusual.

Tastes & Scents of Christmas, TOAST, Harrogate
Get into the Christmas spirit with an afternoon of festive fun at TOAST Harrogate. While sipping warm mulled cider and listening to carols, you’ll have the chance to create paper decorations inspired by Christmas ingredients such as dried orange slices, cinnamon sticks, aromatic cloves and star anise. Just one of many free activities offered at TOAST stores across the UK this year.

Symposium: Positioning Sculpture, Hauser & Wirth, Somerset
To mark the two exhibitions currently showing at its outpost in the gently rolling landscape of rural Somerset, Hauser & Wirth is hosting a symposium on everything from making to curating sculpture. Listen to the talk and take a tour of the exhibitions – David Smith: Field Work and Bharti Kher: A Wonderful Anarchy – then recharge with afternoon tea (included in the ticket price) from onsite restaurant Roth Bar & Grill.

Art & Ideas: A Natural Christmas with Anna Taylor, Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge
Another Christmas workshop comes courtesy of Anna Taylor, founder of Anna’s Flower Farm, who will be at Kettle’s Yard for half a day of festive floristry on 14th December. Inspired by the natural found objects dotted around Jim and Helen Ede’s beautifully designed home, you will be invited to make a long-lasting wreath and table decorations using foraged branches, dried flowers, seed heads and pinecones. Tea, coffee and cake included.

Lucian Freud, Royal Academy of Arts, London
Don’t miss the first-ever exhibition devoted to Lucian Freud’s self-portraits, which runs at the Royal Academy of Arts until 26th January. Razor-sharp drawings of a young boy with sticking-out ears feature together with works in which the artist appears incidentally – as a shadow or ghostly reflection – alongside his sitters.

At times he hints at a narrative, as in ‘Hotel Bedroom’ (1954), a melancholy portrait of Freud and his second wife in a Parisian hotel (the couple were married for a fleeting four years). Elsewhere, we encounter more meaty impressions of a man mostly fascinated by flesh and ageing.

Studio Pottery, London
This new pottery studio and gallery offers an array of hands-on classes and events to get stuck into this Christmas. The light-filled space in London’s Belgravia was devised by design studio Flint, which opted for a muted palette and plenty of natural materials. Admire the ceramics created by artistic director and resident potter Gregory Tingay, then learn how to throw, turn, dry, fire and glaze clay yourself.

Woodland Wonders, Kew Gardens, London
And finally, one for the whole family. Wrap up warm and head to Richmond for a guided stroll along Kew Gardens’ dewy woodland trails. It may be December, but there are ample trees and plants waiting to be discovered in this natural environment. And when you’re done, make a beeline to Victoria Gate Café for a warming hot chocolate.