DOs and DON'Ts of a great (but cheap) night out!

There's only one thing most student's love more than a night out, and that's a CHEAP night out. But there are some important do's and don'ts to consider...

DO pre-drink!

Pre-drinking has become ingrained into student culture, and it is a great way to start a night out with friends. Ladies, make it an experience and get ready together whilst sipping wine, listening to some chilled music. Gentlemen, crack open the beers and catch-up with your mates with the tunes blasting. But...

DON'T go too overboard...

Having a drink before you go out and getting tipsy is a great way to make sure you spend less money whilst actually out, but it is pointless if you get so mortal that you don't even make it out of the front door. We have all been there at some point, but actually getting out to visit bars & clubs is fun. Save the serious drinking at home for house parties or drunken nights in.

DO line your stomach.

Again, pre-drinking saves money but it if you go too hard, the night will be over before you know it. Lining your stomach is a must to ensure you hit the tiles tipsy, but not legless. Buy cheap pizza (adding your own toppings & extra cheese to mix it up a bit), wedges and chicken nuggets so you don't break the bank.

DO play drinking games!

There are so many amazing drinking games to play, and they are a fun & exciting way to begin the night out. There are a whole host to choose from here, but my personal faves are Ring of Fire and I Have Never. Remember, you have a whole night ahead of you yet so take it easy, but have loads of fun too. 

DON'T purchase a new outfit every time you go out. You might be worried about people judging you, but honestly they won't remember every outfit you wear to every night out. Mix and match different tops and bottoms to wear the same clothes more than once, but achieving different looks. Similarly, swap clothes with your mates so you can wear a new outfit without spending any dollar.

DO work out the best transport options. If there are two or three of you, it might work out cheaper to use a bus. For bigger groups, taxis become most economical. If it is only a small journey, and there are a group of you, you could even (safely) walk into town to save valuable pennies. Remember though, don't walk alone or in unlit areas. 

DO go out during the week and take advantage of student deals. Student weekday nights are often the cheapest, and often still every bit as busy as the weekend. In Manchester, you get shots for 50p by going out on a Tuesday instead. If you have a day off in your timetable, make the night before your weekday night out! 

DON'T go out on a Friday or Saturday night if you don't have to. As above, go out during the week and host house parties or 'nights in' with your mates on these nights as they tend to be more expensive.

DO try to secure a guest list before a night out. Sometimes entry is fee or heavily discounted if you do so, and the entry fee you save can be used to buy the kebab at the end of the night.

DO get to the club early. Many places have free entry before a certain time, and put on better drink deals earlier on.

DON'T forget to find your local 'Spoons. Wetherspoons has some of the cheapest drinks going, so take advantage by stopping off there during a night out. You can even buy some cheap grub to line the stomach with meal deals which include an alcoholic drink.

DON'T be afraid to seek discount for large groups. If there is a lot of you going out, try to save money on entry or even on drinks in the club by purchasing 'rounds' - you will be surprised at how generous the bar people can be.

DO purchase a hip-flask and take along some drink with you. Easier to get away with in smaller bars or pubs, and it will save you money!

DON'T have a kitty, or buy rounds, unless you can trust everyone you are out with. Some people will often try to avoid getting a round in, or get more out of the kitty than their fair share. It's sad, but true. However...

DO form a small pact with a couple of your closest mates (who you completely trust to not take advantage) to make a mini kitty, or buy small rounds for just you guys. It saves everyone having to line up and buy individual drinks every time, and no one will be taking advantage of your money.

DO check out smaller bars or pubs, before clubs. Not only do they tend to be cheaper, but when they are less busy they are much more likely to have special deals to entice people in. You should happily take advantage of any of these deals.

DON'T take out a jacket in the summer months and you will save yourself a couple of quid on the cost of the cloak room. However, if its cold or wet then the small fee is more than worth getting ill.

DO stay round a mates house if there is room. It's an extra person to share the journey home with, splitting the cost and making the journey safer. If there isn't room, then share taxi's anyway dropping people off individually and sharing the bill.

DO set yourself a budget, and stick to it. Why not leave the card at home to avoid the temptation of spending more, only taking what you need in cash but remembering to leave aside money to get home. 

DON'T forget to just enjoy yourself with your friends, and remember that you will have much more fun (and plenty more memories) if you don't drink too much and stay tipsy rather than get too drunk. You will last till the end of the night, remember more of the fun antics you got up to and will have saved yourself a small fortune on expensive drinks. Plus if you last all night, you have more friends to share a taxi home with, which equals even more savings!

Alternatives to nights out?

As a student, a lot of time is spent in the Library. When it gets to Friday (or, face it, Wednesday) night, going out clubbing seems like the perfect way to take a break and enjoy yourself. But clubbing can get boring after a while and, although the night itself might be fun, the hangover isn’t. 

So, instead of spending all of your money on alcohol, why not explore the different options available? There are plenty of ways to enjoy yourself and de-stress instead of going out, and often they are cheaper than clubbing.

Going out for culture

Orange Wednesdays is one of the greatest inventions for students and should be taken advantage of. Or what about a comedy club? It’s a good laugh and generally pretty cheap,unless it’s a touring bigshot. And if that’s not to your taste, the theatre is also a good bet - productions are always touring the UK and it doesn’t have to be expensive if you don’t mind the restricted view in the gods. Even better, if it’s the Royal Shakespeare Company, they do £5 tickets for 16-25 year olds.

Staying in for culture

It’s time to break out the duvet, order some pizza and make some popcorn for a girls' night in (or boys'; duvets don’t discriminate). Order your pizza and get settled in and then make your viewing choices. Movie or TV marathon? Catch up on the blockbuster you missed at the cinema last year or finally work out what all the fuss is about with Breaking Bad?

Take some exercise and get healthy

This is as simple as it sounds. Students don’t have the healthiest of lifestyles, what with the alcohol, takeaways and general lack of fruit and veg. So go to the gym: it’s warm, there’s TV, radio and showers, if you paid the hefty fee at the beginning of term, and you’re finally feeling like you’re being good and burning off the extraordinary amount of chocolate you ate last week. Even if you don’t want to pay for the gym, you can still go for a run for free. This is an especially good idea in exam season when exercise can be a really good break.

Cup of tea

As a student you’ve got friends all over the place: friends off your course, friends from your society and friends you used to live with - not to mention those you just picked up along the way. However, you often find that you lose track and you haven’t seen some of them for months. A great way to remedy this is to take a day and go round visiting all of them, one cup of tea at a time. Spend an hour with each and move on, having a good catch up and filling yourself up on their biscuits while you go – there’s no reason you shouldn’t try to save money on food at the same time!

Hide and seek - with Nerf guns

You’re a not technically an adult yet – maybe legally but not at heart. So grab your flatmates, switch the lights off and count to 10 because playing hide and seek in the dark and acting like a complete child is just plain fun. If you want to make things more interesting, Nerf guns are a great addition to the lights being off. Either play it as first person to hit is the winner or simply go wild in shooting tiny foam darts at each other.

Exercise of the more childish kind

Laser questing. Not entirely dissimilar to a nerf gun fight in the dark, but slightly more room to run about than your flat - and no danger of losing your damage deposit. And although you might be having fun and shooting at your friends, all that running around definitely counts as exercise. Other variants (which are free, but weather dependant) include snowball fights, water fights and a good old kickaround.

Practical jokes

There’s always the one flatmate who accidently leaves their room unlocked. This is prime time for attack and should not be squandered. Common responses to this occurrence often include clingfilming, tinfoiling or Post-It noting the room. However, if you want to be more imaginative, maybe switch their furniture with the living room furniture, or fill multiple cups with water and cover their floor. Although this is fun, make sure that you judge your target carefully and don’t go too far. You’ve got a whole year to live with them and at some point you might leave your room open.

Flat meal

A nice bonding activity that doesn’t have to be expensive. You never really see all of your flatmates at the same time and sometimes you only see them for about two minutes a day. Try to start a tradition of cooking a nice meal together every Sunday and splitting the cost. You can do a roast dinner for £1.50 each, if not less, and it gives you all a chance to catch up and remember why you moved in together in the first place, or, if you’re first year, gives you a chance to get to know each other better.

Go out for a meal

After all the essays and exams and general stress, occasionally it’s nice to treat yourself by having dinner at a restaurant. And again, not that you have to be a cheapskate, but plenty of chains do student discount and have vouchers you can download to get your meal cheaper. Having a night where you can eat nice food and drink a glass of wine with your friends is an enjoyable break and, despite engaging in regular nerf gun fights, sometimes it’s nice to feel like an adult.

Work, if you must

It’s easy to stall doing your work. Especially given the multitude of different things you could be doing, to avoid it, like cleaning the entire flat top to bottom. However it’s simply better for your stress levels if you start your work early rather than putting it off, leaving you plenty of time to do any of the activities on this list, or, if you’d rather, go for a night out on the town without worrying about working with a hangover the next day.

Source: http://www.independent.co.uk/student/student-life/alternative-nights-out-10-things-to-do-instead-of-clubbing-which-might-just-save-you-a-hangover-9096296.html

Keeping those heating costs down by staying warm this winter!

So far this winter it hasn't been particularly cold in the UK, with little or snow in most cities. This is a blessing for the most vulnerable, such as the elderly, but also for students who need every penny we can get our hands on.

Because it hasn't been particularly cold so far, then at some point it will probably turn a lot colder. It's best to be prepared now, to save on those heating bills at the end of winter! Doing whatever you can to stay warm over winter, means you wont be turning on the heating at every opportunity - which costs valuable ££££!

1. Use a blanket or duvet when sitting on the sofa, or out of your bed.
2. If that doesn't work, then put the PJ's on and get in to bed and under your duvet. There is a lot to be said about how warm and snuggly a bed can be.
3. A onesie! There is a huge trend for onesies these days and they can be picked up very cheap. Wearing one in bed keeps you warm on the coldest of nights, and keeps out pesky draughts which normal PJ's or dressing gowns don't. Try and buy one with enclosed feet!
4. The power of a hot water bottle should not to be sniffed at. Be careful not to burn yourself though.
5. Drawing curtains at dusk and keeping doors shut will block out any draughts, making you feel warmer.
6. A hot meal goes a long way! Keep yourself well-fed with hot food to stay warmer.
7. Similarly, drinking hot drinks like tea & coffee will also help you to stay warm
8. Keep active, moving about will keep your body temperature up and you won't need to put the heating on so often.
9. Wearing several light layers will keep you warmer than wearing just one, big chunky piece of knitwear so remember to layer up if you are feeling chilly.

Of course, when it is THAT cold outside you have no choice. But do it as a last resort and not at the slightest drop in temps.

Talking about bills, living in a  house or flat share is a whole different ball game to halls - students are exempt from council tax, but there is still gas, electricity, water, insurance, TV license and rent to be worrying about.

If you live somewhere where bills aren't included, there is an easy solution! Glide is an AMAZING company which makes bills simple - and stress free - for any student household. If everyone in your home signs up, Glide will quote you a one-off, monthly cost (per person) to take care of ALL your bills. Each individual is only responsible for their share of the cost, taking away the need to be anxious about housemates paying up and on time. You have access to an online metre for the energy used, so if you use less energy than you have paid for, you receive a refund for this amount at the end of the year. Bonus! It's not a question of why not use them, it's more why the hell would you not?! 

The importance of being positive!

Be more positive!

A huge part of remaining motivated at university is being positive. Thinking about the world positively will improve not only your academic life, but your personal, professional and social life too!

Modern life is busy, hectic and stressful - so it is easy to lose track of the bigger picture. We become so engrossed in all the work we are doing at uni that we forget about the end-goal, or the (positive) light at the end of the tunnel. A lack of energy doesn't help anyone to stay positive, so we need to make sure we eat and sleep well. As a society, we care too much about what others think and not what we think of ourselves. We should only judge our successes on how we feel inside, and not what others think.

There are some huge advantages to being positive in life, as listed here. This list was taken from: http://www.positivityblog.com.

1. You will create a better world around you as your surroundings will become affected and change due to your positive thoughts and actions.

2. You will make better first impressions. Everyone stereotypes, whether they want or not. A positive first impression can mean a lot in many situations and have a lasting effect throughout your relationship with that person.

3. You will focus on the good things in people. Not their faults. This will make things much better overall and improve all kinds of relationships.

4. It´s easier to become more productive when you stop laying obstacles in the middle of the road in the form of negative thoughts.

5. Work becomes more fun. Everything becomes more fun.

6. You become more attractive. People like positive people. Positive people make other people feel good about themselves and they don´t drag the mood down. Also, a positive attitude is an indicator – and source – of high self-confidence, a quality that just about everyone is attracted to.

7. Being negative has very little concrete advantages and is not a very empowering way to look at life.

8. It opens up your mind to focus on other ways of looking at things. Sometimes wonderful new ways you might not ever have thought about or experienced before.

9. It puts the Law of Attraction to better use. The Law of Attraction basically says: whatever you think about you attract into your life. As you replace the negative thoughts with positive thoughts you will start to attract more positive opportunities and people into your life.

10. You´ll waste less time. Negativity can be like a self-feeding loop. First you think one negative thought. It leads you to three more. And then you start examining your life in deeper detail through a depressing lens. When you get into a vicious cycles like this it can eat up hours, weeks and years of your life. It can drain a lot of your energy whilst trapping you in paralysis by analysis. And you probably won´t become that much wiser in the process. 

Every single one of the reasons above will lead you to having a more positive, productive and successful journey through university. So I challenge you, to take up the Positivity Challenge!

The Positivity Challenge! (taken from: http://www.positivityblog.com/index.php/2007/02/09/take-the-positivity-challenge/)

For 7 days you will try to only think positive thoughts. Whatever happens to you will see the good side of it and what positive things you can learn and take away from it. By the end of the week you will have started to discover the very real benefits of a positive thinking, how much negative thoughts there are both in you and the world (you might be surprised) and begun establishing a new habit to replace your old, less constructive one. And then you can continue from there.

What I suggesting here is not a mindless kind of positive thinking where you pretend everything is ok whilst the house and your bed is actually on fire. Instead it’s you noticing a situation or stimuli and then choosing a positive and useful response to it instead of reacting in a knee-jerk way. It´s you focusing on what could be a more positive and useful solution for you. 

Cut the negative threads quickly. Only allow yourself to go on a negative thread of thought for a set time-period, perhaps 30 seconds or a minute. Then just cut it off, drop it and think about what positive things you can get out of this situation. Don't feed the negative thoughts with more energy or you might trap your mind in a downward spiral for quite a while. If you start going down a negative thread of thought it is important to cut it fast.

Realize that it is possible to choose what you think about and how you react. You don't have live your life in reaction. Being reactive to everything is not very empowering. You have a choice. But it might take some time to make this click in your mind. Even though I understood this intellectually pretty fast it took a longer time to understand and accept it emotionally and on a deeper level.

Focus on the gap between stimuli and reaction. The more you think about this and try to use it by consciously choosing, over time (for me it was months but it can surely be achieved quicker) the gap will appear larger and larger and that will make the process easier.

Accept your feelings, don't deny or refuse them – Although it's often possible to just quickly cut off negative thoughts sometimes it might not be enough. Negative emotions can build up within you over time or you might feel be overwhelmed by a certain situation. Then you can try the counter-intuitive way and not keep the feeling out by fighting it.

Instead, accept the feeling. Say yes to it. Surrender and let it in.

Observe the feeling in your mind and body without judging it. If you just let it in and observe it for maybe a minute or two something wonderful happens. The feeling just vanishes. It sounds weird but give it a try.

Get the physical fundamentals down. If you don't have time to sleep a healthy amount of hours, eat properly and get exercise then you need to re-prioritize. If you don't do this it will be harder to become and stay positive. If you do re-prioritize, your general sense of well-being will increase, you will feel stronger and have more energy. 

Act as if. Smile to feel happier. Move slower to relax. Use positive language. Act as if you are a positive person and you will start to feel and become more positive. It might feel weird at first, but it really works.

Start your day in a better way!

Limit your time with really negative people – Some people feed on negative energy and whatever you try it never pleases them or changes their sour minds and moods. If nothing you do works then finally you might have to cut them out of your life or at least limit your time with them.

Model positive people. Find positive people in your surroundings or anywhere in time and space (through documentaries, biographies etc.) and learn from them. Find out how they handle everyday life, problems, setbacks and compare it to your own thoughts and how you would handle similar situations.

Focus on the now and future, not the past. A lot of people spend a lot of time thinking about on the mistakes they made in past. A better way is to think about the mistake you made and what you can learn from it. Then stop wasting your time and shift your focus to the present and the future where you can actually make a change.

Motivating yourself after the Christmas break!

So, we've all enjoyed a long Christmas break full of relaxation, plentiful alcohol and lots of amazing food to gorge on. The idea of getting back into a routine at uni is not just scary, it is down right terrifying. The first alarm of the term is always the hardest and you begin to wonder how you ever functioned before 12 noon. But getting back into the swing of the things is not as hard as you might think!

• Define your goals, and plan how you will achieve them

Nobody said university would be easy. You have a whole lot of of essay-writing, researching, debating, revising and exam-taking ahead of you. Identifying your goals for the term ahead will make them seem more manageable, and therefore more achievable. Write them down and keep them somewhere safe so you can look back on them. But remember that achieving these goals takes planning, so write down your plans too. Again, look back on them when needed to remind yourself exactly what you need to do, to achieve those goals!

• Remind yourself why you're here

This may sound silly, but remind yourself exactly why you are at university in the first place, paying a helluva lot of money to be here too! Write them down and stick them on your noticeboard, or bedroom wall. Write down the successes which led you to choose further education and the reasons you made that choice. Is there a career you are striving for? Is it the extra digits your degree will make to your pay slip? Are there opportunities your degree will give you? Importantly, be completely honest about why you are here and remind yourself why when you don't feel motivated.

• Small steps, one at a time  

Don't be scared of all the work there is yet to do, but get excited about each piece of work. There is no point worrying, as it will get you nowhere. Break every task into small steps, and focus on each step one at a time. 

• Reward yourself 

Just because you chose the university route, doesn't mean you can't give yourself little rewards to spur you along. Allow yourself a bar of chocolate, or a weekend trip, or even a night out only (and I mean only!) when you have completed tasks, or the small steps towards them. If this doesn't motivate you, nothing will. 

• Ask yourself motivating questions at the beginning of each day

After you get over the shock of your alarm going off each morning (even though it is an almost daily ritual of pressing snooze as many times as you possibly can...) then ask yourself what you will be doing today, why you will be doing it and how you will do it. Again, buy some cheap post-it notes or a notepad and jot it down if it helps. Then you can go a bit deeper and ask yourself what you want in life and how you will achieve it. Aim high and reach for the stars - your life will be what you make it.

• Act as if you were motivated, even if you aren't

If you really can't get yourself motivated then just act and do everything like you would if you were. Shower, get dressed, sit at your desk, open your notes, take a sip of coffee and you will be surprised at how quickly you begin to feel actually motivated. Laying in your bed in your PJ's will not motivate you in the slightest to get that work completed.

• Toughest first

This doesn't work for everyone, but it works for me. Get the toughest work out of the way first. Putting something off over and over again because it is the hardest notch on the to-do list is not productive in the slightest. Getting it out of the way will not only allow you to cross the task off your list, but will get you in the right mode to tackle the remaining, less difficult ones.

• Turn off the phone, tablet and TV!

Get rid of all distractions. Listening to your fave tunes on Spotify in the background will not help you work. Be sure to put down the Kindle before that book you are reading entices you back in and away from studying. Turn off your mobile before anyone has the chance to send you a text or Whatsapp you a message. That goes for your Tablet too! You need to concentrate on the task at hand and even the slightest distraction will hamper your motivation. Going back to one of the previous tips above, then  include Spotify/Mobile/TV/Kindle/Tablet time as a reward you can do only when you have completed a task or small step!

• Enjoy yourself

Well at least try (when possible) to enjoy the work. If you are given the choice, study/research/write about a subject which interests, and therefore engages, you. Don't just go for a topic which you think will impress your tutors, pick one you are passionate about. Studying, researching and writing about something you have passion for will be more enjoyable, much more motivating and will enable you to write a better essay. Trust me, your tutors will pick up on this! If you don't have a choice and aren't passionate about the subject, focus on a small chunks at a time, reward yourself more regularly for achieving each step and focus on the satisfaction you will feel once it is complete.

New Years Eve!

New Years Eve is celebrated on 31^st December in many countries across the globe, including in the UK. For many, it is one of the biggest party nights of the year with events held in homes, pubs, bars and venues nationwide. Lots of people prefer to host parties at home, avoiding the crowds and costs of official parties, where canapés and champagne are served to toast in the New Year. Modern celebrations originate from Midwinter celebrations which were held across the British Isles since ancient times. These parties involved food and the lighting of big fires to tempt the sun to return.

Like many other cities, London hosts a spectacular New Year’s Eve fireworks display. Every year, 250,000 people gather along the banks of the River Thames to see the fireworks launched from the London Eye, Big Ben and rafts on the river, with the capital city’s skyline providing a stunning backdrop to the display. The image of Big Ben chiming at midnight has become synonymous with the New Year celebration and is televised across the world.

Wherever they are, people turn on a radio or television just before midnight to see the countdown of the last few minutes of the old year.  As the clock strikes midnight, people often hug and kiss each other (even strangers) and it is traditional to sing Auld Lang Syne. This is a Scottish poem written by Robert Burns sung along to the tune of a traditional folk song, which sees everyone cross their arms over each other before joining hands, and dancing.

Check out this YouTube video of Auld Lang Syne: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rId95N2teUc&w=420&h=315]

In Wales, Calennig is celebrated over New Year which includes a parade through Cardiff and the ancient custom of giving gifts and money on New Year’s morning, surviving to this day in the form of giving bread and cheese. In Scotland (where New Years is known as Hogmanay) and some parts of Northern England, people spend the last few hours of 31^st December preparing to be or receive first-footers. A first-footer is the first person to cross the entrance of a home after the start of the New Year. They traditionally bring gifts to bring luck, such as whiskey, shortbread, coal and fruit cake which are shared amongst the guests. The focus of Hogmanay, one of the world’s most famous New Year celebrations, are in Edinburgh which hosts a huge street party along Princes Street, with  cannon fire  at Edinburgh Castle marking midnight, followed by a large fireworks display. Some smaller towns in Scotland like Stonehaven hold Fireball Festivals beginning at midnight, where giant balls of fire are swung by participants in a parade down the High Street, attracting visitors from all over the world.

Celebrations held across the UK often go on the early hours of New Year’s Day morning. The 1^st January is a public holiday across the country (with a second public holiday on the 2^nd January for Scotland) which allows people to recover from the late night. Many spend the day with family and friends, sometimes enjoying big roast dinner. Others visit the local high street to take advantage of the January sales (which now tend to start on Boxing Day, the day after Christmas Day) to grab a bargain. On New Year’s Day, a million spectators line the streets to watch the London parade, the biggest New Year’s Day event of its kind, honouring people from all the different boroughs in the city.

At this time of year, some people choose to make a New Year’s resolution, which is a promise that you make to yourself to stop doing something bad, or start doing something good, on the first day of the year. This might be joining a gym to get fit, or to quit smoking.

What New Year’s resolution will you be making this year?

It's Christmas!

Christmas is the most widely celebrated holiday in the UK. Despite being a Christian holiday, it is also celebrated almost universally outside the religious community and by a growing number of non-Christians too.

The Christmas season is the annual celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, believed to be the son of God in the Christian faith, making his birth an important date in the Christian calendar. According to popular tradition, the Virgin Mary and her husband Joseph travelled on a donkey from their home in Nazareth to Joseph’s hometown of Bethlehem, to pay their taxes and take part in a census. On their arrival in Bethlehem, they found that all of the rooms across the city were full. Wherever they tried to find lodging, they were told, “There is no room at the inn”. Eventually, one innkeeper allowed them to spend the night in his stable. That night Mary gave birth to Jesus in the stable, surrounded by farm animals, where she laid him in a manger. Shepherds in the fields surrounding Bethlehem were told of the birth by an angel and were the first to visit the baby. Three wise men also visited Jesus in the manger, guided by the Star of Bethlehem, which they believed signalled the birth of a King of the Jews. They brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh for the baby.

There are many services and traditions in churches associated with Christmas, however I will focus on the more secular traditions followed by most people in the UK.

The most typical Christmas decoration is the Christmas tree, which became popular in England after Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert, brought a Christmas tree over from his native Germany. The royal family were shown standing around the tree in a newspaper, and so the tradition began. This huge one is in the Business School here at MMU.


Here are some links to  Christmas songs; the first two are traditional carols you might hear in a carol service.

O Come All Ye Faithful
Silent Night

The next two are popular Christmas songs that are heard everywhere all December. Feed the World is a charity Christmas song originally released in 1984 to raise money for anti-poverty efforts in Ethiopia.
Band Aid – Do They Know It’s Christmas
Wham – Last Christmas


Manchester is an amazing place to be at Christmas time with the beautiful decorations in the city centre, two temporary outdoor ice rinks and the world famous Christmas markets. If you only do one thing in Manchester for Christmas, wander through over 300 chalet style stalls selling intricate gifts, sample a hog roll, Bratwurst sausage or crepe, and soak in the festive atmosphere.

One of the main traditions of Christmas is gift giving. Typically people buy presents for their family and friends, wrap them in Christmas paper (decorated with religious or secular pictures or phrases) and place them under the tree to be opened on Christmas morning. Father Christmas, or Santa Claus, delivers presents to children during Christmas Eve night and places them either under the Christmas tree, or in Christmas stockings. He delivers presents to children across the world by flying his sleigh – pulled by nine reindeer, led by Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer – and going down the chimney. Many homes leave out a glass of whisky and a mince pie for Father Christmas and a carrot for his reindeer, to re-fuel before the continue on their journey.

If you do not celebrate Christmas you might be wondering what to do on Christmas day while most people are with their families. A popular thing to do is to go for a Chinese meal followed by a trip to the cinema. Chinatown and Rusholme will be very busy with the sizeable proportion of Mancunians who do not celebrate Christmas, so why not gather some friends and go out for a big lunch or dinner? Alternatively, cook up a traditional Christmas dinner and see what all the fuss is about!


Merry Christmas, or Happy Holidays if you do not celebrate!

(Co-written with Sian Hughes)