As it turned out, December 2021 was probably about half as fun as we were all expecting it to be.
It wasn’t supposed to be this way. After the misery of last Christmas and the lockdown that arrived hot on its heels, everyone had been planning a series of sensational festive celebrations to make up for lost time.
But instead of a fortnight full of revelries, what we got in December 2021 was a truncated scattering of low-key meet-ups, hastily scaled-back office parties, and group chats filled with images of friends holding lat flow tests aloft adorned with the dreaded two lines. Even the virtual quiz – which we all thought we’d left behind in Lockdown One – rose from the dead.
The build-up to this Christmas wasn’t what we wanted, expected, or deserved. But whilst COVID might have stolen events from the festive calendar two years running, it still hasn’t managed to take away our Christmas traditions.
Everyone who celebrates Christmas has their own special routine on December 25. And it’s not always a case of present-swapping, turkey dinner, gallons of wine and a blazing family row. We put the question of festive traditions out on social media to find out more.
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Christmas Prep: Poundland, p*ss-ups and ringing bells
The Christmas utopia that is Poundland / Image: Wikimedia Commons
Christmas is all in the prep. The gift-buying, the wrapping, the decorations, the food, the games. The run-in to the big day involves planning galore – and this in itself has given birth to some unusual traditions.
People get ready for Christmas in all kinds of different ways, apparently, from budget shopping sprees to embarrassing rituals.
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One couple said in the days leading up to December 25, they always arrange a dedicated trip to Poundland together, grabbing a £20 note and splashing the cash on a mix of completely random stuff.
“We buy so much,” said the poster. “Some tat, some funny, others practical. One year I got a padlock and a whisk.”
Score.
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Another Christmas Eve tradition from one mum involves heading upstairs, ringing bells out of the window, and tossing two new sets of pyjamas into the garden for her kids. She’s done it for years and still does it today… even though her children are now aged 19 and 17.
Then, of course, there are those who just don’t do any preparation at all, and spend most of the previous evening in the pub instead.
One poster admitted that each year he ‘gets p*ssed Xmas eve and ruins Xmas Day’.
He won’t be alone in that.
Christmas grub: Chocolate Oranges from the dog and ‘pigs willies’
One mum’s Christmas Day tradition was handing each of her children a “Chocolate Orange from the family dog who died in the 90s” / Image: Wikimedia Commons
The classic image of Christmas involves plates piled high with turkey, stuffing, veg, roast potatoes and gravy, with bites of food punctuated by people pulling crackers. But some say they look forward to getting grub on Christmas Eve more than dinner on the big day itself.
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Several respondents claimed their family tradition was to order a gigantic, greasy Chinese takeaway on December 24 – chowing down on noodles, rice and prawn crackers as a way to warm up the stomach.
Some also admitted to never having a traditional dinner on Christmas Day itself. One poster said they moved the classic festive meal to Boxing Day due to family commitments – enjoying a fry-up on the afternoon of December 25 instead.
Another claimed they put out pizza for Christmas lunch – resorting to this option after too many turkey dinner disasters (“After several ruined Christmas dinners… I now refuse to make one”).
The most specific food tradition of all, however, belonged to the family that eats Chocolate Oranges on Christmas Day – all of which are handed over by their mum on behalf of the ‘family dog that died in the 90s’.
A special mention goes to the respondent who admitted that the tradition under their roof is to call pigs in blankets ‘pigs willies’. That dinner table is guaranteed to be full of tittering.
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Festive telly: Scarecrows, snowmen and the Ludovico Technique
A Clockwork Orange… a Christmas classic? / Image: Warner Bros
Even if we weren’t being encouraged to scale back the celebrations this Christmas, millions of us would already be huddled up indoors and spending hours in front of the TV watching festive films.
One of the most popular pastimes after the big feast is to sink into the sofa and switch on the gogglebox. Some generations will still remember when there were just a handful of programmes to choose from on Christmas Day. But now, we can access all our favourite shows on demand. This means that festive tele traditions have broadened a bit in recent years.
Still, it sounds like many people still enjoy the classics. Many respondents said they tune into the same programmes on December 25 – with popular choices including Only Fools and Horses, Call The Midwife, Gavin & Stacey,The Snowman and The Polar Express. But in between the familiar festive flicks, there were a few unusual picks.
One respondent said they’d spent Christmas 2020 watching the reincarnated Worzel Gummidge – the scarecrow who originally appeared on children’s TV in the 70s – whilst their partner cooked lunch. And it’s something they enjoyed so much, they’re continuing it into 2021 (“I’m making this my new tradition”).
The most eye-raising response, however, came from the poster who said he liked to put time aside on Christmas Eve every year to curl up in front of Stanley Kubrick’s once-banned dystopian crime drama A Clockwork Orange.
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Not the cheeriest. But each to their own.
Christmas spirit: Special memorials and kind gestures
One reader said she always set up a space at the table for an extra person on Christmas Day… just in case they didn’t have anywhere else to go / Image: Wikimedia Commons
Of course, for many of us, Christmas can actually be a pretty testing time. The day can evoke memories of loved ones who might not be around any more. In other instances, people who live alone can be left feeling isolated and adrift.
Among the responses to our Christmas traditions question, several posters revealed they spend the day doing something a little different to commemorate or help others.
One respondent said they always “put a cigar for my dad and tube of smarties for my sister under the Christmas tree who have both passed away”. Others said they always take a moment to raise a glass towards the empty chairs where a family member might have once sat in previous years.
Another heartwarming answer came from a reader who said she deliberately set up an extra space at her Christmas table every single year, just “in case anyone needs feeding”.
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So, there you have it. Even on Christmas Day – a time of year when we picture millions of others in Britain doing exactly the same thing at exactly the same time as us – it turns out that no two households are identical after all.
Everyone does the holidays differently. But the final word goes to the respondent who argued that Christmas is already strange enough without needing to switch up the status quo.
He stated: “What [weird traditions?]? Weirder than bringing a tree into my house and putting shinny shit on it. Weirder than worshiping a jolly fat man who doesn’t exist. Weirder than stuffing a big bird in the oven and then seeing how much I can stuff down my throat? Weirder than extended family practices? Erm, NO. Can’t think of anything.”
Review | We need Neigbourhood Weekender every year – and so does the North West
Danny Jones
Neighbourhood Weekender returned for 2026 this late May bank holiday, and after its second consecutive edition following an admittedly brief hiatus, we’re more confident than ever that we want this music festival on the calendar every single year.
Actually, we’d go so far as to say that lots of people around the North West and beyond NEED it.
We know plenty of people are understandably wary of potential hyperbolic declarations like that, but let us explain ourselves…
For starters, getting an opportunity to see the likes of criminally underappreciated Northern names like Richard Ashcroft playing the big slot on the main stage is a good place to start.
Many of you will have no doubt seen the Wigan legend on solo tours – not to mention serving as the pitch-perfect support act for Oasis’ reunion tour last summer – but topping the bill on Saturday night of NBHD Weekender 2026 served as yet more proof that he is, in fact, a headline act.
Maybe that changed a little for lots of people post-Live ’25, but his set was one of several over the course of the two-day festival in Victoria Park that served as a reminder of just how good lots of these long-standing acts both were and still are.
Kaiser Chiefs, Razorlight, The Fratellis, Mel C, Shed Seven, and so on: they’re not just nostalgic acts that those of a certain generation get to enjoy as a throwback – they’re all still incredible, seasoned performers in their own right.
They boast a wealth of experience and aptitude for playing to live crowds that you only get by being very good at what you do for a long time. You only have to look at the countless youths who quickly realised they knew more choruses than they realised, and got to sample hearing them in person for the first time.
And then speaking of the younger, more up-and-coming section of the lineup, the next generation absolutely smashed it as well. Let’s just say there were more than a few rising stars on show.
Westside Cowboy are clearly at the start of something very special and got a healthy dose of shout-outs from punters on the day; Keo were as frenetic as everyone knew they would be, Brooke Combe was on top form as she has been every time we’ve seen her, and Cassia were class.
More Mancs rose to the challenge in the form of The Guest List’s biggest show yet, too – they were also left super humbled when we spoke to them afterwards – and fellow regional band The Royston Club were nothing short of excellent, simple as (’52’ and ‘Cariad’ were two of our highlights of the entire weekend).
Of course, then you’ve got the likes of the already established DMA’S, who were absolutely box office and made it plain how much affection they have for “their second home” up here in this part of the UK, and Sunday’s headliners, Blossoms, have proven time and time again that they’re the real deal now.
But aside from banger after banger, it was a conversation we overheard near us during the Stopfordians’ set that helped us come to this revelation.
Somewhere between their walk-out on stage and the second/third song, a bloke and his mate behind us shared an intimate moment we felt almost rude for having accidentally eavesdropped on, right up until the point it made us well up ourselves.
Without going into too much detail, this very stereotypical-sounding Northerner dropped all pretence and confessed to his friend that he’d had a tough couple of months, and that he’d been looking forward to this for weeks – not simply because Blossoms are his favourite artist, but because he needed it.
Call it a release, that hour or so of sheer abandon, or just sharing a special music memory with his best mate: whatever it was, this evening was much more than a gig to him. People throw the phrase ‘lifesaver’ around about music a lot, and it never feels like an exaggeration in moments like this.
It was also apparent that he was a working-class Warrington native who was lucky enough for his postcode to help him afford to go to Neighbourhood Weekender and have this embrace with his pal, who was in an ideal setting to have perhaps a long overdue heart-to-heart.
This is what it means to people. Music IS therapy, and when done in its purest form – i.e. played live to people who live and breathe the stuff – it can do more good than you’ll ever know. All we have left to say is thanks for having us, and roll on NBHD Fest in Manchester city centre later this year.
We had an absolute blast at Neighbourhood Weekender 2026. 🎶
Inside Manchester’s newest fitness haven that’s both state-of-the-art gym AND reformer pilates studio
Daisy Jackson
A state-of-the-art open gym, small group training, and a top reformer pilates studio, all under one roof – welcome to the new home of FORM.
This leading Manchester fitness facility has undergone a pretty major transformation this year, more than doubling in size.
Where the gym once stood, you’ll now find the newest – and most stylish – pilates space in the city centre, with 10 reformer beds for intentionally small classes.
This is where you’ll find the best pilates instructors in the city, who’ll coach you through classic pilates moves to build a stronger, more balanced version of yourself.
If you’ve done any classes at RESET by FORM over in the Bloc building in the city centre (or, indeed, at their sister studio in Leeds), you’ll already know these are the best classes in town.
Then the main FORM gym space has moved upstairs, taking over a huge space in the Riverside building in Manchester.
The boutique fitness brand’s new flagship HQ is packed with free weights, cardio equipment, machines, and a zone specifically for their small group training sessions, all looking out over a leafy courtyard through floor-to-ceiling windows.
Whether you’re a seasoned pro at strength training or are stepping into a gym for the first time, FORM wants the gym to be a supportive, judgement-free zone.
Reformer pilates at FORMReformer pilates at FORMReformer pilates at FORM
And this is one of those fitness spaces where the coaches get just as excited about your progress as you do, whether you’re nailing your first teaser on a reformer bed, or hitting a new squat PB.
Whichever type of fitness journey you’re on, you’ll find a coaching-led approach to help you build confidence and longevity in your wellbeing.
Libby Smith, Co-founder at FORM Riverside, said: “We know people want more from their gym experience now.
“FORM Riverside brings together reformer, strength training and coaching in one place, giving people the flexibility to build a routine that works for them, all within one membership designed to offer real value.”
The small group training zone at FORMHuge windows in the main gymCardio equipmentThe gym at FORM in Manchester
Ben Wood, Co-founder at FORM Riverside, added: “We’re super passionate about making fitness as inclusive and sustainable as possible, with an emphasis on long-term progress rather than quick fixes.
“Our incredible team of coaches and instructors are always on hand to ensure members get the most out of their time with us, whatever their starting point or goals. We’re proud of the community we’ve built and look forward to welcoming both new and familiar faces into the space.”
To mark the launch, FORM is offering one month unlimited introductory offer for £99, giving access to as many reformer pilates, strength training and coaching sessions as members can squeeze into the month.
The Manc -
24th December 2021 
