It’s been a rough few weeks for businesses in Manchester, whose Christmas trade has been slashed by concerns around Omicron.
But there are ways you can support your favourite indies, while ticking off a few tricky last people on your gift list.
We’ve rounded up some brilliant Christmas gift ideas that are perfect for those people who are impossible to buy for, and give a little something back to Manchester at the same time.
Do you know of a great business we’ve missed out? Let us know on our social media pages on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
Restaurant vouchers
Salvi’s in the Northern Quarter
Everyone, and I mean everyone, loves going out for dinner – but with Covid cases rocketing, a lot of us are spending a bit more time at home in the run-up to Christmas.
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A great way to help your favourite restaurant to weather the current storm is to buy a restaurant voucher, paying it forward to a date where things are a little calmer.
It’ll give your friends and family something to look forward to, too.
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Loads of local indies offer vouchers, but a few to consider are Salvi’s, Elnecot, and Mowgli.
Secret Spa
Credit: Secret Spa
Got someone in your life who absolutely loves a pamper?
You can deliver whole spa treatments – complete with professional masseuse/nail tech/spray-tanner – to their door with Secret Spa.
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Services include manicures from £27, massages from £45, and spray tans from £27, all performed in the comfort of your own home between the hours of 6am and 10pm.
Mancs can take £20 off their first book using code THEMANC – the code expires on January 31, 2022.
There are gift cards too. You can browse the lot at secretspa.co.uk.
Zymurgorium
Zymurgorium’s mini bottles
Let the festivities be gin, am I right?
Manchester’s got loads of local distilleries but if you want to have a bit of fun with your booze, it’s got to be Zymurgorium.
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Beer-lovers can sip on The Cub Gin, made in collaboration with Congleton brewery Beartown; pink drink fans can go for a shimmering Realm of the Unicorn gin liqueur; and there’s even something for jam fans in the marmalade gin, made by the legendary Duerr’s.
You can order a yard of gin, a Zym Experience Pack of five little bottles, or just commit to one of their many flavours as an ideal Christmas gift.
Manchester’s beautiful bagel bakery and florist hybrid has put together the ultimate Christmas morning hamper.
You can win over the hearts of your tricky relatives by rocking up and Christmas day armed with a selection of bagels, schmears, smoked salmon, sparkling wine, coffee, juice, and a floral centrepiece.
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The hampers are available to collect from Kampus on Christmas eve, but if you can’t make it, there are also gift vouchers you can pass on as an IOU.
Tipples of Manchester
It’s getting a bit close to the wire to be relying on online orders, but if you’re in the city centre you can grab some great gifts at Tipples on Lloyd Street.
This independent booze shop has got a whole library of liqueurs and spirits to suit every taste.
The staff are always happy to make recommendations if you’re really struggling too.
Christmas WILL return to Albert Square this year, Manchester City Council confirms
Daisy Jackson
Manchester’s Christmas activities will finally make a return to Albert Square for the first time since 2019, the council has confirmed.
The beautiful square in the heart of the city has been largely closed off for the last few years while the Town Hall is carefully restored, in a project known as Our Town Hall.
Before that it was the beating heart of the city every winter, filled with wooden huts for the Manchester Christmas Markets and overlooked by the giant light-up Santa.
Now, Manchester City Council has confirmed that ‘most of’ Albert Square will be made available this year to support this year’s Christmas programme.
There’s been no mention of the city’s biggest festive event, the Manchester Christmas Markets, but rather plenty of hints of ‘Christmas events’.
The latest report on the Our Town Hall project says that works on the the transformed and enlarged square will be ‘resequenced and accelerated’ so the Albert Square can be ready for a ‘welcome winter return’.
More details of the festive attraction will be shared later in the year.
The skilled contractors working on the Town Hall are now 80% of the way through the ‘construction’ phase, with completion currently pencilled in for August 2026.
Albert Square in Manchester will host Christmas events again in 2025. Credit: The Manc Group
When it reopens, it will include a new free visitor attraction which will open up the Town Hall’s history to the public.
Deputy Council Leader Councillor Garry Bridges said: “We know Mancunians and visitors alike are looking forward to having their town hall and their civic square back and better than ever and it’s great that we can now look ahead to that.
“We are developing a civic square to rival the best in Europe and it will be exciting to see it pilot Christmas events this year ahead of a full permanent opening next year.
“We look forward over the course of this year to announcing more details about Christmas in Albert Square and how people in Manchester can help us celebrate the reopening of their magnificent town hall.
“We’ve overcome so many challenges to get to this point and while the unique nature of the project is such that some inevitably still remain, we believe the end result will be something special.”
The Our Town Hall report will be considered by the Council’s Resources and Governance Scrutiny Committee when it meets on Thursday 6 March.
The project is continuing to operate within its revised £429 million budget, adjusted in October last year, but some residual risks remain. A further update report will be brought forward this summer once negotiations with the management contractor have concluded and the completion date is confirmed.
Gavin and Stacey Christmas special on course to break UK TV viewing figures record
Danny Jones
Gavin and Stacey is set to break yet another TV record as this year’s Christmas special and definitive series finale has become one of the UK’s most-watched scripted shows ever.
The iconic British comedy returned after a long hiatus to finally conclude the series with its first new episode in five years.
Delighting die-hard fans and comedy fans in general all over the country, millions tuned in to watch the last-ever Gavin and Stacey chapter – over 19 million, in fact.
With 12.3m watching the finale on Christmas Day alone and even more in the week following, the tally has now reached approximately 19.3m and counting.
📢 Gavin & Stacey: The Finale has become the UK’s highest rating scripted show with 19.3 million viewers and counting
Not only did this smash their own previous record of more than 18m set by the last Christmas special back in 2019 but it is well on course to cruise past the 20m mark when the official seven-day viewing figures are released, which is standard practice for assessing final ratings and viewing figures in the UK.
Almost a quarter of the viewers who helped achieve the feat were aged 16-34 as well, making it the largest young audience ever, according to the BBC.
The emotional reunion of the beloved cast looks set to see them surpass Coronation Street‘s record of 19.4m set in 2003 and could even see them beat the legendary British sitcom, Only Fools & Horses, which saw 21.3m viewers gather around the box for their 2001 Christmas day episode.
So, although the BBC states that it is the “most-watched scripted show across all broadcasters and streamers since current records began in 2002”, it still technically has a little way to go in order to match/surpass the biggest-ever tally.
That being said, when factoring in the stats from all live views and digital streams, the final numbers should see them over the line.
We had to be together to watch it go out tonight!Gavin and Stacey is a show about friendship and family. Tonight’s show has been a labour of love from start to finish and we hope you enjoy it.Wherever you are and whatever you’re doing.Happy Christmas from us both #GavinandStaceypic.twitter.com/kUKMiXUEyL
Regardless of whatever seven or indeed 28-day figure they end up on, co-creators, writers and stars James Corden and Ruth Jones have been blown away by the success of the one-off comeback.
Writing by way of recognition and as a thank you to the fans, they said: “We are completely overwhelmed by the audience response to our show and to these astonishing viewing figures.
“Gavin & Stacey really does belong to the audience and we are beyond thrilled that so many people enjoyed watching it this Christmas. A huge thank you to Charlotte Moore and the BBC for backing us these past 17 years.”
The ratings and overall reaction to the show have also been overwhelmingly positive, with millions tearing up over the long-awaited storyline – even if some of those watching pointed out one little problem…
Moore, BBC’s Chief Content Officer, went on to add: “The numbers are truly outstanding, unprecedented even! It’s the show the entire nation has been talking about over the last week so it’s no surprise that it’s not only smashed its own record but has become the UK’s biggest scripted show.
“Ruth and James’ creation is a true homegrown success story, and their finale is a comedy masterpiece. It’s made us laugh and cry together in a way that only Gavin & Stacey can.”
The final viewership for the 2024 special will be published on Monday, 6 January and take into account viewings across all platforms up to Thursday, 2 Jan – they already look destined for another entry in the history books.
Daisy Jackson -
17th December 2021 
