We all know that “Christmas cannot be normal” this year due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, but there’s still plenty of ways to keep the festive spirit alive.
Children will often face a sleepless night of excitement on Christmas Eve as they wait to spot signs that Santa and his team of reindeer have visited, but as well as the collection of presents he leaves behind, much of the magic also comes from seeing a half empty glass of milk (or something stronger), and a generous bite from a carrot to prove the big man and his reindeer appreciated the snacks left to help him on his way.
And although Santa is far too clever to ever be caught on camera during his busiest night of the year, a McDonald’s creation will allow you to show your children something truly special when they awake on Christmas day.
The McDonald’s Reindeer Ready website has been proved to be huge hit with parents up and down the country in previous years.
Using cutting-edge technology, it gives parents the chance to film one of Rudolph’s gang eating from a plate of carrots in your very own living room and it couldn’t be easier to use, but the site is often overloaded in the final hours of Christmas Eve with the amount of people trying to access it, so your best bet is to get things prepared beforehand.
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All you’ll need to do is visit the Reindeer Ready website on your phone or tablet, choose ‘Reindeer Ready Live’, and then click ‘Get started’.
It will then access your camera to take a picture of where you would like the hard-working reindeer to appear, before editing in the magical animal to take a bite from a plate of crunchy carrots as the bells on its collar jingle away.
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You can even change the side the reindeer enters from to match how they would have entered the house.
It’s worth noting that getting the camera angle right to match where your child left the snacks may take a couple of goes, but remember that the website adds in its own plate of carrots so be sure to move yours out of the shot before you get started.
Once you’ve nailed the perfect shot, you can download the video to your phone to wow the little ones on Christmas morning.
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How brilliant is this?
You can visit the Reindeer Ready website to find plenty of other options – including Christmas themed activity sheets, audiobooks and a reindeer game – here.
Home Bargains has announced a special two-day closure of all UK stores
Emily Sergeant
Home Bargains has, once again, announced it’ll be closing all its UK stores on both Boxing Day and New Year’s Day this year.
And it’s to make sure staff get a ‘well deserved break’.
After what has been yet another busy year for the retail industry, many workers have been left feeling like they could do with a little extra time off, which is why Home Bargains is following on with what has become a now-annual tradition by shutting up shop on two bank holidays.
All of our stores will be closing for Boxing Day & New Years Day.
Announcing the move in a post on social media, the discount retailer confirmed: “All of our stores will be closing for Boxing Day and New Years Day. We would like to thank all our colleagues for how hard you have worked this past year, and want you to relax and enjoy the Christmas break with your loved ones.”
Of course, this isn’t the first time the retailer has kept its doors shut on bank holidays.
Many shoppers will recall it has made the same decision to give hardworking staff a break every year since 2019.
Explaining a little more about the decision taken to close all its stores, Home Bargains said: “As a family-run business, we know the importance of being together at Christmas with those we care about most, now more than ever.
“This is our way of saying thank you to our colleagues for their continued hard work and dedication.”
Featured Image – Geograph
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Two Greggs in Manchester will be serving their breakfast menu in the evening next week
Emily Sergeant
Who says breakfast has to end at 11am?
In news that’s set to be music to the ears of breakfast lovers in Manchester, Greggs is giving them exactly what they want.
We all know that brunch is a ‘thing’ by now, so now it’s time for brinner to make a name for itself instead, as Greggs has teamed up with Heinz to bring its much-loved breakfast menu back for tea time, kicking off from 4pm onwards.
The move comes as a new survey has found that the majority of Mancs (69%) admit to enjoying eating breakfast food in the evening, saying it’s ‘convenient and comforting’ – even ranking breakfast as a ‘more important’ meal than tea, as well (38% vs 36%).
Two Greggs in Manchester will be serving their breakfast menu in the evening next week / Credit: Greggs (Supplied)
Greggs says it has ‘lost count’ of the amount of customers that have tried to order breakfast items after the usual cut-off time, especially in Greater Manchester.
But luckily for those breakfast-loving Mancs, they can finally get their favourite breakfast and sauce pairing long after the morning rush is over next… but only at two Greggs branches, and only for a very limited time.
On Wednesday 14 and Thursday 15 October, the Heinz x Greggs Brinner collab will be available at Greggs St Mary’s Gate and Greggs Oxford Road, from 4-7pm only.
“We’ve lost count of the number of customers who have tried their luck ordering breakfast after 11am, so when Heinz came to us with the idea of making Brinner a reality, it felt like the perfect excuse to give the people what they want,” explained Zoe Harris, who is the Customer Director at Greggs.
“And let’s be honest, a Greggs Bacon Roll just wouldn’t be the same without a squeeze of Heinz Tomato Ketchup.”
Emily Sergeant -
22nd December 2020 
