It’s officially December now, which means that it’s acceptable to openly embrace the Christmas music, dig out your festive jumper and scoff a 6 pack of mince pies whilst telling yourself that the diet starts in the New Year. With only one week left until the holidays, it’s the perfect opportunity to cram in some last minute Christmas shopping, down Costa’s honeycomb latte and gorge on Nutella crepes at the Christkindlmarkt.
Whilst you find an array of people complaining about the dark nights drawing in earlier, below-freezing temperatures and Christmas adverts taking over the TV, learn to just ignore these Grinch’s. Christmas is a time of festivities, bobble hats and a way to show your appreciation for friends and family through gift-giving.
Widely acknowledged as a key place to visit at Christmas time, don’t take it for granted that Leeds City Centre is within walking distance from you. This year shows the arrival of the Leeds Wheel, a lovely idea, even if a slight copy of the London Eye (but who’s complaining??), alongside the recent visit by the Coca-Cola truck. But, it doesn’t end there… there’s Trinity to ‘splash your cash in’, the new John Lewis to browse for decorations and the Corn Exchange to grab a photo of the annual Christmas tree. To top off the night, there’s really no city better than Leeds (I mean, there’s a chance that I may be being biased here…) for cocktails or, if you’re feeling adventurous, a mulled wine or eggnog. Plus, every night during December is late night shopping, so there really is no excuse to leave your gift buying until Christmas Eve.
If this didn’t get you excited enough, there’s also amazing places close to Leeds that host an array of Christmas events. With York and Harrogate both sporting Christmas markets, Manchester adding an ice rink at Cathedral Gardens and Tatton Park bringing Roald Dahl’s ‘Gloriumptious Christmas’ to life, make the most of your last week off. As I mentioned in my first blog post about York, train tickets are literally £2.65, so you don’t have to delve too deep into your Christmas budget either. These destinations are great too if, like me, your parents are visiting to pick you up and take you back for the holidays. So, take them for a cosy meal at your favourite little restaurant, go for a ride on the Leeds Wheel or just drag them around Zara and Topshop (whilst dropping hints at all your favourite items of clothing) but be sure to make the most of being in Leeds before January time and exam season comes around.
Image 1: http://www.leedscornexchange.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Christmas-at-Leeds-Corn-Exchange.jpg
Images 2 & 3: Writer’s own