Germany tops the league for Christmas markets and delicacies

A survey for Europe’s top ferry operator, DFDS Seaways, shows that we Britons think Germany has the best Christmas markets, with Munich and Cologne topping the city leader board as first and second respectively.

37% of those polled rated German Christmas markets as the best, which was head and shoulders above the UK with 8% of the vote. Belgium came third with 6% of the vote and France only received 3%.

Bruges came third overall as being the city with the best Christmas markets with just over 6% of the vote. This wasn't true for all ages, however, as Paris came top of the list with younger people aged 16-24 years old, with a fifth of respondents citing the French capital as the best festive city, compared to just 1% of older people aged 55 years old and over.

Why visit?
When asked what would motivate people to visit a European Christmas market, going away as part of a mini break came out as the most popular choice (48%), followed by the desire to experience local traditions (37%) and a quarter (24%) cited indulging in European delicacies, that are not widely available in the UK, as a key motivator.  Interestingly, one of the most popular reasons given by the younger generation (16-24 year olds) to visit was to have a ‘magical experience’, with 41% giving that as a key motivation, compared to just 29% of those aged 55 years old and over. Over a quarter (28%) of those surveyed also said that buying presents was a key reason for visiting the markets.

UK knowledge of European delicacies
Most people were able to identify where traditional European delicacies originated from, with German Stollen being the most recognisable with 83% of the vote, followed by France’s Pain D’épices (82%) and Dutch Advocaat had 51% recognition. Generally, people over 34 years old had a greater recognition of the traditional foods from other European countries than their younger counterparts. For example, 83% of the older generation of 55 years and older had heard of Advocaat, compared to only a quarter (27%) of 16-24 year olds. Similarly, more than two-third of the over 45s were familiar with Panettone, compared to just a quarter of 16-24 year olds. Denmark’s Ris a l’amande was the least known treat with only 6% of respondents having even heard of it.

Max Foster, passenger director at DFDS Seaways, says: “Over the last few years we have noticed a greater interest in European Christmas markets and I was not surprised that nearly three quarters of those asked would like to visit one. One of the great things about travelling by car and ferry is that there are no luggage restrictions, so picking up special presents and delicious Christmas food and drink is easy. With our ferry routes into Holland and northern France, travelling to the European Christmas markets is also easier and more affordable than you might think, and we have some great Christmas market short breaks available on our Newcastle to Amsterdam service.”

DFDS Seaways operates 50 sailings a day between the UK and France, as well as daily sailings between Newcastle and Amsterdam, providing flexible crossing times and convenient travel options. All DFDS Seaways ferries are equipped with a range of high quality onboard facilities so your holiday starts as soon as you board the ferry.

www.dfds.co.uk.

Christmas in Shrewsbury - #oneoffstory

Shrewsbury’s first Christmas video, promoting it’s unique offer, was unveiled by Shrewsbury Business Improvement District (BID) at the town’s Christmas Cracker Event on Wednesday 19th November.

The film was projected onto the front of the Museum and Art Gallery in the town’s Market Square as part of a unique lighting display by Andy McKeown at the Lights Switch-On.

The video is now available to watch on the Original Shrewsbury YouTube channel and here at That's Christmas.

The film illustrates Emily Hurdiss’ Christmas story as she shops along the snowy streets of Shrewsbury and enjoys a series of ‘will they, won’t they’ close encounters with a handsome young man.

With the strap line ‘Let Your Christmas Story Start Here’ the film invites viewers to share Emily’s Christmas story whilst showcasing a selection of town centre shopping and leisure businesses and famous Shrewsbury sights with a sprinkling of Christmas magic.

The two minute film has been directed by local filmographer, Aaron Child, and features Emily Hurdiss and James Mitchell, having both grown up in Shrewsbury and now pursuing acting careers in London.

The soundtrack comes from Gareth Rhys Jones, winner of Shrewsbury BID’s competition to create the accompanying music for the video. Following its use on the video, Gareth is releasing the song on 1st December which will be available to download on iTunes, Amazon as well as other online retailers.

Kirsten Henly, Shrewsbury BID Manager, said: “We are lucky in Shrewsbury to have so much local talent on which to draw, including Aaron for the filming and Andy McKeown for his projection at the Lights Switch-On.

“Our first video ‘Summer in Shrewsbury’ attracted more than 26,000 views, so we’re hoping to build on its success with this latest film, which is packed with beautiful shots of the town, as well as local businesses and local people playing their parts in it. The nation is gripped by how brands are connecting emotionally with audiences at Christmas through creative marketing campaigns and our ‘one-off story’ presents Shrewsbury and its festive offer with a mix of magic and humour."

What’s in your Christmas dinner?

For most of us, Christmas is a time for presents, parties and piling on the pounds. But despite it only coming once a year, December 25th can be a daunting day for the more health-conscious.

LloydsPharmacy Online Doctor decided to do a little investigating to find out just how nutritious – or potentially artery-clogging – some of our favourite festive nibbles and tipples really are:-

Champagne
Champagne contains about the same amount of calories as a chocolate Digestive biscuit, which makes it one of the lighter Christmas tipples. But studies have shown that the carbon dioxide it contains can get you drunk quicker. If you’re feeling a little tiddly after a couple of glasses, have a glass of water and eat something to line your stomach.

Mixed nuts
Don’t be fooled – a pot of mixed nuts might be high in protein, but they're also very calorific and tend to come covered in salt and oil.

Turkey
Turkey is low in fat, high in protein, and contains a lot of B vitamins. It also contains tryptophan, which – when consumed with carbohydrates – produces melatonin, inducing that familiar Christmas day drowsiness.

To make your meal a little healthier, try removing the skin before you eat the turkey and bear in mind that light meat tends to be less fatty than dark meat.

Roast potatoes
Before they’re cooked, potatoes are almost fat free! To keep them as healthy as possible, cut them into large chunks (the bigger they are, the smaller their overall surface area, meaning less fat is absorbed). You can also switch goose fat for unsaturated vegetable oils.

Brussels sprouts
Sprouts contain lots of fibre, vitamin C, vitamin K, and carotenoids (which are great for keeping your eyes healthy). They also contain high levels of raffinose, which cannot be broken down by the stomach. In the lower intestine, raffinose is fermented by bacteria, leading to the production of smelly gases!

Gravy
Make your grave healthier by using the water you’ve cooked your vegetables in, and skimming any fat off the meat juices before adding them.

Stuffing
A traditional chestnut stuffing will pack a nutritional punch. Chestnuts are low in fat, high in vitamin C and potassium and are a healthy, tasty alternative to sausage meat.

Cranberry sauce
Cranberries are a brilliant source of antioxidants, as well as vitamin C and fibre. Cut down on added sugar and additives by making it yourself.

Christmas pudding
Though Christmas pudding is packed with sugar, it’s also low in fat and high in fibre, and contains lots of B vitamins, potassium and calcium. Boost the health benefits of your pud by making it yourself (shop bought will contain more fat and sugar).

Eggnog
Any drink that contains sugar, cream and booze is unlikely to get the seal of approval from a doctor! But there’s nothing wrong with a little bit of indulgence on Christmas Day. Just make sure you enjoy your eggnog in moderation…

Chocolate
Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without a bit of chocolate. But if you’re worried about overdoing it, you can always swap your white or milk chocolate for darker varieties that contain less fat and sugar, and more antioxidants and essential minerals.

That's Christmas would like to thank Dr Tom, the LloydsPharmacy Online Doctor for his invaluable help in putting this article together. https://onlinedoctor.lloydspharmacy.com.

When animals got prezzies!

The animal residents at Drayton Manor Zoo had a pleasant surprise earlier this month, when they all received a little something from Santa himself.

They all got early Christmas gifts, when the great man himself paid a visit to the 15-acre attraction on Wednesday 17th December, as part of its Animal Enrichment programme.

There was a wide variety of festive gifts for the animals, from rabbit for the leopards, mealworms for the meerkats.

The gibbons and parrots had nuts and seeds respectively.

Joyce Roberts, who is the manager of the zoo told That's Christmas: "Christmas is the season for giving and we wanted to make sure our residents at the zoo weren't forgotten, either!"

She went on to say: "The animals have given families who have visited the zoo a day out to remember and they definitely deserve their gifts!”

Drayton Manor Theme Park’s Magical Christmas event will be open from the 27th – 31st December and Europe’s only Thomas Land™ attraction will open on Saturday 14th February 2015 for a fun-filled February half term, closing on Sunday 22nd February. The 15-acre zoo will also be open. For further information about Drayton Manor Theme Park or to pre-book discounted entry tickets visit www.draytonmanor.co.uk or call 0844 472 1960.

Don't let them be alone this Christmas! But half a million will.

6.9 million older people in Britain will be relieved when Christmas is over, national research shows.

And what is worse, half a million older people in Britain will spend Christmas Day entirely alone.

New research, undertaken by pub chain Ember Inns shows that 20% of older people will awake on Christmas morning dreading the day ahead.

And nearly in 20 older people didn’t receive one single present last Christmas.

The worst part about Christmas Day for nearly one in 10 older people is spending the time alone. In fact, 11% say they feel upset when they see other people with families on Christmas Day.

Nearly one in 10 older people say will be making do with a pre-purchased ready meal on Christmas Day.

Ember Inns has decided to redress this problem by donating a table at every one of its 130 pubs across the UK on Christmas Day to lonely older people from the local community.

Each pub has donated a four course Christmas dinner, free of charge, so lonely older people can spend the day surrounded by their peers.

Fiona Richardson, who is the Marketing Manager for Ember Inns, said, “At Ember Inns we're passionate about communities. We all have friends or relatives who live alone. This can be a very hard for some of them, especially so in the run up to Christmas and our pubs are ideally situated in the community to help.

"Our pubs are all over the UK so lonely older people will be certain to have one near them that they can rely on for the perfect Christmas this year.”

In the UK over half of all 75 year olds live alone and one in ten suffers ‘intense’ loneliness but is reluctant to ask for help and 17% of older people think Christmas is ‘just like any other day’.

For more information visit www.emberinns.co.uk .

Merry Twixtmas from Wales!

A new idea that is aimed at beating a modern social problem, a lack of time due to over-planned and scheduled lifestyles, is happening in Wales, in  Bridgend County, to be exact. It's happening over the five days between Christmas and New Year.

Bridgend County is the first Welsh host of Twixtmas - a UK-wide campaign to offer a chance for families and friends to get together and try out some new activities, help other people and to rediscover how to reclaim valuable time during a traditionally 'dead' period in the calendar.

Between 27th and 31st January, the #WelshTwixtmas programme will motivate people to try something new, help others, or do things they've been putting off throughout the year.

In Bridgend, the Twixtmas campaign group's got together with top tourist operators and community groups, backed by the local council, to offer a fantastic range of Twixtmas events to transform what can be a boring part of the year into a period for families to enjoy a ‘happiness binge’.

#WelshTwixtmas will encourage you to do something different during Twixtmas. It encourages you to ‘Seek’ ‘Blitz’ ‘Learn’ ‘Give’ and ‘Walk’ during the five days, through a series of engaging events in Bridgend County Borough. These will include:

27 Dec: Seek the Naturekeeper’s quest through a family treasure hunt in the Bridgend countryside through the council’s new ‘Dare to Discover’ mobile app
28 Dec: Blitz your environment through a beach clean-up at Porthcawl’s Rest Bay beach
29 Dec: Learn something new at a ‘University of Twixtmas’ event at Cwm Tawel Yurts
30 Dec: Give blood to the Welsh Blood Service or donate food to Bridgend Food Bank
31 Dec: Walk the stunning Bridgend stretch of the Wales Coastal Path

As part of its support for the Twixtmas campaign, a UK-wide initiative,  the campaign group will also launch a ‘Happiness Binge Guide’ to encourage people to take up the activities on offer and set goals for 2015 in line with the Twixtmas drive to ‘do something different’.

Andy Green from the Twixtmas campaign group, said: “We live in a society that is characterised by overscheduled lifestyles and rife with a real lack of time to spend quality time with ourselves, our families and friends. Research shows that the average British family spends just 49 minutes per day together - with many parents having to adopt a ‘shift parenting’ approach to taking care of their children."

“The five days of Twixtmas are an opportunity for people to reclaim valuable time, reassess their lifestyles and do something different - for themselves, the community, their family or someone else. It’s a timely reminder to all of us of the importance of taking quality and leisure time seriously to address work/life balance issues.

“We’re delighted that Bridgend will be the first Welsh county to host an event for #WelshTwixtmas. It’s positive to see so many businesses and the local authority supporting the initiative with a suite of exciting and unique activities across the county.”

Bridgend Council Leader, Mel Nott OBE, said: “The Twixtmas concept is all about transforming the five days between the Christmas and New Year holidays into a unique opportunity that reminds people to reclaim valuable personal time, undertake new experiences and approach 2015 with a fresh outlook for managing their work-life balance over the year ahead."

To learn more please visit www.twixtmas.com and www.bridgendbites.com.

(EDITOR: Thatschristmas will be following Twixtmas on Twitter.)

Report a Christmas Crime discretely on the trains

If you are on a railway station or on board a train over the Christmas period and you witness a crime British Transport Police are advising you that you can discreetly inform them of the situation by texting them on  61016, which is their force national text number.

You can also call them on  0800 405040.

However, they do remind us that in an emergency, we should still use 999.