As the weather begins to take a real grip and attentions begin to stray away from deadlines to Christmas shopping, and more importantly – parties, there’s nothing better than submerging yourselves into a little bit of kitsch, winter nostalgia, and there’s very few better places in Britain that do it better than Manchester. Packed to the brim with pop-up bars, skating rinks and one of the UK’s largest Christmas markets – Manchester certainly adopts a splendid European festival vibe for the best part of December. An early starter in the silly season of over indulgence is Cathedral Gardens’ North Pole Bar, a pop-up bar boasting über-kitsch faux fur throws, Swiss chalet rugs, warm winter cocktails and, erm, an Asian noodle bar. Glossing over the mismatched commercial partnership, Manchester’s North Pole Bar is as good an example of an unpretentious, simple slice of plain old winter fun, and if you’re looking to tie in your Christmas shopping with a bit of a knees up – and why not? – then this is a good a place as any to do just that…