Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Happy Christmas.

Here's to a better 2021...

Merry Christmas

Happy Christmas.

Bad Santa graffiti in Blackpool by Seca_One

Bad Santa graffiti in Blackpool by Seca_One

Happy Christmas

Merry Christmas.

A snowy day at the old Mini & Crazy Golf courses in Luton

Christmas Crazy Golf

It's Christmas-time!

Playing a Christmas Crazy Golf hole at Teezers Retro Golf in Coventry at Easter in 2019

Happy Christmas Eve

A gluten free Christmas

Check out Coeliac UK's Christmas campaign online and using the hashtag #GFChristmas.

Thank you to @marketing_gott who shares his experiences of eating out and eating in at #GFChristmas: https://t.co/MRLO2TvFK1 pic.twitter.com/ofFvnE0o44

— Coeliac_UK (@Coeliac_UK) December 14, 2020

Thank you to Richard Gottfried - Marketing Consultant who shares his experiences of eating out and eating in at...

Posted by Coeliac UK on Monday, 14 December 2020

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Coeliac UK (@coeliacuk)

It's always good to be able to raise awareness of Coeliac Disease and you can read more of my Tales from a Gluten Free Christmas in this Christmas blog post.

Last Christmas at The Oxford Place in Leeds

A couple of nice festive gift cards from days gone by

Did you know that Blockbuster pioneered the use of gift cards? The first plastic gift cards went on sale at Blockbuster Video in the USA back in 1994.

One of these cards is from the USA (2005), the other from Canada (2006).

Related blog posts:

- Video Shops

- Blockbuster

National Christmas Tree Day

Happy National Christmas Tree Day.

In Hyde

Today is National Christmas Tree Day.

Just got to make room in our ceiling for this tree

The first Christmas tree I saw this year was in Withington, Manchester. In July!

Do you have your Christmas Tree up yet?

I competed in a Christmas Tree Throwing Competition at a summer fete back in 2012. One of many obscure sports I've tried over the years

Merry Christmas from Stockport

Merry Christmas to everyone from us here in sunny Stockport.

We're not sending any real cards this year as last year we posted out a hundred special Christmas minigolf postcards and only 5 arrived at their destination, and 2 of them were half destroyed, as the post box we put them in suffered some sort of incident.

Chrizy Golf - Christmas Crazy Golf

A look back at the Chrizy Golf Masters crazy golf competition in Manchester.

I won the Chrizy Golf Masters miniature golf tournament in Manchester eight years ago today.

Time flies!

Back on the 30th November 2012 the first - and to date only - Chrizy Golf Masters minigolf tournament was held on a festive-themed pop-up crazy golf course at Piccadilly Place in Manchester.

The Chrizy Golf course was the 313th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

The Chrizy Golf course was gone once the 2012 festive season was over and the building remained empty, or used for other pop-ups, until the team at Junkyard Golf made it their home for another minigolf course. That one was there for a couple of years. They have since moved on and can be found at a permanent venue at First Street in the city.

Related blog posts:

- Christmas Crazy Golf

- Christmas

Christmas Jumper 2020

I now declare that the festive season may begin.

Lidl's Christmas jumper for 2020

Christmas Crazy Golf

Not long to go until Christmas!

It's highly doubtful we'll be playing any Christmas minigolf this festive season - our first Christmas in Lockdown.

Thankfully we've played a bit of yuletide crazy golf on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour in the past.

A selection box of festive miniature golf from top left - the Home Alone hole at Teezers Retro Golf in Coventry (played on an Easter Sunday), the pop-up Chrizy Golf course in Manchester and the Santa hole on the pop-up Christmas course at Devonshire Square in London

Check out the latest blog post about Christmas Crazy Golf from the team at Putterfingers.

NEW BLOG: Portable crazy golf hire adds a bit of festive cheer to small gatherings. Great for all ages, delivery to...

Posted by Crazy Golf on Thursday, 12 November 2020

Back on the 30th November 2012 I won the first - and to date only - Chrizy Golf Masters minigolf tournament in Manchester!

Chrizy Golf Champion

Tales from a Gluten Free Christmas

With Christmas fast approaching I'm pleased to share my experience as part of Coeliac UK’s ‘Tales from a Gluten Free Christmas’ campaign. Visit the Coeliac UK website and check out the #gfchristmas hashtag on social media to find out more.

This year we've been missing meeting friends for a meal at our favourite restaurant, The Oxford Place in Leeds.

With a bit of luck we'll be able to get over there for a meal this year after the current national lockdown in England.

Dining out gluten free

Since we first heard about The Oxford Place in 2016 we've eaten there a lot. Not only is the entire restaurant and kitchen 100% gluten free and safe for Coeliacs, it serves superb meals that my non-Coeliac friends have loved eating too. They pass the "you can't tell its gluten free" test every time.

Last year I had my first Christmas Dinner at a restaurant since I don't know when!

Last Christmas at The Oxford Place

It wasn’t any old Christmas Dinner either. The Oxford Place always put so much effort into the dishes they serve up and they are a treat for the taste buds and the eyes.

Normally by this point of the year we'd have been to Leeds for celebration meals, for fun, to attend events and see friends. In 2020 we've been there a grand total of zero times.

We've had so many wonderful meals at The Oxford Place. From light lunches to three-course meals, to birthdays, anniversaries and Christmas Dinners with all the trimmings I've been able to feel somewhat normal again by having the choice of anything and everything on the menu without worry of cross-contamination, or the annoyance of having something removed or replaced to 'make it gluten free'.

We can't wait until we're able to get back to the city and The Oxford Place. I know I'll be making up for lost time and ordering a lot of food on my next visit.

If you haven't been to The Oxford Place I suggest you make a booking and try it as soon as you are able to.

A gluten free Christmas at home

Being a Coeliac doesn't mean you have to miss out on treats. I've certainly snacked on and scoffed my fair share of Christmas food since being diagnosed in 2008.

Last year you could get Lebkuchen by Schar at Asda. They were something I'd really missed so I bought a lot of them. I haven't seen them in store yet this year, but fingers crossed they'll be doing them again.

It'll be fun making some too. There's an excellent recipe for gluten free Lebkuchen in the Gluten-free Baking at Christmas book by 'The Happy Coeliac' Samantha Stein.

Home-made gluten free Lebkuchen biscuits

We'll be enjoying Christmas at home again this year, cooking up a superb festive meal with all the trimmings, including Yorkshire Puddings.

The range of gluten free food available in supermarket's Christmas ranges has also improved over the last ten years and we've ordered a few extra treats from M&S already.

What is your favourite thing about being gluten free at Christmas?

Check out Coeliac UK's Christmas website for more information, ideas and inspiration for gluten free food and drink.

Links:

• Coeliac UK
• The Oxford Place

Related blog posts:

• Coeliac
• Gluten Free
• Christmas

Four months until Christmas Day...

...where has the year gone!

A Christmas Crazy Golf hole at Teezers Coventry - we played there at Easter 2019

Merry Christmas in June

Happy Christmas in June.

It's only 6 months until Christmas Day.

Playing Christmas Crazy Golf at Teezers Retro Golf in Coventry last Easter

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Merry Christmas!

Happy Christmas.

We hope you have a brilliant festive season.

Christmas Crazy Golf in Coventry

A look at the festive hole at Teezers Retro Golf in Coventry.

Back in April we played a Christmas-themed minigolf hole when we visited Teezers Retro Golf in Coventry.

Check out the full blog post from our visit.



Have you played any Christmas-themed minigolf this year, or do you know of any festive crazy golf layouts?

Happy Christmas Jumper Day

Today is Save the Children's Christmas Jumper Day.

In my Pac-Man Christmas jumper

Check out Save the Children's Christmas Jumper Day website for more information and details on how to donate.

There's no I in Christmas

Spotted in Cheadle.

What's wrong with this picture?

I don't mind Christmas being shortened to Xmas, but I draw the line at this dropping of the 'i'.

A Christmas Frog in Stockport

Stockport's Giant Leap continues...

We were in town yesterday evening to attend a wonderful performance of A Christmas Carol at the Garrick Theatre. On our wander from Redrock to the theatre we spotted there's a new Stockport Frog outside the Merseyway shopping centre!

The new Christmas frog in Stockport town centre

Totally Stockport, the team behind Stockport's Business Improvement District (BID), organised Stockport's Giant Leap art trail consisting of 22 decorated giant frog sculptures dotted around the town centre during the summer.

It was a nice surprise to see the Christmas frog in town.