Hi,
Yes I did read the page about St Nicolaas, it was interesting and a lovely custom. My first boyfriend was Dutch so knew a little about it before hand.
Glad to hear DH arrived safely in the States - even with a delay. Also good to hear Fiori is exploring a little. The Imperial War Museum is great, there is one in the North West now too - in Salford so it's good to have somewhere close to hand. It's near to The Lowry theatre so we got to see some of the reenactments they do. I didn't know they did them but we were at a concert at the theatre and went out for the interval and weren't allowed out on the balcony as there were people in army uniforms all around. It took a little while to figure out what was going on - when the explosions started it was obvious everyone was acting so we could enjoy the fun. Although it wasn't as much fun for the smokers in the group who weren't allowed outside for a cigarette!
The mulled wine came from the continental market held in the centre of Manchester every winter. It's really nice as it's situated throughout the city centre but is centered in Albert Square near the town hall. There's plenty to eat and drink, mulled wine, various beers plus hot chocolate and soft drinks. Cured meats, cheeses, and pies are for sale to take home but to eat on the hoof there's a hog roast, bratwurst stands, roast chestnuts, waffles, cookies, pancakes and confectionery of all kinds. There are also stands where locals sell their wares - costume jewellery, bags, hats, some beautiful alpaca wool socks and scarves and things like that.
Luckily for me at a small shopping centre up near the cathedral a vintage fair was underway when we arrived. Sadly we'd arrived by train so I couldn't buy too much, even though there was some lovely glassware and crockery of the era of our house. Still, something will show up elsewhere. I ended up with a new purse (from a stall I'd purchased from before), a picture for our spare bedroom and a carved wooden decoration for the Christmas tree.
It was a little busy for me yesterday - we usually go during the week, but it was still fun and we met up with a group of friends which made it even better.
I'm sure whichever choice you make will be the right one - you'll feel good to have ventured out for provisions or you'll enjoy being at home and making the most of the things you already have in. Today we are resting, I was so tired by the time we got home, it's 90 minutes on the train, including waiting time. DH is making some bread and I think we're going to have a nice cooked lunch. Other than that there's some ski jumping on the tv so we'll snuggle in and enjoy that.
Have a good Sunday!