Christmas wouldn't be the same without its traditions like the Christmas food, family games or a trip to a panto.
One fairly recent tradition which has caught the imagination of people across Ireland is 12 Pubs of Christmas.
The rules of 12 Pubs are straightforward enough - get a group together, get a festive jumper, visit 12 pubs in your area and have a drink in each of them.
The challenge, of course, is to try to get to the end of the night without giving up.
With there being so many excellent bars in Belfast, we decided to throw together your ultimate 12 pubs of Christmas guide, to make sure you hit all the best watering holes in the city.
Your ultimate 12 pubs of Christmas guide:
For starters
The Christmas Market Beer Garden
Where better to start than the city centre, in the place that - for many - embodies the Christmas spirit in Belfast? If you plan your 12 pubs experience just right, you can get yourself into the market, sample some Dutch pancakes or a kangaroo burger, water it down with an exotic continental beer from one of the two beer tents, and then get out before it gets too busy.
The Sunflower
Home of excellent craft beers - both on draft and in cans behind the bar - as well as one of the only places to do pints of Beamish, The Sunflower should be an early stop on your 12 Pubs journey.
If you're feeling hungry, they serve up delicious wood-fired pizzas in their beer garden.
Bittles Bar
Commonly known to have some of the best pints of Guinness in Belfast (some would say in Ireland). Worth getting yourself down early to properly enjoy them.
The Main Course
The Duke of York
As your night starts to properly kick in, get yourself down to the Cathedral Quarter, get a pint in the beautiful Duke of York and get the obligatory 'gram pic' in the alleyway before it gets too crowded.
Harp Bar
While you're at the Cathedral Quarter, stop off at one of its most iconic haunts.
Babel
A stunning rooftop bar with panoramic views of the city, good cocktails to match, and a Christmas buzz thanks to it being a city centre hotel. It's fair to say that Babel ticks the right boxes when it comes to 12 pubs.
White's Tavern
Stop off here for a pint by the fire and, most importantly, some excellent pub grub to keep you in shape for the latter half of the night. Classic Irish oysters, boxty and stew are all on the menu.
For desert
Kelly's Cellars
A hub of music, history and good pints, Kelly's Cellars is a good place to find yourself in during any hour of the day or night. You'll find yourself in the company of people of all ages, with stories likely to be swapped and craic to be had.
The Crown Bar
One of the most famous and architecturally important bars in Belfast. You can stop in here to enjoy a drink in one of their quiet snugs, or you can just sit out by the bar and appreciate its high Victorian interior design.
The Points
Music, good pints and excellent whiskey are all on the agenda at The Points - and its neighbouring bar, An Síbín. With Irish trad bands playing every night of the week, and a consistently warm crowd patronising the place, The Points is a cert for one of the last stops on your 12 pubs.
And to finish up....
The Empire
Good music, live local bands, and a dance floor in its downstairs bar which begs you to get up and dance as the night goes on - the Empire is unbeatable craic.
Lavery's
Pool, craft beers in their neighbouring Woodworkers bar, a traditional Irish pub downstairs and a nightclub feel in its terrace - Lavery's is, pound for pound, the best place to see out the night.
*It goes without saying that 12 Pubs of Christmas is meant to be a social game, and that excessive alcohol drinking can have bad effects. If you're feeling worse for wear, don't be tempted to continue - and make sure you have plenty of water throughout the night!
