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Articles on Christmas 2014

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World War I Christmas Truce Commemoration match – but it’s debated whether the original ever happened. Mike Egerton/PA Wire

It was German soldiers who made first move in the Christmas Truce

The Christmas Truce is no stranger to popular entertainment – this year more than any other as its 100th anniversary is marked. The famous moment when British and German soldiers climbed out of the trenches…
“No crackers, Gromit! We’ve forgotten the crackers!” Chinaview

Twelve reasons your children should watch films at Christmas

Christmas is a time for nostalgia, a time where even the most hardened cynics among us might reflect on our Christmases past with a certain warmth. And there’s no better way to set aside the slings and…
Stalled. JMicic/Shutterstock

We’re simply having an analogue Christmas time

The British Christmas that Charles Dickens serves up to us is rich in food and warmth, two things that in his day were often thinly stretched throughout the year in many homes. These days, for most of…
Have you considered a Quorn Christmas? David Reece

Get into the festive spirit by not eating turkey this Christmas

If I say “Christmas dinner”, perhaps the following image is conjured up: a large table groaning under the weight of roast potatoes, parsnips, peas, Brussels sprouts, a jug of gravy, and in the centre “the…
50 Shades? How dare you! Olesya Feketa/Shutterstock

What the books you receive this Christmas say about you

Christmas is a time to give generously and receive graciously. And yet… And yet. Many of us have opened Christmas presents and thought: what does it say about me that you thought this – this! – was the…
Getting excited!! Christmas by Shutterstock

Seven ways that chemistry puts the magic into Christmas

From the enticing aroma of the turkey in the oven to the “whoosh’” of the flames as the brandy-soaked pudding comes alight, Christmas is a wonderful time for the senses. But have you ever considered the…
The ugly sisters have long been a staple. mangakamaidenphotography

Is panto what it was when you were a child? Oh, no it isn’t!

Now the pantomime season is well and truly underway, many will have heard a familiar complaint. It’s newfangled, it’s not what it was. What happened to the good old days, when panto didn’t involve 3D glasses…
Fancy something a bit different this year? Caroline Yeldham, courtesy of the Leeds International Medieval Congress

What would you have eaten for Christmas in medieval times?

With Christmas almost upon us, there will be plenty of frenzied present shopping and meal planning. Haven’t made that Christmas cake yet? Fear not. If you were preparing the festive meal 600 years ago…
Neapolitans have given fishmongers and celebrities alike a place at the nativity for hundreds of years. acetosa888

More than one lobster present at the birth of Jesus? That’s old news

There’s a scene in the film Love Actually where a little girl announces that she’ll be playing “first lobster” in the school nativity play. “There was more than one lobster present at the birth of Jesus…
Put down the laptop and feel the cheer. Mike McCune

How mindfulness could give you the gift of a calmer Christmas

In the run-up to Christmas we find our to-do lists bloated with added chores: present shopping, card writing, preparing to travel or receive guests. We are bombarded with adverts telling us what to buy…
Welcome to the party: a time for giving. Frank Tasche

Priceless: the inefficient, but merry economics of Christmas

Fingers crossed, we are soon to be inundated with Christmas joy disguised as presents from our family and friends. I received my first card more than a week ago and a present – now sitting under the tree…

Please don’t rock around the Christmas tree

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping at … zzzzzz snooooore. It’s that time of year again, and at the risk of promoting bah humbug over chestnuts roasting, I’m very Ebenezer Scrooge when…

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