Like many high school students I completely misunderstood the philosopher Herbert Spencer’s phrase “survival of the fittest.” I interpreted it to mean that those animals of a species that were the most…
Retail frenzy is a familiar feature of the festive season – but what about all the casual workers who labour through it?
AAP Image/NEWZULU/PAUL THOMPSON
_Yet the workers’ rights cannot be doomed to be the mere result of economic systems aimed at the maximisation of profits. _Pope John Paul II, On Human Work, 1981. Written more than 20 years ago, the above…
I remember the Santa depicted in the movies being a kind man that spent the entire year making toys to give all the boys and girls. But the songs painted a slightly more cynical picture of a man who used…
The new consumerism of Victorian England was going to change the old ways – for better and for worse.
Kevin Dooley
In much of the English-speaking world Christmas dinner involves the consumption of turkey – but that was not always the case. The origins of this ritual can be traced back to the generous act of one Ebenezer…
Sharing stories around the dinner table fosters greater self-esteem and resilience in young people.
Howard Chalkley
Families and friends share memories all the time; “You’ll never guess…”, “How was your day?”, and “Do you remember when…” are rich daily fodder. Sharing memories is not only a good way to debrief and reminisce…
What was the celestial body the three wise men followed 2,000 years ago?
epSos.de
The wise men were likely accomplished Greek astrologers, watching the stars for signs of a king’s birth. Technical terms used in the Bible’s description point to a real astronomical event.
“No crackers, Gromit! We’ve forgotten the crackers!”
Chinaview
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…
Carols by Candlelight is a fixture of the Australian festive season.
AAP Image/Alan Porritt
The strange northern hemisphere tradition of the television “Christmas Special” is somewhat alien to us on this end of the world. No Mr Bean with a turkey on his head or fantastically awkward Christmas…
Santa won’t be the only one working this Christmas.
Marcin Balcerzak/Shutterstock
Religious aspects aside, for many people Christmas has been that unique time of the year when the demands of work finally disappear, if only for a brief period. We get a well-deserved break, time to indulge…
It’s the season for giving gifts - but in a market economy, it’s easy to lose sight of what it means to give a gift.
Ben Watkin/Flickr
This time every year we feverishly try to find just the right gift for everyone on our list. Merchants seizing upon the frenzy promise more and more for less and less, seeking to awaken desires we did…
At this time of the year, our mailboxes and inboxes get flooded with Christmas appeals. Many of them feature heart-wrenching and guilt-inducing images of people in need, the idea being that they tug at…
You mean you don’t make your stuffing from scratch?
Nesster
When my good friend and long-term collaborator Sam Warren was given a pile of women’s magazines from the 1930s by her grandmother Jane Frampton, we found among them 11 Christmas issues of Good Needlework…
Large numbers of people who do not normally attend church still go there to celebrate Christmas.
ManImMac
In my home city of Melbourne, an extraordinary cultural and religious drama is played out on Christmas Eve each year at the intersection of Flinders and Swanston Streets. Thousands of people mill around…
50 Shades? How dare you!
Olesya Feketa/Shutterstock
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…
Senior Lecturer in Social Sciences, BA (Hons), MSc, PhD, CPsychol, HE Cert (Couns.), PG Dip (Couns.), FHEA, FRGS, MBACP (Accred), University of Bristol
Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity