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
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…
Much has changed over the past 60 years – including how gay and lesbian Australia celebrates Christmas.
Hotlanta Voyeur
I used to live in Brisbane, where, year after year on the afternoon of Christmas Day, a group of older gay men I knew would meet up in a pub. Spending some of the holiday season catching up with friends…
Fancy something a bit different this year?
Caroline Yeldham, courtesy of the Leeds International Medieval Congress
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…
Giving a gift is a complex transaction. So what makes a gift good?
MattysFlicks/Flickr
The anxiety attached to gift giving is worth considering. The Christian commemoration of Christmas is about celebrating God’s ultimate gift, his only son. Such an exceptional gift reaches its destiny in…
Put down the laptop and feel the cheer.
Mike McCune
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
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…
A few years ago, the Downton Abbey Christmas special featured a ouija board which communicated a message from a dead character. American reviewers were extremely puzzled by this incursion of the supernatural…
During post-war British rationing, Australians ensured the tradition of Christmas puddings survived.
Victor Bayon
In a current TV advertisement for supermarket chain Aldi, a young traveller returns to his northern hemisphere village and shares his newfound knowledge of the Aussie Christmas. The villagers begrudgingly…
We know that social isolation can thrive in the suburbs - so how can we better plan our cities?
Scorpions and Centaurs/Flickr
Social isolation and loneliness are becoming common in our large cities. Our cities are sprawling, housing is becoming more unaffordable, people are travelling further and longer in their cars and household…
Cool dancing, everyone … can we open our prezzies now?
Richard Milnes
In the movie The Life of Brian (1979), Reg, played by John Cleese, asks fellow members of the People’s Front of Judea: … apart from the sanitation, the medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation…
Lights, shopping, presents … it must be Christmas.
Magnus D
The “spirit of Christmas” is all about universal goodwill, caring about others and the importance of family and friends, right? Or is it about shopping? The festive buying frenzy is the clearest indication…
Scenes that retailers dream of.
David Parry/PA Wire
Advent – the season of preparing for Christmas – has only just begun. But the build up to the consumption bonanza that Christmas has come to represent, started weeks ago. And to give retailers a December…
Do online shop staff do online shopping while at work in their online shopping warehouse?
Jakub Kaczmarczyk/EPA
On Friday we witnessed images reminiscent of the London Riots from a few years ago. People with a crazed look in their eyes descended on shopping malls to plunder their contents. They fought with others…
As well as the tell-tale signs of decorations going up, the rolling out of Christmas advertisements has become a key moment for getting us all in the seasonal mood. And the competition to capture the festive…
At this time of year it is difficult to ignore the image of Santa Claus or, as we still often call him in the UK, Father Christmas. His face is on billboards, magazine covers and TV adverts, looking to…
Good news! Christmas electricity consumption might surprise.
Malingering/Flickr
On Christmas Day in Australia, fewer people are at their paid employment and more working premises are closed than on any other day in the year. How does this affect demand for electricity, widely seen…
It’s a long way for one man and his reindeer to travel.
Jpatokal
In just one night, Santa has to visit millions of homes to deliver presents. If he could travel at the speed of light, the task would be simple. However, Einstein’s formula, E=MC², tells us that anything…
Taking extra care and consideration for those with dementia can make Christmas a much more enjoyable experience for all.
brutusfly/flickr
The rise of intensive mothering has turned parenting into the ultimate ironwoman event. In an age in which the demands of the workplace have increased, so too the ideals of motherhood have become more…
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