Down on the canal on Christmas Day Down on the canal on Christmas Day a man walks towards me out of water-light, upright, Cratchit-wrapped, a smile to say: I know you. Hello Chris. Ghost in a time-ripped landscape where a low solstice sun spills whisked through a metallic staircase. With joy, the man's smile haunts me for miles a long blasted path, where a dead rat's belly festoons its purple crinoline Christmas hat.
That's right, Hetfield has unveiled a spoken word version of "A Visit From St. Nicholas," aka "Twas The Night Before Christmas" for all you Christmas plebeians. This much-needed dose of Yuletide joy debuted on the band's own Maximum Metallica SiriusXM channel, with the legendary rockers asking listeners everywhere to "grab your cocoa and settle in by the fire" as Hetfield does his thing.
Most families have their own unique festive rituals, and my husband and I have spent this December in the manner traditional to us: squabbling. He is fully invested in every possible aspect of the season of goodwill. On the big day itself, he wears his cracker crown until it breaks, like a metaphor; I usually don't bother unfolding mine, let alone putting it on. We've been married for 15 years, and weathered many storms together, but at the moment our relationship is particularly challenging.
Maura Derrane has been on our screens for three decades and has spent the last 14 co-hosting the 'Today' show with Dáithí Ó Sé - she talks to Kirsty Blake Knox about the programme's success and why Christmas is hard after losing her sister to cancer For many experiencing grief and loss, Christmas can be a challenging time. And that's something broadcaster Maura Derrane knows well.
As a divorced mom, one of the hardest parts of the holidays is facing Christmas morning knowing that I will not have presents under the tree unless I buy them and wrap them for myself. And as my kids get older, they've started to notice that I'm not unwrapping much on Christmas morning. But while they're old enough to want to shop for me, they're not old enough to go out and do it by themselves.
We are two weeks out from Christmas, which means that all across the land couples are at each other's throats. Christmas truly is the season of giving - giving your other half massive amounts of shit. The pre-Christmas fights range from the deeply inconsequential (what date to actually put up the tree) to the existential (why do we have to have three separate meats for the Christmas dinner?) to the make-or-break-a-marriage type (whose family gets the Christmas morning and whose family gets the afternoon).
The tree in question can be found in the Shoreditch office of ad agency Mother. It's not one big tree, rather 70 individual trees entwined together and spiralling all the way up the building's staircase, decked out with light-up stars. It measures nearly 100ft (equivalent to the height of around seven double deckers), dwarfing Trafalgar Square's 66ft Norwegian spruce and the 67ft Eastern City Tree at Pan Pacific London.
A poll of 2,000 adults found that holiday magic is highest for children age six - a time when parents believe their child's imagination is at its most vivid. This is when they begin to weave stories, characters and worlds with effortless ease, making the wonder of Christmas even more magical. A quarter of parents say anticipation is at fever pitch as their children don their pyjamas and put out mince pies and carrots on Christmas Eve.
Firstly, and most obviously, you could simply go to your nearest church. No doubt they have a decent choir, and all the usual trappings. Or, if you're more into the whole pagan thing, you could pack a warm blanket and a flask of [redacted] tea and head out to the forest with your loved ones and a sober companion to guide you home.
As Mariah Carey says religiously every single December - "It's tiiiime!" As we kick off the last month of the year and the holiday season, this LEGO build adds exactly the right spice to everyone's lives. Why buy a generic snow globe from Hallmark when you could make your own, asks The Brick Artist - the designer behind the Christmas Snow Globe currently gathering momentum on the LEGO Ideas website.
Flannel shirts, Christmas tree farms, and town squares filled with twinkling lights are par for the course in Hallmark holiday films. While there's certainly a good dose of movie magic that goes into creating these heartwarming (and, yes, a bit cheesy) scenes, many of the productions are shot in destinations-from Vancouver to Vail-that have their own brand of holiday enchantment in the winter months.
When we humans moved into northern Europe 40,000 years ago, it's likely that to cope with the depths of the cold winter we got together to cheer ourselves up, and also to mark the turning of the year back towards summer. It's no coincidence that Christmas Day falls very close to the winter solstice, when the sun begins its journey back to warmer and longer days.
🎄 Join Us for a Magical Evening! ✨The Nob Hill Association is delighted to invite you to our annual Holiday Lighting Celebration at Huntington Park! This cherished tradition is free and open to the entire community. Come enjoy an unforgettable evening filled with holiday spirit and joyful surprises, including: 🎶 Live holiday music🍪 Festive treats, cookies, and warm seasonal beverages🎨 Family-friendly activities for children of all ages🌟 The enchanting lighting of our beloved park!
Three globes, three distinct Christmas visuals, three absolute vibes. Made with a total of just 385 pieces, this MOC (My Own Creation) from LEGO builer ItzEthqn captures the holiday spirit perfectly, and for anyone who wants to customize the globes with something of their own, these designs seem absolutely modular, allowing you to replace the inner scene with anything of your choice for a more custom/bespoke snow globe!
The Street Where Santa Lives by Harriet Howe and Julia Christians, Little Tiger, 12.99 When an old man moves in on a busy street, only his little neighbour notices; with his white beard and round belly, she's convinced he's Santa. But when Santa falls ill, other neighbours must rally round to take care of him. Will he be better in time for Christmas? This sweet, funny, acutely observed picture book is a festive, joyous celebration of community.
A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols is broadcast live on BBC Radio on Christmas Eve afternoon, and it's important to point out that it's not the same as the Carols From King's shown on BBC2 in the evening. The famous Carols From Kings is actually prerecorded earlier in the month (sorry for the spoiler), and attendance is limited to college members. However, you can get pretty much the same experience by attending the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols on Christmas Eve itself.
Led by the incomparable José Hernández, Mariachi Sol de México® returns to Davies Symphony Hall for their annual musical tribute to Mexico's Christmas traditions. Experience a multicultural celebration as the ensemble sings and plays holiday favorites from both Mexico and the United States in a vibrant performance you won't want to miss. Artists: Mariachi Sol de México® de José Hernández
I was mid-meltdown one Christmas, with toys to buy, impossible relatives to search for, cards to send, turkeys to secure, families to see (you know the drill), when my friend leant an understanding ear. She took a pause and said, 'Christmas can be any day you know, it doesn't have to be the 25 th.' And for the first time in my adult life, the bauble dropped.
