Christmas

Five Christmas fashion trends we should bring back – and may be found in your wardrobe already

Five Christmas fashion trends we should bring back – and may be found in your wardrobe already: Dazzle camouflage costume ball at the Chelsea Arts Club in 1919. Wikimedia, CC BY Christmas is a season for partying and dressing up. Sequins, Santa hats and ugly Christmas jumpers abound. Each event seems to demand a new …

Christmas consumption – what would the great economic philosophers think?

Christmas consumption – what would the great economic philosophers think?: UNSW Thomas Yang/Shutterstock Even during a cost of living crisis, with interest rates and inflation high, the average spending per person for Christmas 2023 in the UK is expected to reach as much as £974. Retailers, advertisers and a sense of tradition continue to encourage …

‘It’ll all be over by next year’ ? how Britain celebrated Christmas in 1943

‘It’ll all be over by next year’ ? how Britain celebrated Christmas in 1943: A bit of Christmas cheer: members of the Women's Royal Naval Service taste the pudding at Greenock in Scotland, December 1943. Admiralty official collection Britain’s popular newspapers greeted Christmas 1943 with the fond hope that it would be the last Christmas …

How Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol anticipated the psychology of Freud in its tale of childhood trauma

How Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol anticipated the psychology of Freud in its tale of childhood trauma: Arthur Rackham , CC BY With a joyful celebration of family love and communal bonds at its heart, Charles Dickens’s story A Christmas Carol has often been credited with creating our modern idea of Christmas. Published on December …

Overeating at Christmas can cause weight gain – but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s permanent

Overeating at Christmas can cause weight gain – but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s permanent: Many of us look forward to sharing Christmas dinner with friends and family. DC Studio/ Shutterstock The holidays are a time of indulgence, with most celebrations centred on having festive food and drinks. It’s no wonder then that most people …

Christmas at Kew: what the royal household of King George III ate for their festive dinner in 1788

Christmas at Kew: what the royal household of King George III ate for their festive dinner in 1788: Picture the scene: a cosy but grand rural retreat. A long mahogany table is dressed for Christmas with evergreen foliage. Flickering flames in a huge stone fireplace reflect off crystal chandeliers, gold candelabras, and the jewelled tiaras …

How the Christmas royal broadcast evolved – from the first reluctant monarch to an enduring queen and a new king

How the Christmas royal broadcast evolved – from the first reluctant monarch to an enduring queen and a new king: On Christmas Day, many in the UK will pause their festivities at 3pm to watch King Charles give his Christmas message – his second since his mother, Queen Elizabeth, died in September 2022. The century-long …

How to survive being a guest at another family’s Christmas

How to survive being a guest at another family’s Christmas: Rawpixels/Shutterstock Welcome to the holidays, a time for families coming together. It’s exciting to visit your partner’s family and experience new relationships and rituals – it’s also potentially mortifying. Holidays are a crucible for surfacing relational histories – and conflicts – as well as highlighting …

Glitter is ready-made microplastic pollution – time to ditch it this Christmas

Glitter is ready-made microplastic pollution – time to ditch it this Christmas: Efetova Anna / shutterstock A few months ago, shoppers in Germany were reported to have been stockpiling decorative glitter. That’s because it is now officially banned in the EU. Glitter is made of plastic, and since plastic doesn’t really degrade, almost every bit …

Alcohol, artificial trees and ‘granny dumping’: why Christmas is such a busy time in A&E

Alcohol, artificial trees and ‘granny dumping’: why Christmas is such a busy time in A&E: Christmas day is actually the least busy day in A&E during the holidays. Medical-R/ Shutterstock Christmas is a time for families and friends to come together, relax and enjoy themselves. It’s a time of giving and receiving and of feasting …

Vape deals are everywhere this Christmas – here’s how to deal with the horrific waste problem

Vape deals are everywhere this Christmas – here’s how to deal with the horrific waste problem: Vape deals are all over the place in the run-up to Christmas. Vape kits, e-liquids and accessories are being widely promoted as stocking fillers, frequently with upwards of 50% off. There’s certainly a big market, with nearly 5 million …

The Shepherd: Disney’s ghostly new Christmas tale evokes the eerie qualities of Britain’s abandoned second world war airfields

The Shepherd: Disney’s ghostly new Christmas tale evokes the eerie qualities of Britain’s abandoned second world war airfields: From Charles Dickens to M.R. James, Christmas has a long association with ghost stories. In The Shepherd – part of Disney+’s festive fare for this year – we have an evocative addition to the genre. Based on …

How to deal with homesickness your first Christmas away from home

How to deal with homesickness your first Christmas away from home: Important holidays (such as Christmas) can intensify feelings of homesickness. fizkes/ Shutterstock Christmas is synonymous with home, family and tradition. But not everyone can be home for Christmas. For many young people, work, school and relationships may mean you’re living far from family – …

Die Hard is a Christmas (terrorism) movie

Die Hard is a Christmas (terrorism) movie: The following article contains spoilers for Die Hard. ‘Tis the season – for office holiday parties, being jolly and the annual battle over whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie. For years, a tongue-in-cheek debate has swirled around the violent action film, which was released in the US …