How Canada’s postal service makes Christmas extra magical by having Santa reply to every letter

December 24, 2017, 3:00 am

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Not feeling Christmassy yet?

Well this ought to do it: when children in Canada write Father Christmas a letter, Father Christmas writes back.

Canada Post’s Santa Letter Writing Service has been running for more than 35 years.

Shiny happy people: How my Christmas got hijacked by Instagram

To date, more than 26million letters have been answered in over 30 different languages – including Braille – and letters have come from all around the world.

The service processes an average of a million letters a year and roughly 200,000 elves (err,… Read the full story

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14 people share their worst ever Christmas stories and you won’t know whether to laugh or cry

December 24, 2017, 4:00 am

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Despite what the song says, Christmas is not the most wonderful time of the year.

For some people, Christmas is a time when granddad gets smashed, the food is inedible and the tree topples over on your head.

18 nativity play stories that will make you snort with laughter

There is so much pressure for Christmas to be merry and bright that the smallest thing can turn it into a festive fiasco.

These people should be given medals… Read the full story

5 things that happen at every family party

December 24, 2017, 4:00 am

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If, like me, you have a large extended family who is always up for some fun and laughter, you’ll get invited to a lot of parties.

Birthdays, Christmas, Halloween, a nice day in summer… any excuse really.

5 horrors that can ruin the day of any 40-something woman

When you take a few dozen people who are related to each other, put them in a house not quite big enough, lay out a feast, turn up the music and let them all loose on the alcohol, then the fun begins.

And at every family… Read the full story

So, this cat wants Santa to die

December 24, 2017, 4:17 am

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Cats and Christmas are not natural bedfellows.

Cats destroy trees. They sit on baby Jesus.

They’re just little grinches.

As this feline festive vilan proves.

Twitter user @DryBertini uploaded a picture of his cat recreating one of the greatest showdowns between James Bond and Goldfinger.

Except, this time, it’s between a puss and Santa.

His ginger cat looms ominously over a little figure of Santa Clause in his model Christmas village, looking like he’s preparing to destroy him and all his silly presents.

This is not a cat to be messed with.

“No, Mr. Claus. I expect you to die.” pic.twitter.com/Qw18cHq2Fo

— A Nerd… Read the full story

Reddit user gets Bill Gates as Secret Santa and here’s what she receives

December 24, 2017, 4:36 am

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Most Secret Santas are crap.

You get given a pile of junk that you don’t really want and that they didn’t really want to buy.

But not so for one Redditor.

VietteLLC has just received a massive pile of gifts from her Secret Santa…who just happens to be Bill Gates.

Every year, Reddit organises a gift exchange for users around the world, and VietteLLC has taken part for years.

And every year, old Bill takes part.

‘I always check out the Bill Gates post and laugh…never for a second even considering it a possibility for me,’ she writes.

So, what did Bill get her?

‘A commissioned, one-of-a-kind cross-stitch of me and my pal, Bill, and… Read the full story

Everyone thinks Cara Delevingne’s new Jimmy Choo ad is sexist – do you?

December 24, 2017, 4:58 am

≫ Next: Midnight Mass is the best part of Christmas, hands down

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We’re hyper clocked onto sexism these days.

In the light of the #MeToo campaign, anything that seems to be promoting unwanted intimate behaviour is called out in a flash.

And rightly so; for too long, people have had to put up and shut up with being interfered with.

The latest victim of this mass wokeness is Jimmy Choo.

The brand released an ad back in November and it’s been causing a whole load of controversy because folk think it’s glamorising catcalling.

In it, Cara Delevigne, wears a sparkly pair of Jimmy boots down the street, and attracts all kinds of attention from passing dudes.

Some whistle… Read the full story

Midnight Mass is the best part of Christmas, hands down

December 24, 2017, 7:17 am

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Christmas is the best time of the year, obviously.

It’s the one day you can have chocolate and booze for breakfast without feeling like a complete glutton. You get given gifts. There’s actually some decent TV for once (dear God, I’m starting to sound like my dad).

But you know what the actual best bit of Christmas is?

It ain’t the 10am champagne. It’s not the pile of slightly off-centre presents.

It’s midnight mass.

I’m a sucker for delayed gratification, having been brought up in a family who does presents at about 4pm on Christmas Day. For me, after the gifts have been opened…that’s sort of Christmas over. The rest of the day is lamenting the fact that the day is over so soon.

Once you know you’ve got a Lush set and a fifth DAB radio, there are no more surprises. You know you’re having cheese and crackers for tea. You know you’re having another roast tomorrow and… Read the full story

McDonald’s opening times on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day 2017

December 24, 2017, 7:24 am

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While most people are looking forward to tucking into their turkey and roast potatoes this Christmas, some people want nothing more than a tasty McDonald’s burger.

If you’re one of those people, then its important to do your research as believe it or not, some McDonald’s restaurants will open their doors on Christmas Day this year.

Last year saw over 50 different McDonald’s across the UK open for Christmas, whilst this year there will be just over 20.

This means that most of the restaurants will be shut on Christmas Day, and many will also have reduced hours on Christmas Eve, closing at 7pm.

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10 things that totally suck about having your birthday on Christmas Day

December 24, 2017, 4:01 pm

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If you’ve ever heard the phrase ‘merry birthday’ and felt a mild resentment then you’ve come to the right place.

13 ways you are guaranteed to waste your time between Christmas and New Year’s Eve

It may be the most wonderful time of the year, but if your birthday falls on 25 December, you might be inclined to disagree.

That’s right, your birthday will forever live in the shadow of the dreaded c-word… Christmas.

Here’s 15 things that totally suck about having your birthday on Christmas Day.

1. You have to wait an entire year until you get any presents.

As a kid, you… Read the full story

The Christmas story – why it’s important to remember what today is about

December 24, 2017, 4:01 pm

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Happy Christmas!

12 Christmas outfit ideas for the dog in your life

While dozens of us will be tearing off the wrapping paper from presents under an evergreen tree, it is important to remember exactly what the date means.

No it isn’t about xmas pud, the Queen’s Speech or bits of tinsel on the mantel piece – its about family, friends and the story of how Jesus was born.

For those who aren’t familiar with that story, here is what Christians around the world believe Christmas is about and what happened on this day more than 2,000… Read the full story

From worst to best – the definitive ranking of Christmas food

December 24, 2017, 5:00 pm

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As far as I’m concerned Christmas is a pile of rubbish. It’s expensive, boring and involves a lot of family time, often with feuds aplenty.

All this with one exception: the food. Christmas food is amazing. Warm, comforting, with an element of magic about it – after all, much of the food we feast on during the festive season is nowhere to be found during the rest of the year.

Midnight Mass is the best part of Christmas, hands down

But not all Christmas treats were created equal, and there are some duds… Read the full story

5 free Christmas games to play with your family that aren’t charades

December 24, 2017, 6:00 pm

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Winston Churchill once said ‘Christmas is a season not only of rejoicing, but of reflection’.

Powerful words, and ones we can all agree with.

The blended family Christmas and where to spend it – 6 tips for keeping everyone happy

Reflection, though, always tastes sweeter when mingled with a healthy spoonful of victory, and I challenge anyone to find a victory more compelling, satisfactory and memorable than that of wiping the floor… Read the full story

10 things you only know if you have to work on Christmas Day

December 24, 2017, 7:00 pm

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While most people wake up on Christmas morning to a feeling of anticipation and glee, those of us heading to work aren’t as lucky.

Midnight Mass is the best part of Christmas, hands down

The doctors, nurses, emergency service workers, clergy, engineers, journalists and hospitality staff will be trudging to the office like any other day.

This is the reality for more than 900,000 people in the UK who will be working this Christmas Day.

From someone who’s done it, here are a few of the struggles.

1. The issue of actually getting to… Read the full story

5 sex workers share their most memorable Christmas Days

December 24, 2017, 8:00 pm

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I’m fairly certain people have a bleak image of escorts who work on Christmas Day, as well as the types of clients who visit them.

I avoided working as I was generally around friends or family.

From costumes to characters – here’s a beginner’s guide to role play

However, there are many times I would have preferred getting shagged silly rather than watching another EastEnders omnibus.

Just as long as it was all over with by the time Doctor Who came on, of… Read the full story

Why the Christmas I spent alone was my best ever

December 24, 2017, 8:00 pm

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There is just so much pressure on us around the festive season.

From the endless party invitations to making sure we keep everyone happy with the perfect gifts, to who we share a New Year kiss with; it sometimes feels less like the holidays and more like a competition of one-upmanship.

9 reasons why Love Actually is the most overrated Christmas film ever

Christmas Day is no exception here, with so many expectations of where we will choose to spend the day.

A few years ago, I made the rather controversial decision to kick tradition to the kerb and spend the day… Read the full story

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‘We’d rather be at Butlins’: People reveal the worst things their in-laws have ever said at Christmas

December 24, 2017, 10:30 pm

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You can’t choose your family, as the saying goes. Worse still, you can’t choose your in-laws.

Never is this so apparent than at Christmas.

19 genuinely funny alternative Christmas cracker jokes

It’s a stressful time to begin with: there’s food to prep; presents to wrap; excitable, sugar-fuelled children to manoeuvre into bed.

Add in extended, close-quarter stretches with your parents-in-law and their ‘helpful’ comments about how to cook the turkey, and the whole thing can ignite faster than a brandy-soaked Christmas pudding.

Even… Read the full story

13 reasons why Christmas is officially the worst day of the year

December 24, 2017, 11:00 pm

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I’m just going to say it: Christmas is awful. Terrible. The worst day of the year.

Mum says £60 must-have Christmas toy is an ‘absolute waste of money’

I realise this is controversial. There are, admittedly, some good bits, like getting two days off work, and crackers – crackers are OK.

Christmas is like one of those Instagram vs reality memes: we all hold a picture of an ‘idyllic’ Christmas in our minds but the day itself is 24 hours of gluttony and arguing, heartburn and boredom, until everyone goes to bed and it’s all over until… Read the full story

Burnt turkeys and family arguments: Seven people reveal their Christmas dinner disasters

December 24, 2017, 11:00 pm

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It’s not what’s under the tree that counts at Christmas.

It’s what’s on the dinner table.

Christmas dinner is the pinnacle of Christmas Day – anyone care to disagree?

Six people reveal their best excuses for calling in sick

We all have our must haves whether it is beef instead of turkey, a good dollop of bread sauce or stuffing balls and sprouts.

But some years, things don’t go to plan.

Nobody wants cremated turkey or, worse, frozen turkey and certainly no family rows across the dinner table.

Here are  people who have faced Christmas dinner disasters.

Rob,… Read the full story

Don’t make your partner feel bad if you don’t like your Christmas present

December 24, 2017, 11:02 pm

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Just the other day, I saw a Facebook thread full of people complaining about what their partners had bought them for Christmas.

Some were upset they’d only been given a certain number of gifts. Others thought no ‘thought’ had gone into their presents – and the rest just hated what they’d been given.

When it comes to family members, we smile through gritted teeth and thank them anyways – so why’s it different when it comes to your other half?

No matter what you think of the gift, it’s been bought for you. Your partner has gone out of their way to gift you with something – and… Read the full story

How do you reject a proposal without being cruel?

December 25, 2017, 12:06 am

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Christmas and New Year’s eve are traditionally popular times to get engaged. 

It all makes lots of sense – your family are together, you’ve got either six or 18 months to plan a summer wedding and there’s a nice sense of occasion.

But what happens if when your partner gets down on one knee (or just rolls over) and instead of feeling elated at the question, you feel panicked?

I’ve only been proposed to once, and I was pleased about it. Even then, it was pretty scary. Getting married represented a huge commitment and a big change in my life. So I can only imagine how terrifying that… Read the full story