Christmas Links #19

Amazing arts treats to watch and listen to this Christmas:
"Christmas is the perfect time to indulge in guilt-free binge watching and listening. But don’t be ruled by a remote control – playlist your festive treats with our selection box of cultural delights on BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds. Entertainment, enchantment, mystery and marvels await."

The Queen of Christmas:
"Elizabeth Chan, a full-time Christmas-song singer and composer, visits Santaland at Macy’s."

Best Christmas film: Elf, The Muppets and L**e A******y miss top spot:
"It was made in 1946 but It's A Wonderful Life has been voted Britain's most popular Christmas film."

Mistletoe: The Evolution of a Christmas Tradition:
"Why does this parasitic plant remind us of romance?"

How “Coventry Carol,” a lullaby about killing babies, became a Christmas song:
"Plot twist: During the Renaissance, it was performed in the summertime and may have been considered funny."

Christmas: 'Too old' girl uses £100 voucher to buy gifts for children's ward:
"A girl who won a £100 shopping voucher but decided she was "too old" for toys has spent it on Christmas gifts for a children's ward."

Eat Christmas Dinner To See What Country You Actually Belong In:
"Eat, drink, and be merry."

A humble weed grew in a cracked city sidewalk. Now it’s the Christmas Weed, a festive holiday destination:
"Alyssa Emrick and her family were on their way home from church on Dec. 9 when they spotted an unusually tall weed growing at a busy intersection on the west side of Toledo."

National Gallery unveils Italian painting as 'Christmas gift to the nation':
"Work by female Baroque artist Artemisia Gentileschi will go on ‘grand tour’, says gallery."

Multi-Story: Episode 11: Christmas:
"Festive audio treats, featuring Christmas in prison and a life-sized nativity."