Christmas Links #9


"Three Christmas editions were released: Christmas Story Teller 1 (1983), Christmas Story Teller 2 (1984) and Christmas Story Teller 3 (1985). Each had a “bumper 64 pages”, roughly the equivalent of two normal Story Teller issues. These three special editions had a fantastic mix of festive stories and popular carols."
Editor's note: Beautifully designed website which allows you to listen to the cassette audio whilst reading the book, as nature intended.

"In 1843, a festive tradition was born in Shere. Simon Furber visits the Surrey village to discover who was responsible for the humble Christmas card." 

"A Christmas tree has been lit in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. Many people gathered for the lighting ceremony on Friday and reflected on peace."

"A Christmas drone show - previously blasted by angry visitors as "shockingly poor" - has been cancelled again."

"Who better to sort the mush from the lush than our in-house perfectionist Felicity Cloake and our resident baker Benjamina Ebuehi?"

"A mock trial for charity featuring celebrity actors, academics and lawyers will argue the case for the Bard’s sense of humour – or the lack of it."

Simon Guerrier: "First published in hardback and paperback on 21 October 1976, this novelisation opens with an attention-grabbing first paragraph:  “The tall white-haired man lay still as death. The girl leaning over him could find no pulse, no beat from either of his hearts. His skin was icy cold to the touch.”

"When a blank space under the Christmas tree is the ultimate flex."

"The autumn has delivered an exceptional display of colour, and the trees have been laden with generous gluts of fruit. We have been truly fortunate this season, with traditional store cupboards now struggling under the weight of chutney and jam made from the abundant harvest."

"Shelby Lack at North Devon Hospice explains why she does all her Christmas shopping in its charity shops."
on Saturday, December 06, 2025 0 comments Labels:

Christmas Links #8


"A school Christmas concert audience couldn't help falling in love with a boy who went on stage as Elvis Presley instead of Elvis the Elf."

"Christmas has come early for an Auckland man who's been reunited with his cat who went missing 14 years ago."

From The New Yorker: "Our critics rank their favorite movies of the year."
Editor's Note:  Here's a Letterboxd list.

"These events are meant to make Christmas magical, and while many do, a few fall spectacularly short. Here, in no particular order, are some of the worst offenders."

"Michelle Pfeiffer’s familiarly overworked, taken for granted mom stands out from the typical holiday fare."
Editor's Note:  I loved it.  It's a bunch of actors who usually spend their time in costumes and indie dramas or both having a marvellous time making a Hallmark movie with high production values.  Come for Felicity Jones's American accent, stay for Chloe Grace finally playing her truth.

"A festive exhibition at the Museum of Cambridge is taking a look back at Christmas 100 years ago.  Tom Jackson spoke to engagement officer Alex Horn about the most wanted gifts of the 1920's."

"The Mari Lwyd is a Welsh tradition in which a group of people carry a horse skull mounted on a pole — draped in a white sheet with the operator hidden underneath — to your door at Christmas and demand entry through song."

"Made of more than 160 traps, it's the second year of a new holiday tradition for Prince Rupert."

"The architect, whose work included the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in LA, died after a brief illness."
on Friday, December 05, 2025 0 comments Labels:

Christmas Links #7


 
"It's a "huge job" that takes weeks of organising."

"An international visual guide to every motion picture film format, soundtrack and colour process ever invented."

"Every year for Christmas since my husband and I started dating we’ve done Christmas Day at his mom’s house. My family is very chill, whereas my husband’s mom is a little uptight so it was never worth the argument."


"If you were seeking an idiosyncratic choice of Christmas gift in 1986 (in Canada), you could find it."

"All the brutalist sci-fi, cockeyed cunnilingus, and sequel horror you need to have seen this year."

"For more than 30 years, residents on Auckland's Franklin Road have decked out their properties with Christmas decorations for the rest of the city to enjoy."

"From morning drinks to nolo suggestions for the non-drinkers, and from stocking fillers to showstoppers and after-dinner port."

"School children in Limerick are getting into the festive spirit and helping to protect the environment by swapping their Christmas jumpers."

"The bronze monument depicting the eponymous star of Paul Verhoeven’s 1987 sci-fi satire was installed Wednesday, nearly 15 years after a viral tweet."
on Thursday, December 04, 2025 0 comments Labels:

Christmas Links #6


"A giant plastic gorilla that was stolen from a restaurant entrance prompting a city-wide hunt has been found 50km away by vigilant police."

"From a cranberry katsu curry to a dozen thickly glazed doughnuts, the biggest chains are getting Christmassy. I found out which seasonal meals will leave you carolling and carousing – and which will leave you cold."

"An Italian mayor has apologised to the family of opera star Luciano Pavarotti after the town of Pesaro encased a statue honouring the late singer within a Christmas ice rink."

"The Post can also reveal the Serious Fraud Office is investigating Knowsley Foodbank."

"My tree is ornamented and my mantel is garlanded, but I have yet to realize my holiday-outfit vision. There are a couple of contenders, but I’m still searching for the right accessories to take each potential look to the next level. I don’t think it will require much — just a pair of tights and some festive shoes — but they have to be special. Here’s what I’m considering."

"To honour the winter break on the horizon, Letterboxd crew and contributors share twenty underseen holiday favourites: where Christmas and Hanukkah deep cuts and surprisingly festive noir and stop-motion delights all have a seat at the table."

"Because there’s nothing magical about burnout."
on Wednesday, December 03, 2025 0 comments Labels:

Christmas Links #5


"2025 BFI Fellow Laura Mulvey presents a programme of films that both influenced her filmmaking and reflect her thoughts on cinema."
Editor's Note:  For those of us outside London, I've made a Letterboxd list.

"…and a couple of Doctors too, as Doctor Who: Christmas - It’s a Wonderful War and Other Stories is released today, featuring four brand-new stories set across the Whoniverse. "

From Stephen Gallagher: "This year’s stocking-filler chapbook in aid of Medecins sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) is The Adventure of the Seven Unnatural Women, a Sherlock Holmes story written at the invitation of J R Campbell and Charles Prepolec, editors of the Gaslight series of Holmes anthologies [...] Whatever it makes for MSF, I’ll match."
Editor's Note:  I've already bought my copy.

"The twinkling lights on a Christmas tree at Toba Aquarium in Mie Prefecture, central Japan, are getting their power from an unusual source... live electric eels."

"As Christmas nears, towns and cities across Aotearoa are hoisting their giant trees into place — symbols of the season that, for many, now come with a hefty price-tag."

"Have you ever wondered where to send your Czech Christmas wishes to? It’s not to Santa Claus at the North Pole, but instead to little Baby Jesus (or Ježíšek) whose “official” Christmas address is the post office in Boží Dar, the highest-located town in Czechia."

"Signs were posted along route for Santa Claus parade in Brantford, Ont." (related)

"A village has been robbed of some of its Christmas cheer after thieves stole a giant nutcracker model displayed outside a festive house."

"In a span of two years, Angel Trees have gone from spreading online joy to fomenting offline suspicion."

"Janet’s wishlist, which ran in Leeds Mercury, and letter from Hampshire girl in 1898 unearthed in newspaper archives."
on Tuesday, December 02, 2025 0 comments Labels:

Christmas Links #4

 
"It can be the greatest pitfall of the social year. And it can be followed by a 12-month hangover. If your boss hasn't spoken to you since, it's a fair bet that you had a good time at your office Christmas party. Traditionally, it's the one night of the year when the firm's hierarchical structure, that normally so rigidly holds sway, totters towards anarchy. [via LMG]"

"A new documentary explores the booze-soaked and vomit-slicked gathering’s radical roots."

"Some foods can interact negatively with certain medication while medical moisturisers can make clothes more flammable."

"Belgian authorities are mystified over a brazen theft over the weekend from a Christmas Nativity scene of an icon of infant Jesus Christ that had been widely scorned online."

"People who travelled to a Christmas drone show in West Sussex are demanding refunds after describing the event as "awful" and "shockingly poor."

"A fairy-tale image captivates millions: a festively lit Christmas market, framed by stalls, strings of lights, and a magnificent tree–right in front of the world-famous Buckingham Palace. The images quickly spread on social media. But anyone tempted to travel to London by this scene was bitterly disappointed. This Christmas market doesn’t exist."

"There are almost certainly worse holiday songs than Paul McCartney's 1979 "Wonderful Christmastime." But in a genre famous for cheesiness, it stands out as among the most polarizing. And it's notable for being written by the same Beatle who penned "Let It Be" on the band's final album."

"Eco-fir trees are a clear niche in Germany, one of the main suppliers of Christmas trees in Switzerland. Artificial trees are not necessarily sustainable either."

"Solstice and yuletide celebration food traditions have changed over time but some nuances have persisted. Ancient beliefs say we should eat plenty to bless the next year."

"Warsaw’s metro rolled out its annual Christmas-themed train on Monday, adding a splash of festive cheer to the city’s two-line underground network."

Editor's Note:  It came second which is still too fucking high (previously).
on Monday, December 01, 2025 0 comments Labels:

Christmas Links #3


"Luxury advent calendars mash up tradition and modern consumer culture. But with exorbitant prices come high expectations — and sometimes spectacular PR disasters, such as Chanel's infamous advent calendar."

"Notes and Queries: The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical concepts."

"A Christmas display which covers an entire cul-de-sac and includes 100,000 bulbs has been put up by one of the residents."

"Vilnius, Klaipėda and several smaller Lithuanian towns lit their main Christmas trees on Saturday evening, marking the start of the holiday season."

"The writer-director talks about the art of dialogue, his love of marital fight scenes, and how his new film, “Jay Kelly,” helped him rekindle his affection for the medium."

"NPR's Scott Simon speaks with actor Denis Leary about his role in the new Christmas comedy "Oh. What. Fun.""

"A company in southern Poland specializes in creating unique Christmas decorations for clients like Swarovski and Harrods. GlitterLab’s process is entirely manual, making each piece unique and its owner hopes the ornaments will bring joy to customers all year round and not just during the festive period."

"Huron Ridge Greenhouses grows and sells 23 varieties of poinsettias."

Editors Note:  No pull text so here's a bonus TIFU which ends quite sweetly: "TIFU by buying everyone an AncestryDNA kit and ruining Christmas."

"Busses stop and children come running when Shiloh, the last dog on Christmas Island, takes a walk."
on Sunday, November 30, 2025 0 comments Labels:
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