Christmas Links #22

'The Scrooge guy called us all mutants': when Christmas grottos go wrong:
"Disappointed parents in the UK and Australia decry traffic jams and scary decorations."

The Queen’s Gambit (2020):
[Editor's Note: The Art of the Title interviews Saskia Marka and David Whyte, title designer and animators for credits sequence.]

BBC Radio2 listeners vote It's A Wonderful Life their favourite Christmas movie of all time:
"It’s a Wonderful Life has been voted by Radio 2 listeners to be their favourite Christmas film of all time. A long list of 25 classics to choose from was created by the network’s resident movie critic, James King."

Bob And Robin's Excellent Holiday Adventure:
"All Songs Considered hosts Bob Boilen and Robin Hilton set out on a road trip to find the true spirit of the holiday season. Along the way they stop at the Silent Night Motel, where they meet Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips, St. Vincent (Annie Clark), Josh Ritter and more."

Can We Talk About the Mom in ‘A Christmas Story’?
"The woman hasn’t had a hot meal in 15 years and she’s always cooped up at home. 2020 is the year to give this character from a classic holiday movie her due."

The best pictures of the Royal Family at Christmas:
"Those royals sure do love Christmas. From the festive-themed engagements in the run-up, to the annual church service at Sandringham, their typical seasonal schedule is packed full of family festive traditions."

Winter solstice 2020: The shortest day is long on ancient pagan traditions:
"For six months, the days have grown shorter and the nights have grown longer in the Northern Hemisphere. But that's about to reverse itself."

How Well Do You Know The Lyrics To Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’?
"to see a whale with legs"

Wild in the City: Twelve days of Christmas for birdwatchers:
"No matter how hard you try, you’ll struggle to see a partridge in a pear tree in London this Christmas. Not least because partridges tend to stick to the ground, even flying low when startled."

Physics student makes world's smallest Christmas tree:
"Every year, people all over the world try to make the biggest artificial Christmas tree, like the Gubbio Christmas Tree, formed by thousands of lights on the slopes of Mount Ingino, or the illumination of the 372-meter high transmission mast at Lopik in The Netherlands."

Christmas links #20

‘Wonder Woman 1984’ Gets Early PVOD Release in U.K.:
"“Wonder Woman 1984” will get a premium VOD release in the U.K. a month after the film’s premiere, Warner Bros. has confirmed."

From Bake Off woes to Zoom fiascos: 2020 in lists:
"The year’s cultural highs and lows, featuring Gal Gadot’s Imagine, terrible lyrics about lockdown and unexpected horniness."

Parler Users Are Gathering on Facebook to Complain About Parler:
"Seeming more like social solitude than social networking so far." [via]

A Day in the Life of The Young Ones: 6th February 1984:
"It’s the 6th February 1984 in studio TC4, and Rik Mayall is having a circular saw aimed at his knackers."

Blast of cold air grips Northeast with fresh snow as Christmas storm approaches:
"A blast of cold air, exacerbated by a fresh snowpack, is impacting parts of the Northeast Saturday morning."

Old Blogging Sites That We Thought were Gone:
"There are many old blogging sites we all have forgotten now that social media is such a big part of our lives. Little do teenagers now know, blogging was the viral craze for teenage millenials back in the late 1990s and early 2000s. At the time, there were so many websites where anyone could post their journals for free."

Sorry, Wham! haters: The only thing wrong with ‘Last Christmas’ is how you’ve been listening to it:
"Earlier this month, I offered some musical stocking stuffers: a set of piano miniatures that seemed to me particularly suited to this holiday season, eschewing compulsory merriment and ho-ho-ho’s in favor of the silvery stillness and somber notes I think this winter truly warrants."

The Enduring Appeal of Santa:
"Shortly before Christmas several years ago, there erupted a cable-and-Internet fueled firestorm, a furious debate among television pundits and talk-show hosts, print and online pontificators, and doubtless more than a few families across the dinner table. This great American outrage was ginned up over the nature of Santa Claus."

10 Creative Christmas Mantle Decoration Ideas:
"The Christmas season is fast approaching, and before you know it, you’ll be hanging mistletoe and wrapping gifts to the tune of your favorite carols. It can be challenging to reinvent your holiday decor year after year, but there are simple changes you can make to give your home a new and cozy look this holiday season."

Christmas Holiday: Resources for Celebrating:
"When the red and green lights and wreaths appear and the sounds of familiar carols echo in the streets,it’s time to celebrate the Christmas holiday again."

Christmas Links #18

The Christmas Creamguide Week Two:
"Welcome to the second part of your bumper Christmas Creamguide, which includes all the programmes for the rest of 2020, before we see out this bloody awful year and look optimistically towards a better one."

Free Games:
"Epic Games Store gives you a free game every week. Come back often for the exclusive offers. Download a free game or join a free-to-play game community today." [Editor's note: This is actually every day over Christmas].

How to Play a Fiery Victorian Christmas Game and Not Get Burned:
"Snapdragon is not for the faint-hearted."

Christmas Around the World:
"Find out how Christmas Traditions and how Christmas is celebrated in lots of different countries and cultures around the world!" [via]

6 Christmas foods to help fuel your training runs:
"The festive buffet table could actually help your running performance rather than hinder it."

Liverpool Biennial & Culture Liverpool Announce New Public Artwork by Nathan Coley:
"Coley’s text-based light sculpture is made up of the words From Here, All the Worlds Futures, From Here, All the Worlds Pasts."

I brought my kids to the Devil for Christmas. And they’re fine. Right?
"He was covered in dark, full-body fur, horns curling out of his head, rattling his heavy chains at my sweet little boys. The Devil."

'I've never felt less festive': the art of writing Christmas novels, 365 days a year:
"Drinking sherry, bingeing Downton Abbey ... how authors keep up the spirit of the season, even when writing during heatwaves and a nightmarish Christmas."

bluemarlin Redesigns Buckwud Organic Maple Syrup:
"bluemarlin recently redesigned Buckwud Organic Canadian Maple Syrup. Buckwud began its life in the UK as a premium brand with a quirky Canadian personality. It is now the single largest branded maple syrup on the market, loved for its distinctive taste and used as a natural, plant-based option to alternative sweeteners."

‘Star Trek: Lower Decks’ Headed To Amazon Prime In UK, Europe, Australia & More Countries:
"The wait for many fans outside of North America is over. The adult animated comedy Star Trek: Lower Decks is finally going overseas, with a January debut on Amazon Prime Video."

Christmas Links #16

How Retail Workers Deal With Nonstop Christmas Music Without Going Nuts:
"I heard ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ 27 times last week — I counted."

Doctor Who HiFive Inventor Coding Kit:
"BBC Learning and Tynker Collaborate on Coding for Kids with a Next-Generation Education Technology Mini-Computer and Coding for Kids Featuring the voice and star of the Thirteenth Doctor, Jodie Whittaker, the HiFive Inventor is a powerful Internet of Things programmable computer designed to teach kids to code."

With Most Pantomimes Canceled, Another Blow to U.K. Theaters:
"Camp, kid-friendly and hugely popular, the peculiarly British performances usually sell enough tickets to support theaters’ programs throughout the rest of the year."

The 'longest-ever photo exposure' has been found -- inside a drink can:
"A photo tracking the sun's cycles over more than eight years -- believed to be the longest exposure image ever taken -- has been discovered inside a cider can."

Blob Opera:
"Blob Opera is a machine learning experiment by David Li in collaboration with Google Arts and Culture. This experiment pays tribute to and explores the original musical instrument: the voice. Play four opera voices in real time. No singing skills required!"

The New Yorker publishes editor’s note invalidating award-winning feature on Japan:
"An award-winning 2018 New Yorker story now has a whopper of an editor’s note atop it. In “A Theory of Relativity," published in April 2018, staff writer Elif Batuman profiled a Japanese company called Family Romance, which supplies actors who sub in for missing family members. Need to convince your parents that you have a girlfriend? Need to convince your girlfriend that you have parents? Family Romance can help. The story won a National Magazine Award for feature writing from the American Society of Magazine Editors in March 2019. And on Sunday night, it collapsed."

PEACE AND LOVE FOR CHRISTMAS, Lyceum Ballroom, London, 15 Dec 1969:
"John & Yoko and the Plastic Ono Supergroup secretly headline the UNICEF fundraising Xmas concert at Lyceum Strand, 15 Dec 1969."

How Hallmark Took Over Cable Television:
"By “leaning into Christmas”—and claiming to avoid politics—the greeting-card company has come to dominate screens across America."

Saddleback Church creates ‘Light of the World’ Christmas drive-thru display:
"Saddleback Church is doing its best to make sure this year’s Christmas isn’t humdrum and dreary by offering lucky reservation holders and some others a huge light display spanning nearly a mile of the church’s main Lake Forest campus."

The Christmas I learned that prosecco is not a personality:
"I thought my friends bought me fizz because I was fun. In fact, it was because they barely knew me any more."

Christmas Links #15

How to Cut Down Your Own Christmas Tree:
"Here are some tips for participating in a classic holiday tradition."

How to save money on a Christmas feast and also cut food waste:
"From dinner boxes to apps and buying local produce, there are traditional and ethical options."

A chain of 900 strangers bought one another’s meals at a Dairy Queen drive-through:
"It started with an older gentleman who pulled up to the Dairy Queen Grill & Chill drive-through window in Brainerd, Minn., at the height of the lunch hour on a Thursday."

Books worth fondling, if you can lift them: The rise of the Massive Auteur Monograph:
"The fears that electronic publishing would kill off the physical book have abated. Just as home video and theatrical moviegoing managed to coexist, readers seem to have divided their commitment between e-books, to be read on the go or tapped into for certain purposes (cooking, exercise, reference), and books they want to have and to hold."

Left Over Cream Cheese Frosting Chocolate Truffles:
"These chocolate truffles are quick and easy to make with leftover cream cheese frosting."

Cheap Parcel Delivery:
"Tips for sending via Royal Mail, discount web couriers & online retailers."

A Charcuterie Wreath Will Be the Centerpiece of Your Christmas Appetizer Table:
"We love a festive twist on a classic bite."

This Holiday Season, Zoom Into Your Favorite Nick Cartoons:
"Holiday Zoom backgrounds to make video chats extra festive."

Wild Place Project appeals for aftershave for animals:
"A wildlife park is asking for donations of unwanted perfume or aftershave for its animals' Christmas stockings."

Christmas gifts for coffee lovers: Presents to give them all the barista feels:
"From subscription services and cafetieres to reusable cups, take inspiration from our caffeine-fuelled guide."

Christmas Links #14

Did Kevin From ‘Home Alone’ Grow Up to Be Jigsaw? A Deadly Serious Investigation:
"The holiday season is upon us, and you know what that means: rampant consumerism."

The Cyberpunk 2077 Review Drama:
"Cyberpunk 2077 is out in the wild. After eight long years the whole world can now judge it for themselves, through whichever perspective or tint of glasses they so choose. And best of all, for 99.9% of those players, they won’t ever have to justify their feelings to the rest of the audience."

Heritage railway decked out with 13,000 Christmas lights:
"A heritage railway unable to run services for four months has had a spectacular Christmas makeover."

Lynn Shelton remembered by Mark Duplass:
"The actor, writer and director on a film-maker with a generosity of spirit and love for her performers that elevated indie movies and big-budget TV alike."

33 Best Christmas Towns That'll Instantly Transport You to the North Pole:
"Pictures of these stunning Christmas Towns will instantly put you in the holiday spirit."

“Please stop telling me how much exercise it takes to burn off my Christmas food”:
"After the year we’ve had, the calories in your festive food should be the least of our worries. Yet people are still talking about how to exercise away the calories we eat…"

Advent calendar of Christmas treasures 2020:
"In the 21st century, Christmas seems to start as soon as Halloween is over. In the Western Church, Advent – from the Latin word Adventus, which signifies 'a coming' – starts on the Sunday closest to the feast of St Andrew on 30 November and ends with Christmas Eve on 24 December."

A Charlie Brown and Coca-Cola Christmas? The holiday classic you love is actually missing some scenes:
"Even though the 1965 animated TV special “A Charlie Brown Christmas” features the beloved Charlie Brown learning that the true meaning of Christmas isn’t about consumerism, did you know the iconic short was created by a corporation?" [Here's an archive.org link for readers in the EU.]

Cannibal Sandwiches: A Polarizing And Misunderstood Wisconsin Tradition:
"A Holiday Dish Going Back Generations, The Raw Beef Delicacy May Be Making A Comeback."

Christmas Treats I’ve Tried in Norway:
"A foreigner living in Ålesund takes us through some of her first tastes of a Norwegian Christmas."

Christmas Links #13

Zodiac ‘340 Cipher’ cracked by code experts 51 years after it was sent to the S.F. Chronicle:
"The solution to what’s known as the 340 Cipher, one of the most vexing mysteries of the Zodiac Killer’s murderous saga, has been found by a code-breaking team from the United States, Australia and Belgium."

Tech gift guide: ideas for last-minute Christmas presents:
"From speakers to watches through to tablets and games, there are lots of options."

Taylor Swift Has Her Second Great Album of 2020 With ‘Evermore’: Album Review:
"Taylor Swift appears to be waging war over the serial resale of her old master recordings on two fronts."

We Buy a Lot of Christmas Trees:
"'Tis the season for Americans to head out in droves and bring home a freshly-cut Christmas tree. But decorative evergreens don't just magically show up on corner lots, waiting to find a home in your living room. There are a bunch of fascinating steps that determine exactly how many Christmas trees get sold, and how expensive they are."

Mariah Carey's All I Want For Christmas Is You finally reaches UK Number 1, sets Official Chart record:
"Mariah's 26-year in the making festive chart-topper sets a new Official UK Chart record."

The First (And Hopefully Last) Quarries:
"In which we award the most scrappy, absurd, ingenious works that shaped our year in quarantine."

The Netflix Christmas Cinematic Universe is being torn apart:
"The Princess Switch: Switched Again ripped a hole in the NCCU. The implications are profound."

Xmas at the Natural History Museum (De La Rue Company):
"A couple of folk have asked for these, so time to put them all in one place. One year, the de la Rue company, which I’ve talked about before, put out a series of cards for the Natural History Museum of London."

Ghosts that haunt Cornwall at Christmas:
"Headless horsemen, white ladies and ghostly lights that spook fishermen are among the sightings."

Revealed: the cheapest supermarket for your Christmas food shop:
"Plus Christmas click-and-collect order deadlines for each supermarket."

[the video up top is via @paulwhitelaw]

Christmas Links #12

Empty Sets: Christmas:
"Give your video calls a festive flourish, with this selection of Christmas sets from the BBC Archive."

Full Metal Jacket to Rocky IV: the least festive Christmas movies ever:
"Bored of the endless ‘is Die Hard is a Christmas movie’ debate? Here are some other films for us to argue about instead."

Queen Elizabeth's favourite film to watch at Christmas is... surprising:
"Where's the festivity, Your Maj?"

20 Albums That Put a New Spin on the Holidays:
"Standards? Sure! But a crop of seasonal records from Dolly Parton, Tinashe and others introduce fresh original songs, too."

Warrington family's Christmas tree put up every year since 1922:
"When this Christmas tree was first put up King George V was on the throne, American Prohibition was in full force and the British Broadcasting Corporation had only just been founded."

I'm Curious To See If You Can Name More Than 15 Christmas Songs:
"The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear."

Taylor Swift’s new album ends on a hopeful note – with echoes of Emily Dickinson:
“I've been down since July,” the pop star announces at the start of the title track for “Evermore,” her surprise new CD that dropped at midnight. “I had a feeling so peculiar that this pain would be forevermore.”

The Most Faithful Adaptation of A Chrismas Carol is Narrated by Gonzo:
"Sorry, Patrick Stewart, George C. Scott and the rest of you dramatic Scrooges — you can’t hold a candle to the Muppets."

Go Absolutely Wild Decorating for the Holidays this Year:
"Banish the gloom of 2020 with as many trees, treats, and twinkles as you can manage."

@weird_christmas:
"All things holly, jolly, and odd-ly."

Christmas Links #11

Christmas decorations: Essex man, 78, carves polystyrene Santa in lockdown:
"A 78-year-old man spent lockdown carving an elaborate festive display from polystyrene for his front garden."

Morrisons launch Christmas dinner box for two containing everything for just £20:
"As it stands, we’re expecting the festive period to be a little different this year but, that doesn’t mean your traditional Christmas dinner has to suffer. Morrisons are launching a new service to to ensure self-isolating customers can get everything they need for Christmas dinner for two people, for under £20."

An Unwelcome Silent Night: Germany Without Christmas Markets:
"Across the country, city and town squares stand empty of the usual huts, sounds, scents and lights, as the coronavirus has forced the country to skip its beloved annual Christmas markets."

The fascinating story of the most infamous necklace in British portraiture:
"B is for Boleyn. The now iconic single-initial lavaliere, immortalised in Anne Boleyn’s portrait as Queen consort to King Henry VIII, has become synonymous with the scandalous royal and her untimely end. Lore connects it to both Queen Elizabeth I and Queen Elizabeth II."

The king of Strava art is back with another amazing Christmas drawing:
"If there’s one thing us cyclists unanimously absolutely love – it has to be Strava art. And riding-your-bike-in-circles-until-your-GPS-markings-create-a-picture is even better at Christmas, when veteran GPS artist Anthony Hoyte comes out to play and impress us all."

Deck Your Tree With the Best Pop Culture Christmas Ornaments:
"All products and services featured by Variety are independently selected by Variety editors. However, Variety may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes."

We could all use a little ‘merry and bright’ these days. These holiday light shows make the season sparkle:
"December is the perfect time for lights."

15 Christmas dishes from around the world:
"Your festive meal needn’t be the classic British roast this year. Why not try a spicy stew or smoked meat? Explore Christmas culinary celebrations from Puerto Rico to Poland in our roundup of festive dishes from every corner of the globe."

The Danish Christmas Porridge That Appeased a Vengeful ‘House Elf’:
"In the winter of 1984, Timothy Tangherlini worked on a dairy farm on the Danish island of Funen. One day, while brushing cattle in the barn, he spotted a tiny man in a hat sitting on the back of one of the cows. When Tangherlini tried to speak to the stranger, the little man jumped out the barn window. Assuming it was a trick, he told the couple that owned the farm about the encounter. They both shrugged. “That was the nisse,” they explained."

Italian Pudding Cake:
"by Nigella."

Christmas Links #9

The Nightmares Before (And After) Christmas:
"If you’ve heard the edition of Looks Unfamiliar with Anna Cale (and if you haven’t, you can find it here), then you will have heard me talking with a suspicious degree of authority about having to scroll really deeply into Netflix in order to find the sort of gloriously bad Christmas Film that you used to pretty much have to get out of the Video Shop because everyone else had already rented everything even halfway watchable."

BBC Online: 2020 in review:
"2020 has clearly been a very unusual and oftentimes painful year in many ways for just about everyone on the planet. Like many organisations, we’ve had to shift the majority of our staff to working from home in a very short timeframe — this was easier for some teams and people than others."

Happy new normal: Christmas 2020 around the world – in pictures:
"From Santa bubbles to drive-through decorations and Nativity scenes made of pizza, the socially distanced year like no other is giving us a masked Christmas like no other. Guardian picture editors look at Christmas around the world in a year upended by the coronavirus pandemic."

John Lennon: I was there the day he died:
"Forty years ago, on 8 December 1980, the former Beatle John Lennon was shot dead as he returned to his home at the Dakota apartment building in New York. The BBC's Tom Brook was the first British journalist to report live from the scene. Here he recounts how Lennon's death has haunted him ever since."

Michael Morpurgo's Tales from Shakespeare:
"Celebrated author Michael Morpurgo's fresh retellings of Shakespeare's timeless stories for schools and families."

Christmas Trees — an Elusive Bit of Happiness for Canadians:
"There’s been a run on Christmas trees as Canadians, trapped inside because of the pandemic, try, in record numbers, to shoehorn joy into their lives."

Symbol of 2020 angst or sophisticated style choice? What to make of black Christmas trees:
"There is a decorating trend that has slowly been creeping, Grinch-like, into the holiday season. People across the country have been ditching their very green evergreens for artificial black trees. It makes sense for right now: With a still-raging pandemic, millions out of work and food pantries inundated, a black tree seems like the perfect symbol for our plagued 2020. But for black-tree lovers, it’s not a symbol at all. It’s a stylistic choice, one that devotees say is classic, glamorous and extremely versatile."

“Broadcast on all known frequencies, and in all known languages…”
"I really need to get back to watching Orange is the New Black, you know. I got bogged down at the end of Season 4. Is she gonna shoot him? Is she? IS SHE? So in order to get back on track, recently I… erm, watched an old IBA Engineering Announcement from 1990 instead."

'Emotional But Rational': Ikea Discontinues Its Long-Running Catalog:
"Swedish furniture giant Ikea is ending production of its famous catalog, saying the thick compendium of affordable sofas, knickknacks and housewares will leave "a phenomenal 70-year legacy.""

Christmas Links #8

BBC Music Sound of 2021 longlist revealed:
"The longlist for BBC Music Sound of 2021 has been unveiled, tipping ten new artists for success next year."

Lower Burrell family keeps Italian nativity scene tradition alive, new pieces added yearly:
"An Italian Christmas tradition encompassing a couple generations continues in a Lower Burrell household."

Australia Gears Up for the Great Koala Count, Using Drones, Droppings and Dogs:
"The marsupials are not easy to find, or count accurately, so officials will deploy new methods."

These Two Words Will Strike Fear Into Gadget Makers This Christmas:
"Sold out."

Christmas dinner made easy as Scotland’s national chef reveals his top five tips for festive food without the fuss:
"If you've never cooked Christmas dinner before or it's something you dread each year, fear not because Gary Maclean is on hand to help keep things simple."

Christmas Food Safety Checklist:
"Use our food safety checklist to reduce the risk of food poisoning at Christmas."

History Of Milwaukee's Schuster's Parade Includes Live Reindeer And Streetcars:
"Parades are an essential part of the holiday season. Whether it’s the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade or a local parade full of friends and neighbors, parades allow communities to celebrate through music, costumes and over the top floats."

Anna Kendrick on Her Disney+ Movie 'Noelle' and What She Learned from Shirley MacLaine:
"I want to be working when I'm 83 and looking at her is really inspiring, because it seems like she hasn't taken shit from anybody at any point in her life."

Mistletoe has a long and somewhat sordid history:
"The pagan custom of decorating with winter greenery was readily absorbed into early Christian culture despite a resistance from some church leaders who opposed anything heathen."

The Night of the Doctor (new volume from Obverses The Black Archive by James Cooray Smith):
"Released as a webcast in the prelude to Doctor Who’s 50th anniversary, The Night of the Doctor (2013) revisited Paul McGann’s eighth Doctor 17 years after his sole TV appearance. In just seven minutes, showrunner Steven Moffat’s characteristically revisionist return to the series’ past blends Doctor Who lore from diverse eras and media with images of rebirth and resurrection, and questions of identity."

Christmas Links #7

'Crappy half-dead' poinsettia from grocery store just won't stop growing:
"The holiday plant has so far survived three Christmas seasons and is now huge."

‘This is Music Hall’, 1955:
"I am increasingly fascinated by British television in the early to mid-1950s. This was a moment when the medium was becoming increasingly confident and an ever more significant presence in both public life and in the private lives of viewers. But it was also when the BBC’s television monopoly, which – with a break for the war – had been protected since late 1936 was challenged by discussions about and then the establishment of a new commercial service, ITV, which went on the air in London in September 1955."

The quirky Christmas tree forest in Liverpool's Georgian quarter:
"'We wanted to give people some joy after a difficult year'"

Italy lights up the world's largest Christmas tree:
"Each year people 'adopt' a light from the world-famous Christmas tree display in central Italy."

Anya Taylor-Joy: 'I likened Beth's passion for chess to my passion for acting. It's a calling':
"It’s been an amazing year for the 24-year-old star of The Queen’s Gambit. She reflects on Netflix’s unlikely chess drama hit and her next film, an Edgar Wright psychological thriller."

Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn Reportedly Hated Each Other So Much They Refused to Film a Sex Scene for This Christmas Comedy:
"In the 2008 comedy Four Christmases, Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn play a self-involved couple who typically spend the holidays on an exotic vacation rather than with their dysfunctional families."

Star Trek and Hell on Wheels actor Colm Meaney stars as Santa in new Christmas ad for Aldi Ireland:
"If you live in the U.K. or Ireland, there’s a good chance you have heard of Kevin the Carrot. For the rest of the world, here’s a little primer: Kevin the Carrot is a popular holiday mascot used in Christmas advertising for Aldi grocery stores."

Retro gaming at Christmas … the essential collection:
"After browsing through the latest Christmas TV Times I am seeing less originality than another Flappy Birds game, it’s like being in 1987 again."

Paris's Champs-Élysées switches on its Christmas lights:
"Paris's iconic Champs-Élysées avenue switched on its Christmas lights on Sunday, welcoming the festive period in the French capital."

Microsoft releases Windows 95 ugly Christmas sweater:
"Microsoft has released a line of ugly Christmas sweaters with retro Windows themes."

Christmas Links #5

The York Mystery Plays Radio Broadcast:
"The York Mystery Plays, which are a selection of biblical stories drawn together into a piece of theatre, date back to the 1300s. They have now been adapted for radio, for our delight, and include four plays in four installments – Adam and Eve, The Flood part 1, The Flood part 2 and Moses and Pharaoh."

The first 'Christmas Star' in nearly 800 years will soon be visible:
"Mark your calendars for December 21st (the Winter Solstice) because that is when Jupiter and Saturn will align very closely in the sky, so close that to the naked eye they will almost appear to be, “colliding.”"

Hope Street sparkles with new light installations for Christmas:
"Hope Street has welcomed a new, specially commissioned artwork for Christmas."

Advent calendars: Count down your days to Christmas in style:
"Advent calendars work on a simple premise: every day in December until Christmas eve, build your anticipation for the big day come the 25th."

BFI's Christmas Crackers:
"It's time to join the ghosts of Christmases past as we celebrate a century of festive film."

All Santa Wants for Christmas Is to Stay Out of Politics:
"After a brush with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, professional Santa Clauses are just trying to get through this holiday season safely."

Cheers! Or not: ‘Scandalous’ 1st Christmas card up for sale:
"The first commercially printed Christmas card is up for sale — a merry Victorian-era scene that scandalized some who denounced it as humbug when it first appeared in 1843."

Help us prevent Covid creating a lost generation of young people:
"Life chances are in danger of being blighted by the pandemic. That’s why young people are at the heart of our charity appeal this year."

Clocaenog Forest Christmas tree thief pays compensation:
"A man who stole a Christmas tree from a forest has agreed to pay compensation to a red squirrel conservation trust."

Best Spots in D.C. for Holiday Postcard Photos:
"Where should you go for the finest Christmas snapsot in the D.C. area? Easy! The best outdoor venue for magical holiday shopping is at The Old Lucketts Store, where your camera will find the perfect staging with fun holiday murals, antique props, a wine garden, and more surprises at every turn."

Christmas Links #3

Lovely ideas for festive place settings:
"Perfect place settings for a seriously lovely Christmas celebration. Make sure everything on the table looks as good as it tastes."

How VOCES8 are keeping the choral flame burning brightly:
"Behind-the-scenes at Westminster Abbey for the Christmas edition of Live from London."

Grimsby tip waste transformed into Christmas wonderland:
"Rubbish discarded at a recycling centre has become a visitor attraction after being transformed by workers into a Christmas winter wonderland."

With Ni'Var, Discovery Pays Homage to an Original Star Trek Fanzine:
"Vulcan's new name bridged Trek's fandom past with a new future."

A Christmas cracker! The three siblings putting on a festive bonanza for charity:
"Three siblings have created a festive lights bonanza on their street in Dawley in Telford."

Have You Sent Your Holiday Cards Yet?
"In a year marked by distance, loss and virtual stand-ins, physical greeting cards are selling quite well."

12 Movies to Watch After Your Favorite Christmas Classics:
"Alternative picks for the rest of the year."

7 Foods You Can Serve Your Neighbours This Christmas:
"Garri is cost, but thankfully still affordable. Or you can try elubo. Make eba, amala, and wrap it inside cloth for them. They will take it home and prepare stew on their own. It’s the thought that counts."

The Queen Will Spend “a Quiet Christmas in Windsor,” Sacrificing Her Usual Holiday Traditions:
"There will be no large gatherings of royals, or an opportunity for fans to watch the family on their way to Christmas Day church services."

Christmas Links #1

Here we are again. Advent calendars are up, the Christmas tree is booked for the 18th December and it's time for twenty odd days of solid gold (if somewhat tarnished) content on the blog. We'll see how this goes, I'll try to keep things as COVID free as possible. As ever if you have some project or article you'd like me to plug (and it doesn't necessarily have to be Christmassy) tweet or email me through the usual channels and our editorial team will decide if it should make the cut. Ahem.

Festive treats and perfect soundtracks this Christmas across BBC Radio & BBC Sounds:
"This Christmas, across BBC Radio and BBC Sounds, we’ll provide the perfect soundtrack to the celebrations, with a raft of content bringing festive treats and music for every mood."

Christmas isn’t Christmas ‘til You Toast With Rompopo:
"Does Belize have an official Christmas drink? You bet. It’s called Rompopo and it’s so close to eggnog you could have a hard time telling them apart—-until you ask for seconds!"

Micro Live: Xmas 1985:
"The last of the present series of reports on the new developments in information technology."

Our favourite Christmas poems:
"A time for family, friends, festivities and an undeniable sense of childhood nostalgia, the Christmas season brings with it so many sentiments. We’ve chosen a selection of our favourite Christmas poetry, from funny Christmas poems, to moving festive verses and some Christmas poems for kids, all perfect for reading by the fire over the festive season."

The Nativity at Night by Geertgen tot Sint Jans at the National Gallery, London:
"This painting tells the traditional Christmas story – how Christ was born in a stable, and his mother ‘laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them at the inn’ (Luke 2: 7). The infant Christ, lying in the manger, is watched over by Mary, Joseph and adoring angels, while an ox and donkey peer out of the darkness behind."

How to get out of your work’s depressing Zoom Christmas party:
"The pandemic means the annual office Christmas party is getting a digital twist, and employees are scrambling to come up with excuses at a time when lockdown makes that difficult."

Why arguments about when Christmas starts are as old as the hills:
"Analysis: as history shows, preventing trees, lights, tinsel and baubles appearing earlier and earlier has been nigh on impossible."

Daze Before Christmas:
"Daze Before Christmas is a video game developed by Norwegian video game development company Funcom and originally released by Sunsoft onto the Sega Mega Drive in 1994 exclusively in Australia. A version was also released for the Super NES both in Europe (only in Germany) and Australia. A North American release was planned however it was canceled. It is one of the last games to be released by Sunsoft's USA division. The game is one of the few Christmas-themed video games to see commercial release."

The Snowman Belongs To A Shared Cinematic Universe:
"The Snowman is an animated holiday classic, but it also belongs to an early form of shared cinematic universe — with somewhat troubling implications."

Let’s Settle This: A Unified Theory to Define “Christmas Movies”:
"Okay, internet. Let’s settle this once and for all: What exactly IS a “Christmas movie?” It’s a debate that’s torn families apart and continues to send internet armies to war. From Die Hard and Iron Man 3 to Home Alone and White Christmas, how do we decide what films get the title of “Christmas Movie”? I propose formulating a unified theory so we can finally get to the bottom of this debate."

Fresno Fire urging community to be safe when putting up Christmas lights:
"Black Friday may be known as the biggest shopping holiday of the year, but many see the day as getting the green light to put up the Christmas lights."

Christmas in Canterbury, 1963 from the Screen Archive South West: "John Clague's colourful film captures those last exciting days before Christmas – with Christmas trees and Christmas lights all ready for the big switch-on."

Frosty the Snowman visits Beef-A-Roo customers:
"Customers at the Beef-A-Roo on Riverside Blvd. got to meet a special guest on Friday!"

York Christmas tree lights up Downing Street:
"Local firm York Christmas Trees won the honour of providing the Downing Street Christmas Tree after winning Champion Christmas Tree Grower of the Year."