Christmas

Call it the festive load, or the third shift: I’m talking about the disproportionate tasks needed to produce 'the magic'

How to Drink Better: Decisions on which wine to drink when and with which foods are personal and should be respected

For a Christmas-loving Mayo family, this first festive season in their newly built home will be a special time

Rite & Reason: Migration, displacement and exile are bringing more people to our services. This, in turn, creates sub-cultures

Life in Ireland today looks nothing like it did when benchmark metrics were defined

Christmas time is exceptionally busy for the charity and those staffing its phone lines as people find making ends meet ‘really, really tough’

Sorcha and I are getting the decorations in the attic when we find an old video cassette

Snow probably won’t be glistening this Christmas, but the influence of the best-selling single of all time still looms

From planning in March to the quiet aftermath of Christmas at home, these food producers take the festive period seriously

Take a wander down Francis Street to find something out of the ordinary this festive season

It’s too easy to get stuck in the kitchen at Christmas – these dishes should help to avoid that

There’s something for every taste here with every single bottle a winner

It’s a dish that is often prepared poorly but this recipe will make it perfectly

Few fancy starter recipes are as simple as this one

Car is damaged as lights crash down onto busy shopping street during high winds

A charity endeavour makes a housing scheme for the elderly a little bit brighter with real trees this Christmas

Venue had agreement with developer to buy site but this was dependent on State funding that has not materialised

Simone Gannon’s top picks for long-lasting glam

Dr Seuss’s Christmas favourite The Grinch will be theme for the annual RTÉ broadcast

You may hear of people ‘zebra striping’ at the office Christmas party, but don’t be alarmed

TD says Government target of reducing child poverty to 3 per cent is disappointing

By pushing playlists over albums, Spotify’s algorithm encourages us to outsource our taste and see music as a background distraction

As Denmark kills off the sending of cards and letters, the tradition is still going strong in Ireland. Although, for some destinations, the deadline has already passed

Plus Patrick Freyne on this year’s Boots, John Lewis, Argos, Tesco, Coca-Cola, Barbour and M&S Food commercials

From santoku-style to filleting knives, these professional quality blades will delight serious home chefs

Jailed teacher claimed to present Oxford dictionary meaning of ‘baleful’ and ‘stalking’ in argument with judge

Television: The awfulness of this onslaught of Christmas naffness seems obvious to everyone except poor Meghan

Some restaurants take very justified breaks at this time of year, while others are offering special treats

Christmas has the learned anticipation of childhood blended with adult disappointment that nothing magical has happened

There are lots of amazing home-grown cosmetics and skin-kind brands to choose from

Consumer watchdog’s survey reveals households with children set to spend average €1,600 on festive season

The bonus is worth 100 per cent of their payment, meaning recipients will get a double-payment of their welfare amount

I’m hunkering down, blooming where I planted myself, I’ve even bought a washing machine

Latest case follows previous outbreaks at farms in Laois, Monaghan, Meath and Carlow

Pricewatch reckons the cost of an Irish Christmas in 2025 will be about €700 more than five years ago

Stop buying gifts for adults and forget matching PJs seem sensible suggestions; pretend it’s not happening and print made-up vouchers, less so

Psychiatrist Rami Kaminski has identified a new ‘personality style’ but is it just a pleasing label for stubborn individualists?

Unforgotten actor Sinead Keenan on acting roles, festive memories and Christmas Eve fry-ups in Bewleys

Winter Papers 11 is a Christmas annual to stand the test of time, and An Alternative Irish Christmas is great for those jaded by other literary offerings

A doctor advises on how you can reduce the health risks of a night’s binge drinking