Christmas
Latest
A Christmas eve forage is the perfect pick-me-up for the season
Mistletoe is a rather tenacious parasite so wresting it from a tree trunk can be difficult. Yet I relish that slightly hazardous Christmas Eve task – usually with my sister leading the charge, Niwaki…
Improvising a Christmas playlist is tricky enough without AI butting in
The Christmas drive up to the mountains has its traditions, rules and tunes. The original plan called for everything to be shipped up in advance on the train, while our journey would involve the…
Reading between the wrapping paper: what your Christmas gifts really mean
In this moment of goodwill to all men (and ladies too, of course), you need to stay alert because, believe me, all sorts of mean shit is going down all around you. But fear…
While Christmas begins to hum from on high, 2026 is already quietly glowing
For the past 25 years or so, Christmas has usually been an Alpine affair. There have been dashes down to Palm Beach north of Sydney, one Christmas in Toronto and a few years back…
Legends in the baking
Four generations of the Woitinek family have perfected Nuremberg's legendary Lebkuchen, transforming a modest bakery into Germany's premier Christmas gingerbread destination through centuries-old recipes.
The Opener
Airlines making middle seats enticing, battling peacocks and poorly disguised Russian spies. Plus: photographer Steven Klein and festive chart hits from across the globe.
The hard or soft option
When war tests diplomacy's limits, which nations wielded cultural influence most effectively? Our annual survey reveals surprising winners in the soft-power stakes.
Bags of potential
As Christmas beckons, we circumnavigate the globe with more efficiency and insider nous than Santa himself, dropping in on the finest spots and shops to source seasonal gifts.
