Childhood Christmas treats can hold a lot of emotion, but these festive finds are worth a swap
Treats to inspire a youthful delight in even the most sophisticated connoisseurs
Christmas
Jamie’s Cook-Ahead Christmas review: Oliver’s marvellous mateyness always goes down a treat
With a nod toward ironic 1970s kitsch, you half expect Jamie Oliver to whip up some Angel Delight or produce steak-and-kidney pie in a tin
‘It used to be you sent in something small’: Christmas presents for teachers in Ireland
‘There’s never anything about teacher gifts. It just puts unnecessary pressure on families’
Mindful gifting need not make Christmas earnest and boring
Joy to the world, without prank gifts, plastic toys and novelty jumpers made from synthetic fibres that cannot be recycled
‘A hug runs all the way through this’: How to Catch a Star, based on the Oliver Jeffers book, returns to the Ark
This puppet show, which has been a huge hit for Branar, draws similar reactions from children all over the world
‘Over a million kids have come here’: 30 years of The Ark children’s cultural centre
Creative director Aideen Howard says facility remains unique on the international stage
Patrick Freyne’s quest for the best Christmas sandwich in Dublin: ‘I give it five Santas out of five’
Warning: please bear in mind that our food-critic-for-a-day has the taste buds of a junkyard dog and finds almost all food delicious
Beyond books: Christmas gifts for the literature lover in your life
Sometimes the hardest thing to buy for a bookworm is a regular novel, biography or history book. Here's a selection of bookish gift ideas that go beyond the norm
Bethlehem holds first Christmas celebrations for two years
West Bank city had suspended celebrations due to conflict in Gaza
Festive fashion: Party pieces with staying power for Christmas and beyond
Instead of leaning into one-night-only sparkle, this year it’s about choosing pieces with lasting appeal
What’s better for the environment – a real or a fake Christmas tree?
An artificial tree used over many years can be better for reducing emissions than buying a real one every year
Striving to perform an ideal Christmas is costly in every way
People tend to behave worse at home, among family, than with friends and colleagues
Michael Flatley: ‘My body is in ribbons. People will never know what I’ve been through’
The Lord of the Dance looks forward to a Christmas with family, filled with love
Volunteers travel home from abroad to help people in need at RDS Christmas charity dinner
The Knights of Columbanus host their 101st Christmas dinner in Dublin, serving hundreds and preparing thousands of meals
Christmas rituals assume women have endless free time
Call it the festive load, or the third shift: I’m talking about the disproportionate tasks needed to produce 'the magic'
Christmas: Should I drink red or white wine with turkey?
How to Drink Better: Decisions on which wine to drink when and with which foods are personal and should be respected
A Mayo family’s first Christmas in their new home: ‘We’re so excited to be spending it here’
For a Christmas-loving Mayo family, this first festive season in their newly built home will be a special time
Alice Leahy: I have learned there is no single story about being homeless
Rite & Reason: Migration, displacement and exile are bringing more people to our services. This, in turn, creates sub-cultures
In Ireland, the ‘working poor’ will determine future elections
Life in Ireland today looks nothing like it did when benchmark metrics were defined
‘You can hear the stress in people’s voices’: St Vincent de Paul’s 900 calls for help in a single morning
Christmas time is exceptionally busy for the charity and those staffing its phone lines as people find making ends meet ‘really, really tough’
The old man goes, ‘I’m sorry. I just can’t muster any enthusiasm for Christmas this year’
Sorcha and I are getting the decorations in the attic when we find an old video cassette
I’m dreaming of a mild and slightly damp Christmas, just like the ones we know
Snow probably won’t be glistening this Christmas, but the influence of the best-selling single of all time still looms
‘I collapse in a heap on Christmas Eve’: Meet the foodmakers behind some Irish festive favourites
From planning in March to the quiet aftermath of Christmas at home, these food producers take the festive period seriously
A drunk decanter set for Christmas? Quaint finds in Dublin’s antiques quarter
Take a wander down Francis Street to find something out of the ordinary this festive season
Mark Moriarty’s Christmas menu plan: two simple starters to prepare ahead
It’s too easy to get stuck in the kitchen at Christmas – these dishes should help to avoid that
John Wilson’s favourite 30 wines of 2025, some priced at less than €10
There’s something for every taste here with every single bottle a winner
Mark Moriarty’s Christmas starter recipes: the classic prawn cocktail
It’s a dish that is often prepared poorly but this recipe will make it perfectly
Mark Moriarty’s Christmas starter recipes: vol au vents with crab and garlic butter
Few fancy starter recipes are as simple as this one
‘Thank God no one was injured’: Christmas lights and masonry collapse in Drogheda town
Car is damaged as lights crash down onto busy shopping street during high winds
Charity Christmas trees: ‘She hadn’t had a real tree since she was a child’
A charity endeavour makes a housing scheme for the elderly a little bit brighter with real trees this Christmas
‘We can’t let this happen’: Dozens of artists to lose studios with closure of The Complex
Venue had agreement with developer to buy site but this was dependent on State funding that has not materialised
Sparkle and shine: great products for long-lasting, fabulously festive make-up
Simone Gannon’s top picks for long-lasting glam
Late Late Toy Show: Patrick Kielty ‘now at the zen buddha stage’ in third year as host
Dr Seuss’s Christmas favourite The Grinch will be theme for the annual RTÉ broadcast
What is damp drinking and could it help you to have a healthier run-up to Christmas?
You may hear of people ‘zebra striping’ at the office Christmas party, but don’t be alarmed
Crosswords & Puzzles
Crosswords & puzzles to keep you challenged and entertained
Common Ground
How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands
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