Three sweet treats for even the fussiest sweet tooth: fig and hazelnut crumble mince pies, sherry and raisin ice-cream, and chestnut and pear meringues

Out of sheer laziness, this is a no-churn, very quick to assemble take on things. I tend usually not to recommend no-churn ice-creams unless there is booze involved, so this sherry and raisin one is a great candidate (the alcohol stops the ice-cream from becoming too hard and crystallised). And keep the leftover egg whites from the mince pies to make the chestnut and pear meringue, an alternative for the Christmas pudding haters at your table – there is always one. I think it’s important to have at least two puddings at Christmas.

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© Photograph: Matthew Hague/The Guardian. Food and prop styling: Florence Blair. Food styling assistant: Emma Cantlay.

© Photograph: Matthew Hague/The Guardian. Food and prop styling: Florence Blair. Food styling assistant: Emma Cantlay.

© Photograph: Matthew Hague/The Guardian. Food and prop styling: Florence Blair. Food styling assistant: Emma Cantlay.

Colm Tóibín, Robert Macfarlane, Elif Shafak, Michael Rosen and more share the novels, poetry and memoirs that make the perfect gift

I love giving books as presents. I rarely give anything else. I strongly approve of the Icelandic tradition of the Jólabókaflóðið (Yule book flood), whereby books are given (and, crucially, read) on Christmas Eve. Nan Shepherd’s The Living Mountain is the one I’ve given more often than any other; so much so that I keep a stack of four or five to hand, ready to give at Christmas or any other time of the year. It’s a slender masterpiece – a meditation on Shepherd’s lifelong relationship with the Cairngorm mountains, which was written in the 1940s but not published until 1977. It’s “about the Cairngorms” in the sense that Mrs Dalloway is “about London”; which is to say, it is both intensely engaged with its specific setting, and gyring outwards to vaster questions of knowledge, existence and – a word Shepherd uses sparingly but tellingly – love.

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© Composite: Getty Images

© Composite: Getty Images

© Composite: Getty Images

Hobnobs, ricotta, chocolate and amaretto – what’s not to like?

I believe in divine communion, especially when it comes to food; an alliance of ingredients that come together as though they were meant to feed spirit and body. It might be too lofty to say that this semifreddo is divine, but the combination of Hobnobs, ricotta, chocolate and amaretto really does it for me. That said, there are many alliances that can be formed in the Christmas store-cupboard, so use this as a base for any biscuits, dried fruit and chocolate to which you feel most spiritually aligned.

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© Photograph: Louise Hagger/The Guardian. Food styling: Emily Kydd. Prop styling: Jennifer Kay. Food styling assistant: Susannah Cohen.

© Photograph: Louise Hagger/The Guardian. Food styling: Emily Kydd. Prop styling: Jennifer Kay. Food styling assistant: Susannah Cohen.

© Photograph: Louise Hagger/The Guardian. Food styling: Emily Kydd. Prop styling: Jennifer Kay. Food styling assistant: Susannah Cohen.

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© Illustration: Becky Barnicoat/The Guardian

© Illustration: Becky Barnicoat/The Guardian

© Illustration: Becky Barnicoat/The Guardian

As Wham! top singles chart, Minogue draws level with David Bowie, Eminem, U2 and Rod Stewart in the album league table, thanks to a reissue of her 2015 Christmas LP

Kylie Minogue has scored her 11th UK No 1 album, putting her level with David Bowie and Eminem in the league of all-time album chart-toppers.

The album, Kylie Christmas (Fully Wrapped), will sound familiar to her fans: it’s a reissue of her 2015 album Kylie Christmas (which only reached No 12), containing four newly recorded tracks and an altered tracklisting. It had already been reissued once before, in 2016, as the Snow Queen Edition. Nevertheless, the Fully Wrapped version counts as a new album in chart terms, and so continues a non-consecutive run of No 1s that began in 1988, when Minogue’s self-titled debut spent six weeks at the top.

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© Photograph: Matt Crossick/Shutterstock for Global

© Photograph: Matt Crossick/Shutterstock for Global

© Photograph: Matt Crossick/Shutterstock for Global

Whether giving as a festive gift or just enjoying during your own yuletide celebrations, these whiskies – and whiskeys – will bring the warmth

• I tried 60 low- and no-alcohol drinks: here are my favourite beers, wines and spirits

Searching for a whisky this Christmas? From Speysides to single malts, Japanese whiskies and special edition bottlings, the sheer choice can be overwhelming.

If you’re looking for a delicious dram to enjoy with your mince pie, a versatile bottle to have on standby this party season or the perfect gift, there’s a whisky out there with your name on it. It needn’t cost the earth either: I’ve found sustainable B Corp whiskies and pocket-friendly blends along with higher-end options to suit everyone’s budget.

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© Photograph: GMVozd/Getty Images/iStockphoto

© Photograph: GMVozd/Getty Images/iStockphoto

© Photograph: GMVozd/Getty Images/iStockphoto

There was once a popular radio show called The Rest of the Story with Paul Harvey, which ran from 1976 to 2009. This program would share true stories by delving into important but often unknown details. One memorable episode, “The Man and the Birds,” tells of a compassionate man who decided not to go to church on Christmas Eve because he struggled to believe in the Incarnation. Read More

My offer to host dinner is declined. My cooking is never good. Triumph lies in the fact food is cooked and not full of bacteria

Yeah, I’m gonna say it – stop with the fetishisation of sandwiches, already! Obviously we’ve had the annual rejoicing over the advent (Ha! See what I did there?) of the Pret Christmas offering and the paler imitations thereafter by lesser chains and retail outlets. Now Harrods is getting in on the act with a £29 version on sale at its steakhouse, the Grill on Fifth. It consists of a burger patty (and listen, let’s get rid of the word ‘patty’ while we’re about it, shall we? Why? Because it’s viscerally hateful, that’s why), roast turkey breast, stuffing, a pig in a blanket, spiced red cabbage, cranberry sauce and turkey gravy.

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© Photograph: Xsandra/Getty Images/iStockphoto

© Photograph: Xsandra/Getty Images/iStockphoto

© Photograph: Xsandra/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Not a fan of the traditional festive spread? These recipes are a Christmas feast that even turkeys would vote for

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© Photograph: Louise Hagger/The Guardian. Food styling: Rosie Ramsden. Prop styling: Rachel Vere.

© Photograph: Louise Hagger/The Guardian. Food styling: Rosie Ramsden. Prop styling: Rachel Vere.

© Photograph: Louise Hagger/The Guardian. Food styling: Rosie Ramsden. Prop styling: Rachel Vere.

Retailer, which also owns Funky Pigeon, says economic pressure has hit shoppers’ confidence

Card Factory has delivered an unwelcome early Christmas surprise for investors by issuing a shock profit warning during the greetings card retailer’s peak trading period, which sent shares plunging by more than a fifth.

The retailer, which also owns the online card and gift brand Funky Pigeon, said economic pressure on shoppers has hit confidence in its most important trading period of the year.

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© Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The Guardian

© Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The Guardian

© Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The Guardian

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© Illustration: Stephen Collins

© Illustration: Stephen Collins

© Illustration: Stephen Collins

Snuggle up under oak beams in front of a deep inglenook fireplace, stay warm with underfloor heating or enjoy your own wine cellar for festive entertaining

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© Photograph: Sandersons

© Photograph: Sandersons

© Photograph: Sandersons

Our styling editor shares her favourite looks for getting dressed up to the nines

• The best flat shoes for party season

It’s party season, a time of year that either fills you with sartorial dread or has you screaming with excitement as you get to wear yet another embellished dress to the pub on Friday night (‘tis the season after all).

I spend most of the year wearing navy trousers and oversized shirts, but there’s something about a party dress that speaks to my inner J-Lo. Give me applique flowers, cowl necks, asymmetric hemlines and lace edging, perhaps with an oversized blazer or knee-high boots. The options are endless and, in my opinion, during the silly season, the usual rules don’t apply. Here are the best party dress picks for December and beyond.

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© Photograph: PR Image

© Photograph: PR Image

© Photograph: PR Image

Mismatched or holey socks won’t cut it if your host asks you to leave your footwear at the door this party season

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© Composite: PR

© Composite: PR

© Composite: PR

For her directorial debut, Winslet assembled a cast including Toni Collette, Timothy Spall, Johnny Flynn and Andrea Riseborough to tell a story inspired by her own family’s bereavement. The actors talk mourning, immortality and hospital vending machines

In 2017, Sally Bridges-Winslet died of cancer. She was 71. It was, her youngest daughter said, “like the north star just dropped out of the sky”.

It would have been even worse, says Kate Winslet today, had the family not pulled together. “I do have tremendous amounts of peace and acceptance around what happened because of how we were able to make it for her.”

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© Photograph: Suki Dhanda/The Guardian

© Photograph: Suki Dhanda/The Guardian

© Photograph: Suki Dhanda/The Guardian

A Tommy Robinson-inspired carol service is the latest sign of a burgeoning Christian nationalist movement. The Church of England is right to push back

The story of Christmas is a tale of poverty and flight from persecution. According to Christian tradition, humanity’s saviour is born in a stable, since Mary and Joseph are unable to find a room in Bethlehem. The holy family subsequently flee to Egypt to escape the murderous intentions of King Herod. This drama grounds the New Testament message of compassion for the stranger, the fugitive and all those who find themselves far from home. “I was hungry and you gave me food to eat,” says Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew. “I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”

The spirit of a far-right show of force planned on Saturday by Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, AKA Tommy Robinson, will be somewhat different. Since reportedly converting fully to Christianity while serving a prison sentence for contempt of court, Mr Yaxley-Lennon has energetically deployed his faith to promote his own gospel of ethnic discord and political polarisation. The Unite the Kingdom rally he organised in July featured hymns, a plethora of wooden crosses and a Christian preacher who spoke of a war against “the Muslim”. His latest provocation is a “carol service” in central London, ostensibly to “put Christ back in Christmas”.

Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.

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© Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

© Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

© Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

US visa edict | 1 No Trump | Flu advice | Costly candles | Christmas spirit

Oh dear! Now I will never get a visa to go to the US as I am sure that I have emailed quite a few letters to the Guardian critical of Donald Trump in the last few years (Tourists to US would have to reveal five years of social media activity under new Trump plan, 10 December).
Michael McLoughlin
Wallington, Surrey

• The latest US visa requirements would be a nightmare. Imagine trying to hold an international bridge tournament in the US. Where would you find players who haven’t bid “1 No Trump” in the last five years?
Steen I Petersen
Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada

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© Photograph: Chris Delmas/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Chris Delmas/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Chris Delmas/AFP/Getty Images

There are too many competing and overfamiliar ideas in this busy slasher reboot that’s sorely lacking in style

There was a bizarre moral outrage back in November 1984 when seasonal slasher Silent Night, Deadly Night dared to put an axe in the hands of Santa. Despite being, you know, not a real person he was once treated with enough reverence to cause parent-led protests, a ban of all advertising and then of the film itself. It provided a sharp edge to an otherwise blunt and unremarkable post-Halloween knockoff and might help to explain why it managed to eke out four junky sequels and a 2012 remake.

We’re now at the inevitable second remake stage but the 2025 redo arrives after the gimmick of Killer Santa has now become a subgenre in itself. He’s cropped up in Christmas Bloody Christmas, Christmas Evil, Santa’s Slay, Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale, Deadly Games and last year’s Terrifier 3 and the makers of this December’s take are more than aware that seeing Santa with a weapon isn’t enough to shock today’s horror fans.

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© Photograph: Heather Beckstead

© Photograph: Heather Beckstead

© Photograph: Heather Beckstead

From glühwein to lebkuchen, bratwurst to stollen, recreating the delicacies I sampled in the city’s festive markets is wholly achievable. Plus, a new digital cookbook for a good cause

• Sign up here for our weekly food newsletter, Feast

Without wanting to sound tediously Scrooge-like, the German-style markets that have become seasonal fixtures in many British cities over the last few decades never make me feel particularly festive. What’s remotely Christmassy – or German – about Dubai-chocolate churros and Korean fried chicken, I grumble as I drag the dog (who enjoys all such things) around their perimeters.

Hamburg’s markets, however, which I was myself dragged around last weekend, are a very different story. For a start, the city has many of them, mainly fairly small – and some, such as the “erotic Christmas market” in St Pauli, with a particular theme. What they all have in common is the range of food and drink on offer … though let’s gloss hurriedly over the phallic gingerbread shapes on sale at St Pauli in favour of the eye-opening range of glühwein (white, rosé, kirsch-spiked, blueberry-flavoured), which was far more appealing.

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© Photograph: klug-photo/Getty Images

© Photograph: klug-photo/Getty Images

© Photograph: klug-photo/Getty Images

Don’t get pulled in by silly gadgets: buy presents you’d be happy to receive yourself

Alcohol is an unavoidable part of a festive spread (for more advice on which wines, beers and other drinks I like for each and every occasion, take a look at last week’s Christmas drinks guide), but, sometimes, a drink deserves a place under the tree as well as around it – especially if it’s an easy win for a drinks devotee for whom you need to buy a prezzie.

As I said at this time last year, don’t waste your time and money on fancy-dan wine kit and gadgets: I am speaking for myself here, of course, but a lot of it will ultimately find its way to a kitchen drawer, never to be seen again. I am always running out of corkscrews, however, and the one from St John is iconic and monochrome, or maybe something sleek and silver from Fortnum & Mason, perhaps?

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© Photograph: Robert Billington/The Guardian. Food styling: Loïc Parisot Prop styling: Anna Wilkins Food styling assistant: Sophie Pryn Photo assistant: Kate Anglestein

© Photograph: Robert Billington/The Guardian. Food styling: Loïc Parisot Prop styling: Anna Wilkins Food styling assistant: Sophie Pryn Photo assistant: Kate Anglestein

© Photograph: Robert Billington/The Guardian. Food styling: Loïc Parisot Prop styling: Anna Wilkins Food styling assistant: Sophie Pryn Photo assistant: Kate Anglestein

Say no to throwaway this Christmas! From tools and jewels to tartan rugs and teapots, here are the pressies you’ve given or received that have stood the test of time

• 14 easy ways to cut Christmas waste

In our throwaway consumer culture, giving gifts can feel like a whole lot of pressure: get it wrong and that present could fall apart, end up in the back of a cupboard (or worse, landfill), or be re-gifted.

The trick is finding something timeless but not boring; thoughtful and personal; well made and useful. We asked you for the gifts you’ve given or received that are still treasured (and going strong) years – often decades – later.

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© Composite: PR Image

© Composite: PR Image

© Composite: PR Image

We’d like to know more about your how much your pets feature in your life during the festive period

We’d like to find out more about you and your pets at Christmas.

Do you spend more on buying Christmas gifts for your pets than your family and friends? Or do you skip party plans altogether to stay with your animal companion?

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© Photograph: Tierfotoagentur/Alamy

© Photograph: Tierfotoagentur/Alamy

© Photograph: Tierfotoagentur/Alamy

Norwich Theatre Royal
There are eye-popping designs, playful puns and musical flourishes as Joe Tracini’s story unfolds on its own madcap shoreline

Here is a sun-kissed panto to dispel any dreams of a white Christmas. Joe Tracini’s script is set in the seaside town of Crabbington Sands where a pastel-dressed ensemble make merry with Aimee Leigh’s breezy choreography. Cinderella’s sisters, gruesome twosome Lou and Lav (cue toilet-flush effect), could have stepped out of an outrageously saucy postcard. Designer Kirsteen Wythe gifts them lurid costumes best seen with UV protection. They include a beach ball-shaped dress, a bucket-and-spade hat, fairground-ride frocks and wigs seemingly woven with fishing rope.

Cinderella’s parents ran a local hotel that has been shuttered since she lost them, and she yearns for new adventures, a longing captured in an opening rendition of Natasha Bedingfield’s Unwritten. In the lead role, Georgia May Foote brings a big sister vibe to her crowdwork with the young audience that also underlines how Cinders sees the hopelessly devoted Buttons (Tracini) as a brother. But she is written to be a bit insipid, and there is little spark to her romance with a wannabe rock-star prince (Danny Hatchard, poised between buffoon and decent bloke).

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© Photograph: Richard Jarmy Photography/Dinky Pix

© Photograph: Richard Jarmy Photography/Dinky Pix

© Photograph: Richard Jarmy Photography/Dinky Pix

The short answer is yes, but if you don’t want big brands or to use Amazon then more time and a lot more prompts are needed

• ‘Is retail ready for the AI shopping shift?

The question “what present do you recommend for …” will be tapped into phones and computers countless times over this festive period, as more people turn to AI platforms to help choose gifts for loved ones.

With a quarter of Britons using AI to find products, brands are increasingly adapting their strategies to ensure their products are the ones recommended, especially those trying to reach younger audiences.

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© Photograph: Peter Morgan/AP

© Photograph: Peter Morgan/AP

© Photograph: Peter Morgan/AP

Our writer tried out seven activities: forget novelty mugs and aftershave – these are the gifts they’ll actually appreciate

• The best Christmas gifts for 2025

Want to give the ultimate waste-free gift, or buy someone something they didn’t even know they wanted? Then try an experience they won’t quickly forget, or stash away at the back of a kitchen cupboard.

You can experience almost anything these days, from pig petting to a “smash it” rage room where you choose a weapon and break things (yes, really). But for this guide, I tried seven more palatable experiences to suit a range of tastes, ages and budgets: experiences that felt unusual but that your recipient might actually enjoy – and some (as I did with life drawing) they might want to take up as a hobby. Most experiences were local to me in London, but all activities selected have alternatives nationwide, of which we’ve listed a few below.

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© Composite: PR Image

© Composite: PR Image

© Composite: PR Image

Keeping reindeer in pens for public enjoyment can cause them physical and mental harm, charities warn

With their fluffy coats, big brown eyes and reputation as Santa’s helpers, reindeer are a common and popular attraction at Christmas markets around the UK.

But being stuck in a pen and approached by hordes of adoring fans is harming the mental and physical health of Rudolph and his brethren, animal charities have warned.

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© Photograph: Simon Maycock/Alamy Stock Photo/Alamy Live News.

© Photograph: Simon Maycock/Alamy Stock Photo/Alamy Live News.

© Photograph: Simon Maycock/Alamy Stock Photo/Alamy Live News.

Save a used teabag to flavour dried fruit, then just add whisky for a boozy festive treat

A jar of tea-soaked prunes with a cheeky splash of whisky is the gift you never knew you needed. Sticky, sweet and complex, these boozy treats are wonderful spooned over rice pudding, porridge, yoghurt, ice-cream or even panna cotta.

Don’t waste a fresh tea bag, though – enjoy a cuppa first, then use the spent one to infuse the prunes overnight. Earl grey adds fragrant, citrus notes, builders’ tea gives a malty depth, lapsang souchong brings smokiness, and chamomile or rooibos offer softer, floral tones. It’s also worth experimenting with other dried fruits beyond prunes: apricots, figs and/or dates all work beautifully, too.

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© Photograph: Tom Hunt/The Guardian. Food styling: Tom Hunt.

© Photograph: Tom Hunt/The Guardian. Food styling: Tom Hunt.

© Photograph: Tom Hunt/The Guardian. Food styling: Tom Hunt.

From sea salt to cardamom, soy wax to sustainable refills, these are the best, most nausea-free scented candles around for Christmas and beyond (and they’re all under £30)

• The best diffusers for your home

While scented candles are a failsafe gift, they can be seen as a bit unimaginative. But they’re perfect for winter days at home and thoroughly festive. Lighting a candle is a ceremony, and the flickering flame can trigger something comfortingly primal in us.

Retailers, from supermarkets to artisan independents, are developing huge ranges of scented candles, and it’s hard to know where to start, and what’s any good. Many of us have been disappointed by a candle that smelled divine when we had an in-store sniff, only to be distinctly underwhelming once it’s home. So we’ve sniffed, burned and rated dozens of candles for you.

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© Composite: PR Image

© Composite: PR Image

© Composite: PR Image

This season calls for a tartan bow the size of a dinner plate, traditional baubles on the tree and a host of wooden nutcracker soldiers. ‘Ralph Lauren Christmas’ has gone viral, and gen Z has fallen hard for nostalgia and the 1990s

It is December, which everyone knows is the time to get your Christmas on. So what is it to be this year? An ironic wreath made from brussel sprouts? Oh-so-zeitgeist decorations in the shape of Perelló olive tins or Torres crisp packets? Or are we thinking a minimalist all-white theme?

Wrong, wrong and wrong again. My front door wreath – it went up two weeks ago because I’m a Christmas superfan – is huge and trad, with a tartan bow the size of a dinner plate. There are wooden nutcracker soldiers the size of toddlers by the fireplace. When I put my tree up this weekend, it may well collapse under the weight of old-fashioned round baubles.

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© Photograph: ©Twentieth Century Fox/Supplied by LMK

© Photograph: ©Twentieth Century Fox/Supplied by LMK

© Photograph: ©Twentieth Century Fox/Supplied by LMK

From a glitter eyeshadow to a deep brown lip, these are easy and fresh ways to give glitz and glamour

I recently attended my first party of the season, for which I was asked in advance to wear “something sparkly”. With few exceptions, I loathe glitzy eveningwear. What seems fun in season looks depressing to me when hanging heavily on the sale rail come February.

And so with nothing on-code in my wardrobe and no inclination to buy something new, I wore my usual black tuxedo suit and Lisa Eldridge’s Liquid Lurex Eyeshadow in Zora (£21), a cool, bitter-chocolate brown eyeshadow that sweeps on straight from the applicator and smooshes in nicely with a fingertip.

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© Photograph: Kellie French/The Guardian

© Photograph: Kellie French/The Guardian

© Photograph: Kellie French/The Guardian

Sweet, Mexican-inspired seed and salted spice brittle, and super-savoury XO sauce-laced cheesy pinwheel cookies

Edible Christmas gifts are a great excuse to get experimental with global flavours. For spice lovers, this moreish Mexican brittle, which is inspired by salsa macha (a delicious chilli-crunch), is sweet, salty, smoky, crunchy and has hints of anise. Then, for savoury lovers, some cheesy pinwheel cookies enlivened with XO sauce. XO is a deeply umami condiment from Hong Kong made from dried seafood, salty ham, chilli and spices. Paired with tangy manchego, it adds a funky kick to these crumbly biscuits.

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© Photograph: The Guardian. Food styling: Loïc Parisot Prop styling: Anna Wilkins. Food styling assistant: Sophie Pry.n Photo assistant: Kate Anglestein.

© Photograph: The Guardian. Food styling: Loïc Parisot Prop styling: Anna Wilkins. Food styling assistant: Sophie Pry.n Photo assistant: Kate Anglestein.

© Photograph: The Guardian. Food styling: Loïc Parisot Prop styling: Anna Wilkins. Food styling assistant: Sophie Pry.n Photo assistant: Kate Anglestein.

Seven brainteasers feature in intelligence agency’s 2025 Christmas card, with covers designed by UK school pupils

A warning from the spies at GCHQ: a robber is on the loose, intent on stealing Christmas presents. Luckily, he won’t find it easy.

The robber’s target, according to the British intelligence and security agency, is a house with a large number of rooms, each of which has a letter, which are linked to each other by coloured doors and arrows. He can’t go through the same-coloured door twice in a row, and can’t move against any arrows. Eventually, the robber is caught by the police. How was he acting?

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© Photograph: GCHQ

© Photograph: GCHQ

© Photograph: GCHQ

Weak regulation is to blame for disastrous failures in relation to pollution. But there are solutions if people get behind them

A study suggesting that as many as 168m light-up Christmas ornaments and similar items could be thrown out in a single year, in the UK, is concerning if not surprising in light of longstanding challenges around recycling rates and waste reduction. Even if the actual figure is lower, there is no question that battery-powered and electrical toys, lights and gifts are proliferating as never before. Despite a great deal of commentary aimed at dialling down consumption over the festive season, especially surplus packaging and rubbish, strings of disposable lights and flashing figures have gained in popularity. Homes, front gardens and shopping streets grow sparklier by the year.

Batteries and electrical devices present particular difficulties when it comes to disposal, because they cause fires. But they are just one part of a more general problem of excessive waste – and weak regulatory oversight. British plastic waste exports rose by 5% in 2024 to nearly 600,000 tonnes. A new report on plastics from the Pew Charitable Trusts warns that global production is expected to rise by 52% by 2040 – to 680m tonnes – outstripping the capacity of waste management systems around the world.

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© Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

© Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

© Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

Charlie Cox and Zooey Deschanel co-parent a depressed dog in a serviceable attempt to appeal to animal lovers during the festive period

It is a truth universally acknowledged, at least in my social circles, that co-parenting a dog is a bad idea. Most will tell you: shared canine custody arrangements prevent exes from moving on. It’s a logistical headache. It causes fights. It’s annoying for all involved (and then some). And apparently, in a revelation worthy of a straight-to-streaming movie, it makes dogs depressed.

Not to minimize the mental health of dogs – I’ve listened to my mother boast about our family chihuahua’s “EQ” enough to know that man’s best friend has the capacity for great emotional sensitivity. (And the ability to convey it on command – for a truly outstanding performance of doggie depression, please see Bing the bereft great dane in 2024’s The Friend.) I have no doubt that a dog like Merv, a wired-hair terrier sort played by Gus the Dog in Merv’s eponymous Amazon movie, would struggle to adjust from life in a single family unit to split homes. Whether or not the ill-advised dog-sharing arrangement can sustain a whole Christmas romcom, however, is a dubious proposition.

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© Photograph: Wilson Webb/Prime

© Photograph: Wilson Webb/Prime

© Photograph: Wilson Webb/Prime

Charles Poekel’s directorial debut has taken a decade to reach the UK, but its indie take on seasonal cinema brings low-key warmth

This is a New York drama so laidback that it has taken a decade to reach the UK’s cinema screens. First released in the US in 2015, it’s an ultra-low-budget debut from first-time director Charles Poekel, set almost entirely on a 24-hour pop-up Christmas tree stall. Poekel’s style is far too authentic-indie and unaffected to get slushy or sentimental about Christmas; through his lens Christmas tree lights blink like police lights. But in its own low-key way, he pitches his film just right for a little squeeze of festive warmth.

Kentucker Audley stars as Noel (it took someone in the film to joke about his name before I twigged). Noel is back for his fifth year selling Christmas trees in Brooklyn, standing outside in the freezing cold and sleeping in a not-much-warmer caravan parked next to the trees. A few customers ask about the girl working with him last year. But this year Noel is alone, broken-hearted and working the night shift. There’s a documentary feel to a lot of the scenes, customers asking pointless random questions. One woman wants the same Christmas tree as the Obamas (this is 2014). Noel looks frozen to the bone physically and emotionally; he’s weary and disillusioned, though Audley’s subtle performance makes it clear that he wasn’t always like this.

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© Photograph: Bulldog Film Distribution

© Photograph: Bulldog Film Distribution

© Photograph: Bulldog Film Distribution

Two easy bakes to share or gift: soft and peppery gingerbread cookies and a ginger and pumpkin loaf with spiced lemon icing

As a self-proclaimed America’s sweetheart (Julia Roberts isn’t using that title any more, is she?) who moved to the UK nearly 10 years ago, there are a few British traditions and customs that I have adopted, especially around Christmas time. However, there are also a few American ones that I hold on to staunchly: one is the pronunciation of “aluminum”, and another is the importance and beauty of a soft cookie. In both of these easy but delicious bakes to share, I use spice and heat to balance the usual sweetness with which the season can often overload us.

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© Photograph: The Guardian. Food styling: Loïc Parisot Prop styling: Anna Wilkins. Food styling assistant: Sophie Pry.n Photo assistant: Kate Anglestein.

© Photograph: The Guardian. Food styling: Loïc Parisot Prop styling: Anna Wilkins. Food styling assistant: Sophie Pry.n Photo assistant: Kate Anglestein.

© Photograph: The Guardian. Food styling: Loïc Parisot Prop styling: Anna Wilkins. Food styling assistant: Sophie Pry.n Photo assistant: Kate Anglestein.

Want to shrink your festive footprint? These practical, expert-backed tips can help make silly season more sustainable

• Where do all the products the Filter tests end up?

Whether it’s the gift wrap (108m rolls discarded annually), the food (the average family wastes about £60 of it over the festive period) or the dreaded plastic packaging (more than 114,000 tonnes of it is discarded during Christmas in the UK), there is a lot of unnecessary festive stuff. According to Waste Direct, the UK produces 30% more waste at Christmas than at any other time of year.

A few years ago, a family member started a conversation about finding Christmas overwhelming because they were receiving gifts they didn’t really want or need. That sparked a chain reaction whereby we now have a more considered Christmas, choosing presents more wisely (or not at all) and cutting down on the excess. I’ve taken this experience – which has been truly rewarding – plus the advice of experts, to explore easy and joyful ways to be less wasteful this Christmas.

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© Photograph: Daisy-Daisy/Getty Images/iStockphoto

© Photograph: Daisy-Daisy/Getty Images/iStockphoto

© Photograph: Daisy-Daisy/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Our experts reveal what becomes of all those mattress toppers – plus Gok Wan’s shopping secrets and a gift guide to take your present-giving up a gear

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We do a lot of testing here at the Filter, and that means our experts can end up with a lot of products, from air coolers to suitcases, mattresses to sunrise alarm clocks. We are particularly proud of our commitment to donating them to charity if they don’t need to be returned, so as Christmas approaches, we asked three of our writers where their unwanted items ended up – and who they helped.

“The best part of reviewing mattresses isn’t the naps or the lie-ins – it’s the part where someone comes to take them away,” writes Jane Hoskyn. “Donating them to my local hardship charity Scratch is a win-win: families get to sleep in comfort, and my house gets its floor space back.

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© Photograph: Jane Hoskyn

© Photograph: Jane Hoskyn

© Photograph: Jane Hoskyn

For nearly half a century, Rick Revelle has played the role of Santa Claus in one form or another. Read More

The 2025 Napanee Parade of Lights was met with smiling faces and good weather as 85 floats and attractions entertained hundreds of spectators. Read More

A rich, buttery crumb, a hint of bittersweet coffee, a spot of icing and a cherry on top … better gift them before you scoff them

These festive cookies are inspired by The Nutcracker’s Land of Sweets sequence, in which coffee and sugar plums are two of the flavours used to conjure a fanciful world of decadent diversion. Anything from a hard candy to a candied fruit can qualify as a “sugar plum” and, in the case of these cookies, the sugar plum is represented by the amarena cherry. Coffee’s bitterness balances the sweetness of the fruit and the rich butteriness of the dough, while the oat flour adds a dash of shortbread-like delicateness.

Brian Levy is the author of the Formal Assignment newsletter and Good & Sweet, published by Avery at £35.99. To order a copy, visit guardianbookshop.com

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© Photograph: Robert Billington/The Guardian. Food styling: Loïc Parisot Prop styling: Anna Wilkins. Food styling assistant: Sophie Pry.n Photo assistant: Kate Anglestein.

© Photograph: Robert Billington/The Guardian. Food styling: Loïc Parisot Prop styling: Anna Wilkins. Food styling assistant: Sophie Pry.n Photo assistant: Kate Anglestein.

© Photograph: Robert Billington/The Guardian. Food styling: Loïc Parisot Prop styling: Anna Wilkins. Food styling assistant: Sophie Pry.n Photo assistant: Kate Anglestein.

The pistachio-crammed craze makes a superb gift. Our in-house perfectionist tries all the fiddly bits for you …

If you’re asking what on earth chocolate has to do with a city with an average annual temperature of 28C, then you must have been stuck in the desert for the past three years. Because, since its creation in the UAE in 2022, apparently to satisfy chocolatier Sarah Hamouda’s pregnancy cravings for pistachio and pastry, this bar has taken over the world. Though food (among those with the luxury of choice, at least) has never been immune to the absurdities of fashion, the internet has supercharged and globalised the process, so much so that pistachios, which back in January were dubbed “the new pumpkin spice” by this very newspaper, are now everywhere, from Starbucks lattes to Aldi mince pies.

The thing is, however, that whatever your thoughts on green, sugary, coffee-adjacent beverages, Hamouda’s Dubai chocolate developed for Fix Dessert Chocolatier has triumphed, because it really does taste as good as it looks: crunchy pastry, sweet chocolate and rich, slightly savoury nut butter are an incredibly satisfying combination, so a big bar of it is guaranteed to impress under the Christmas tree. Experience demands that I suggest you wrap it in a pet-proof box, however – emergency vet bills are no one’s idea of a great present.

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© Photograph: Robert Billington/The Guardian. Food styling: Loïc Parisot Prop styling: Anna Wilkins Food styling assistant: Sophie Pryn Photo assistant: Kate Anglestein

© Photograph: Robert Billington/The Guardian. Food styling: Loïc Parisot Prop styling: Anna Wilkins Food styling assistant: Sophie Pryn Photo assistant: Kate Anglestein

© Photograph: Robert Billington/The Guardian. Food styling: Loïc Parisot Prop styling: Anna Wilkins Food styling assistant: Sophie Pryn Photo assistant: Kate Anglestein

Our style guru’s gift picks are in – from a cult lip oil and fashion-desk-approved earrings to the T-shirt brand every cool kid wants

• The best self-care gifts for Christmas

Angelina Jolie once bought Brad Pitt a California waterfall for Christmas. Another time, she got him a 200-year-old olive tree for their estate in Provence as a Valentine’s gift. I guess she set the bar pretty high when she bought him Ernest Hemingway’s actual typewriter as a wedding gift.

Anecdotally, this does not suggest that gift-giving is a guarantee of a happy marriage, so maybe don’t sweat your beloved’s pressie too much. However, I do love the treasure hunt of Christmas shopping, and a wrapping session with a good podcast or two. Here’s what I’ve got my sights on this year …

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© Composite: Guardian/Sandra Navarro

© Composite: Guardian/Sandra Navarro

© Composite: Guardian/Sandra Navarro

Millions of real trees are sold each year, and costs vary widely – we ask experts how to find good deals

For many Britons, putting up their tree is the ritual that marks the official start of Christmas, with the second week of December a popular time to deck the halls.

While surveys suggest that about two-thirds of the population will opt for an artificial tree, millions of real ones will be sold this month. As usual, the competition is fierce on the high street, with some supermarkets selling the most popular tree – the Nordmann fir – for under £15.

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© Photograph: Posed by models; Thomas Barwick/Getty Images

© Photograph: Posed by models; Thomas Barwick/Getty Images

© Photograph: Posed by models; Thomas Barwick/Getty Images

In 2015, I was asked to help with ideas for a holiday-themed fundraiser. A friend at the time and I met for coffee and I threw the idea past her of running a professional wrestling show in Kingston and raising money through ticket sales. Read More

Perhaps you started Christmas earlier or are making extra special efforts to enjoy the festive season

Are you leaning in to Christmas this year, determined to make the most of the festive season?

Perhaps you put your Christmas tree up earlier than usual? Or, for the first time in years? Maybe you’re embracing Christmas jumper wearing with unusual zeal? Or perhaps you’re listening to Christmas songs earlier than usual? Maybe you’re making more effort to enjoy time with friends and loved ones in the run-up to 25 December.

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© Photograph: Mariyariya/Getty Images

© Photograph: Mariyariya/Getty Images

© Photograph: Mariyariya/Getty Images

With the holiday season upon us, Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation is reminding people that lottery tickets are not for children. Read More

For many people, the holiday season is a time for giving and spending time with family and friends. But for some, that traditional form of celebration is something those without a home go through without. Read More

Some of my earliest Christmas memories are of waking my late little brother up at ungodly hours to see if Santa had come yet when we were just little boys living in Strathcona or Camden East. Read More

New tools and features from retailers and tech companies use artificial intelligence to help people find gifts and make decisions about their shopping lists.

© Janet Mac