1914 | Sainsbury's Ad | Christmas 2014

Nov 12, 2014 | Sainsbury’s Christmas advert, 1914. Made in partnership with The Royal British Legion. Inspired by real events from 100 years ago.

2014’s Christmas ad from Sainsbury’s – Christmas is for sharing. Made in partnership with The Royal British Legion, it commemorates the extraordinary events of Christmas Day, 1914, when the guns fell silent and two armies met in no-man’s land, sharing gifts – and even playing football together.

The chocolate bar featured in the ad was on sale at Sainsbury’s at that time. All profits went to The Royal British Legion and benefitted our armed forces and their families, past and present.


I have watched the new Christmas ads this year for several supermarkets, M&S, Tesco, Sainsbury’s itself, and a few others, too, but in my humble opinion, although many of them are clever and good, none comes up to standard of this superb Christmas ad. This ad is the work of a genius! It is thoroughly moving and thoroughly meaningful. The advert encapsulates the TRUE meaning of Christmas, bringing two warring nations together. Showing us all what Christmas should be about: love and peace, caring and sharing. No ad could express these things better than this does. So often, when we look at Christmas ads today, all we can observe is froth and bubble and light-heartedness. — © Mark Alexander

Sweet Italian Christmas Cookies 🎄 Almonds and Orange! Gluten-free Pastry: Ricciarelli ♥

Nov 25, 2021 | Do you know Ricciarelli? Sweet Christmas cookies that we bake as a family. Each family has its own way of doing things, its recipes, its flavours. These orange and almond cookies are delicious! Remember, the more we share, the less we eat ♥ Buon appetito!

Why ‘A Christmas Carol’ Endures

OPINION : GUEST ESSAY
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Since its publication in December 1843, “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens has been a cherished presence during the holiday season. The novella — which Dickens wrote to make money when he was broke — has not gone out of print once in more than 180 years and has been adapted into dozens of movies, stage productions, musicals and mini series, attracting stars from Alastair Sim to the Muppets. Today one can hardly think of Christmas without thinking of Scrooge, the Cratchits and Tiny Tim’s “God bless us, every one.”

In some ways, the story’s enduring appeal is easy to account for. “A Christmas Carol” is, first and foremost, a ghost story — a genre that never seems to go out of fashion. But what’s less easy to account for, and more interesting, is how this 19th-century tale has continued to speak to modern readers, offering moral lessons that have only grown more relevant over the decades.

At its core, it is a story about the forces that exist within all of us: greed and generosity, hatred and love, repentance and forgiveness. It doesn’t hurt that it concerns one of literature’s most compelling characters: Ebenezer Scrooge.

The name Scrooge has become a synonym for a misanthrope. He treats his employee terribly, disdains those less fortunate than him and turns away those collecting donations for the poor. His sole concern is his own material enrichment. » | Roger Rosenblatt | Mr. Rosenblatt is an author of memoirs, novels and meditations, the most recent of which is “A Steinway on the Beach: Wounds and Other Blessings.” | Tuesday, December 24, 2024

Hope and Fears of Christians in Syria under the New Islamist Leadership | DW News

Dec 24, 2024 | Christians in Syria are preparing to celebrate their first Christmas since the overthrow of president Bashar al Assad. After nearly five decades under the rule of the Assad family, the country faces a new era following this month's sudden rebel victory. While some Christians express hope for the future, there are concerns about the fate of religious minorities under Syria's new Islamist-led government.

For more on this, we talk to Priest Firas Lutfi. He is a Parish Priest in Damascus and Head of Franciscan community in Damascus, Syria.

Christians in Syria prepare for Christmas

How to Cook the Ultimate Roast Pork with Rejina Sabur-Cross | Recipe | Sainsbury's

Jan 10, 2014

How to Make Roast Pork with Perfect Crackling | Waitrose

Mar 20, 2016 | Rich Harris shows you a foolproof, simple method for making delicious roast pork with crisp crackling every time.

Nigella's Christmas Kitchen 🎄 Episode 5 - BBC Series 2008 | Complete Episode

Nov 28, 2020 | This video is the property of the BBC.

Who's Ready for This?👇🌲🎅

Ach schön! Klar ist es wieder die Zeit für Glühwein. Es muß bald wieder Weihnacht sein! Ihr eigener Kommentar nach Wunsch hinzufügen / Add your own comment on YouTube here/hier.

HAUSER - The First Noel

Nov 11, 2024 | HAUSER performing The First Noel

Nigella's Christmas Kitchen 🎄 Episode 4 - BBC Series 2008 | Complete Episode

Nov 28, 2020 | This video is the property of the BBC.

Ukraine Ignores Russian Orthodox Church, Observes December 25 as Public Holiday

Dec 26, 2023 | Today marks the first time that Ukraine is observing Christmas as a public holiday on December 25th. Traditionally, Ukrainians celebrated Christmas on January 7th in line with the Russian Orthodox Church, following the Julian calendar. It's part of a cultural shift away from Moscow after last year's invasion.

Nigella’s Christmas Breakfast Strata

Dec 11, 2023 | “I know there’s not exactly a shortage of cooking on Christmas Day. None of us is actively looking for more to do, but I want to talk to you about breakfast on this most celebratory of mornings. What you need is a breakfast you can get ready, for the most part, before you go to bed on Christmas Eve, and that makes you greet the day – and your guests – the next morning with a genuine smile on your face.

I’m inordinately fond of a strata (the title referring to the layers), which is really a cheesy, eggy bake with bread at the heart of it. There’s something so deliciously festive about it: the dark green of the spinach, the red of the jarred roasted peppers, the milky white of the mozzarella.


Get the full recipe here.

Wonderland: The Story of Christmas | BBC Select

Dec 4, 2023 | So many classic children’s books deal with the festive season. There are Christmassy moments in great works by Charles Dickens, Hans Christian Andersen, Kenneth Grahame, J. M. Barrie, J.R.R. Tolkien and many more. This ingenious arts documentary delves into both the joyous descriptions of yuletide created by these writers and also some darker moments in Christmas stories.

Stream the full documentary on BBC Select here.

5 European Christmas Dishes You Should Try

Dec 2, 2023 | No good Christmas without a good Christmas dinner! If you want to try something new this year or are still at a loss as to what to cook - we have five European Xmas recipe ideas for you: Roast goose from Germany, pierogi from Poland, Christmas ham from Sweden, cheese fondue from Switzerland and Christmas pudding from the UK. Ho Ho Ho!

Correction: Kirsch (Kirschwasser) NOT cherry brandy is put into Swiss fondue! Cherry brandy would be far too sweet. It would also be the wrong colour. It would turn the cheese fondue pink! – Mark

Christian Leaders Lament Advent Calendars Containing Jewellery, Alcohol and Sex Toys

THE TELEGRAPH: Luxury Christmas accessories are ‘vacuously destructive’ to religious ideals

For many, an advent calendar is a traditional way to countdown to Christmas, with a picture or small chocolate hiding behind each door.

However, the recent rise of luxury and decadent advent calendars has been criticised by Christian leaders as “vacuously destructive” to the religion.

Former chaplain to Queen Elizabeth II Gavin Ashenden said that the growing indulgence of advent calendars, which now include jewellery, alcohol and even sex toys, was a sign of society’s “spiritual illiteracy”. » | Mattie Brignal, Senior Money Reporter | Monday, November 13, 2023

The Last Christmas of the Romanovs

Dec 30, 2020 | Christmas 1917 would be the last for the Romanov family. Isolated from the world, exiled in Siberia, they lived the joy of the feast of love, distributing gifts to the members of their staff that they had made themselves. Under house arrest and closely guarded, they were able to organize a traditional Christmas that was in many ways their closest family holiday.

Mulled Wine | Glühwein | Akis Petretzikis

Dec 1, 2022 | Chef: Akis Petretzikis | Director: Leonidas Pelivanidis | Video editor: Mihalis Barbaris |Production: Akis Petretzikis Ltd.

How to Roast a Goose | Waitrose

Cooking a magnificent goose for your Christmas table can be easy - Jon Jones from the Waitrose Cookery School shows you how.

Get the full recipe here.

Geese are in season here in the UK from September 1st. Personally, when I roast a goose, I like to stuff it. Not only with meat stuffing, but also with bread stuffing. My own home-made sage and onion stuffing made with my own freshly-made breadcrumbs. This goose has not been stuffed, but looks absolutely delicious nevertheless.

At Christmas, I often roast a goose in preference to roasting a turkey. There is not as much meat on a goose, and geese are much more expensive than turkeys, but the flavour of a well-raosted goose served with apple sauce is simply outstanding.

If you have never tried roasting a goose, I would suggest that you try roasting one. You will not be disappointed. – Mark

Roast Goose & Gingerbread : Traditional Christmas Fare | Germany | Euromaxx

Dec 6, 2019 For some, the most important part of Christmas is the food. In our series ‘Traditional Christmas Fare’ we’re finding out how a number of festive dishes are prepared. In this episode we’re in the Bavarian city of Nuremberg to see how a traditional roast goose is prepared, and how world-famous German gingerbread is made.

Kaum zum Glauben! Schon anfangs August wird von Weihnachtsfesten die Rede! Was man zu Weihnacht essen wird. Schon spricht man sogar über die Weihnachtsgans! Letze Woche sprach man von Hitzewellen und Dürren; diese Woche kümmert man sich, wie man seinen Hunger am Weihnachtstisch stillen wird! Deswegen möchte ich Ihnen allen „Prost!“ wünschen. Es ist nie zu früh einen Drink zu genießen! – © Mark Alexander

Santander: Bank Hands Out £130m in Christmas Blunder

BBC: Tens of thousands of people awoke on Christmas morning to a surprise from an unexpected benefactor - Santander.

The bank mistakenly deposited £130m into 75,000 accounts on 25 December.

Santander's staff are now rushing to claw back the money, although the job is being made more difficult because much of it was deposited in accounts at rival banks, according to The Times.

The error occurred when payments from 2,000 business accounts were made twice.

"We're sorry that due to a technical issue, some payments from our corporate clients were incorrectly duplicated on the recipients' accounts," the bank said in a statement.

"None of our clients were at any point left out of pocket as a result and we will be working hard with many banks across the UK to recover the duplicated transactions over the coming days." » | Dan Ascher, Business reporter | Thursday, December 30, 2021