Christmas

This Month

Film

James Stewart sees the beauty that surrounds him and the townsfolk break into Auld Lang Syne in It’s a Wonderful Life.

It’s a Wonderful Life is a ritual, but its darkness must be dealt with

The organisers of a festival celebrating Frank Capra’s classic holiday film are finally tackling the difficult subject at its heart.

Dec 24, 2024
Erik Piepenburg

Food culture

Christmas meals in France are often fresh, locally sourced and avoid ultra-processed foods.

Don’t want to get fat at Christmas? Do what the French do

They don’t start stuffing themselves with mince pies as soon as the supermarkets begin playing festive music in September, for one thing.

Dec 24, 2024
Charlotte Kan

Opinion
Terror charges

Taleb al-Abdulmohsen, suspected of carrying out the attack.

Why did Germany’s bizarre terrorist send me angry messages?

Little did I know that the sender would end up being the main suspect in Friday’s Christmas market attack in the eastern city of Magdeburg.

Updated Dec 23, 2024
James Jackson

Alcohol

High intensity drinking is easy to do over a boozy dinner party when the wine is flowing with abandon.

The drinking habit that’s more dangerous than bingeing

“High intensity” imbibing has traditionally been the reserve of students, but more middle-aged people are now taking part.

Dec 23, 2024
Anna Tyzack

Crime

Two dead, 60 injured after car ploughs through German Christmas market

The suspect is a 50-year-old Saudi doctor who moved to Germany in 2006. He has been practising medicine in Bernburg, about 36 kilometres south of Magdeburg.

Dec 21, 2024
Ebrahim Noroozi, Chris Stern and Geir Moulson

Publishing

Books, The Season, Helen Garner. Juice, Tim Winton. We Solve Murders, Richard Osman. Tonight, Nagi/RecipeTin Eats. THe Chairman’s Loung, Joe Aston. Orbital, Samantha Harvey. Big Jim Begins, Dav Pilkey. In Too Deep, Lee Child

Australian authors dominate Christmas book sales

Tim Winton, Helen Garner, Joe Aston and Nagi Maehashi – or RecipeTin Eats, as her website is called – are leading sales and helping independent bookshops stay strong.

Dec 20, 2024
Hannah Wootton

Tourism

The hottest travel spots as the economy turns cold

Japan is cool, Bali is always warm, but Vietnam is so hot right now. The cost-of-living pinch is driving Australians to make sure their overseas holiday hits the mark.

Dec 20, 2024
James Hall

Australian economy

Chadstone Shopping Centre is a world unto itself.

24 hours in Chadstone: a postcard from Melbourne’s shopping temple

I spent a night in the mega mall in the week before Christmas, and even a bloated Victorian budget couldn’t spoil the mood.

Dec 20, 2024
Gus McCubbing

Summer reads

Tom Holland, left, and Dominic Sandbrook, hosts of The Rest is History podcast.

The podcast all of federal parliament is obsessed with

Australia’s political leaders have ambitious reading and streaming plans for the summer break, but one audio program is winning bipartisan support.

Dec 20, 2024
Tom McIlroy

Alcohol

There could be clues in your drink itself, such as it changing colour or looking cloudy.

Was your drink spiked? How to recognise the symptoms and what to do

The festive period is riskier as people go out more often for office parties and end of year gatherings. Here are the signs to look out for.

Dec 20, 2024
Emily Craig

Food & drink

Adam Mourad, Sydney Fish Market’s chief commercial officer.

The seafood trend challenging prawns this Christmas

Sashimi is proving a new popular alternative on Australian holiday platters this year, though one traditional English product remains king.

Dec 19, 2024
Tom Rabe

Christmas Gift Guide 2024
eBooks

two pages from Great Women Sculptors, Phaidon I

Books to treasure or give this holiday season

Elevate your mood and mind with our selection of new coffee table editions, ranging from spectacular photography to quirky knowledge.

Updated Dec 19, 2024
Stephen Clark

Christmas Gift Guide 2024
Life & Leisure

Luxury items for the fashionista (who doesn’t mind to pay)

Who doesn’t want to look good, smell good, feel good? Help them do it – from a $500 fragrance to a $2000 silk robe.

Updated Dec 19, 2024
Eugenie Kelly

Life & Leisure

Erik Thomson will play Ebeneezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol at Melbourne Comedy Theatre

Crowded House to A Christmas Carol: shows to see in December

Nutcrackers and Messiahs abound this month, but a fitting way to cap this cost-of-living year might be a night with Ebeneezer Scrooge. Or there’s always Neil Finn.