Ireland weather: Met Éireann forecasts Christmas Day to feel like spring with mild conditions
Temperatures as high as 14 degrees are forecast, though the record temperature of 18.1 degrees is unlikely to be broken
Christmas
Face it: if you’re the designated cook, there is no 15-minute Christmas
Be sceptical of false prophets, especially on television, who would have you believe it’s as easy as rolling off a yule log
Christmas TV guide in Ireland: The best specials, festive movies and pick of RTÉ schedule
December 22nd-27th: including Christmas specials of Doctor Who, Mrs Brown’s Boys, Gavin & Stacey, and Outnumbered
Television infidelity is apparently a real thing and can be a major cause of door slamming
Herself told her colleagues that she and I have our own TV shows, which we watch separately. Cue a sharp intake of breath
Daddy Christmas: a short story by Paul McVeigh
‘To be or not to be gay? Coming out is a daily event – sometimes multiple times a day – and it’s tiring’
‘I’ll never forget the trail of bodies’: Magdeburg witnesses recount Christmas market attack
As some waited for news of injured loved-ones, locals at the crash scene struggled to keep up with twists and turns of the story
Irish lorry drivers at risk of being stranded in British ports on Christmas Day, haulage body says
Stormy conditions and damage to ferry at Fishguard compound festive season challenges for hauliers as Holyhead port remains closed
Hugs, tears and joy at the airport as the Dublin of Christmas returns comes to life
‘Saibh and I are going to put up the Christmas tree later ... I was told not to put it up until she arrived’
It was Mariah Carey’s Irish mother who imbued in her a love of all things Christmas
All I Want for Christmas is You is the psychoacoustic equivalent of being strangled with tinsel. This superfan will never grow tired of it
Christmas dinner for under €35? We went shopping to see what the grocery shop really costs
Kantar’s figure of €34.74 seems at odds with Irish people’s tendency to eat and drink with the abandon of a Tudor king at Christmas
The Fall of Man: a Christmas short story by Donal Ryan
From Tidings: An Anthology of New Irish Christmas Stories, edited by Seán Farrell and published by Lilliput Press
Tasty vegetarian options for Christmas dinner that can be prepared ahead of time
Amid the traditional meal prep, non-meat diets can get overlooked. These two dishes will hold their own on any Christmas table
‘One Christmas Day my brother set me on fire’: seven writers spill their most bizarre Yuletide yarns
John Boyne, Ann Ingle, Michael Harding, Caitríona Ní Mhurchú and others on testing a mother’s limits, a marriage-threatening event, the Santa conspiracy and a misplaced bird
Sweet and sour pot-roasted turnips with star anise, maple syrup and toasted hazelnuts
This is one you can pull out of the bag at the last minute
Capuchin vouchers: ‘I have four kids and two grandkids - this is for St Stephen’s Day dinner’
Queue for €50 grocery vouchers began before 4am with over 2,500 distributed by 8.30am
National slow down day under way as Christmas rush begins
Last day of work for many before Christmas will see gardaí enforcing enhanced speed checks
Elf doors, carriage rides and boat cruises: Christmas in Ireland’s five-star hotels
Top hotel operators welcome a mix of guests over the festive period, many of whom are perennial visitors
The seven deadly things you should never buy a child at Christmas
Consider this a free life-lesson in what not to buy for a child. Or, alternatively, what to buy for the child of a sworn enemy
Still time to pick up a brilliant beauty buy for a last-minute Christmas gift
Guaranteed to impress even the most discerning beauty lover – no wrapping required
Here are my worst Christmases to help you feel better about your own
I worked in festive retail for many years and have a few tales to tell
When Claire Byrne confronts Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary on RTÉ, the atmosphere is seriously tetchy
Radio 1 host clashes with airline boss over high airfares, while Ray D’Arcy captures a frazzled festive atmosphere
‘Christmas in Dublin remains something unmatched in my heart’: readers on what’s best about coming home for Christmas
As a festive influx from abroad begins, one reader has booked out a full row on a Ryanair flight for her return to Ireland
Social welfare Christmas payments: Dates, when are the increases and is there a double payment?
Social welfare recipients will receive two payments at the same time this week
The simple joy of remembering my father when I see my grandchildren playing cards
This pastime’s origins reach back a millennium to the cultures of the Orient
A poet, a singer and an infant called at my door on election day and ended up staying
I am committed to democracy as an art form, but the election didn’t interest me in the slightest
Bressie’s Christmas: ‘Once someone suggested having duck. It was never mentioned again’
Niall Breslin, musician, podcaster and mental health advocate, talks turkey about Christmas
‘We jumped the shark in the very first episode!’: 35 years of The Simpsons
The fact that the era-defining 1990s cartoon sitcom is still in production today is a source of both wonder and despair
From wifi plugs to Waze: tech essentials to get you through the festive season
Whether it’s planning your journey or food prep, keeping tabs of to-do lists or options for downtime, there’s an app for it
From Anne Enright to Dr Seuss: eight of the best books to read at Christmas
These books will leave both adults and children feeling a little bit more festive
Need a gift for your host this Christmas? Make it more than just a bottle of wine
If you’ve been invited for Christmas drinks or dinner, here are some ideas for presents that say thank you in style
So This Is Christmas review: Beautifully made but ultimately cheerless viewing – a glimmer of hope would have been nice
Television: We all know Christmas can be tough but this film lays it on with a trowel
Weather: No chance of a white Christmas, Met Éireann says
Met Éireann says next week’s conditions set to be milder than usual for late December
Paschal Donohoe’s Christmas: Yes to Indiana Jones movies and Christmas jumpers, no to festive pyjamas
The outgoing minister for public expenditure shares his Christmas traditions and is asked who’s on his naughty list
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