Only 5 per cent of people ask for a receipt to return unwanted Christmas presents
Four in 10 consumers never include a gift receipt when giving presents, survey finds
Christmas
Amandaland review: This engaging and funny one-off is the pick of Christmas Day viewing
Television: Christmas is about excess and familial angst, but also tenderness and tears, and all of the above are combined in perfect portions here
First Christmas babies of 2025 arrive at Ireland’s maternity hospitals
Newborns bring festive joy to families
‘The people that run this are absolutely amazing’: Music and companionship at RDS Christmas dinner
Around 400 people attend event in its 101st year, organised and run by more than 200 volunteers
Pope Leo decries conditions for Palestinians in Gaza in first Christmas sermon
Leo laments conditions for homeless across globe and conflicts in Ukraine, Sudan, Mali and Thailand and Cambodia
‘Mum just went for it ... she didn’t need any convincing’: Christmas swimmers brave the cold
High waves at Forty Foot see bathers move to nearby Sandycove and the ‘absolutely freezing’ water of Dublin Bay
‘There’s definitely a difference in the spuds’: The Irish spending Christmas in ‘County Coogee’
Coogee’s seafront filled with those missing home and family, waiting for morning to arrive in Ireland to call home
Cillian Murphy and Barry Keoghan feature in first Peaky Blinders movie teaser trailer
Irish actors to appear alongside new series cast members Rebecca Ferguson and Tim Roth
‘The feeling came back, the one I had been successfully avoiding for so long: shame’
Christmas Number One, a short story from the award-winning Greek-Irish author Soula Emmanuel
We’ve done all we can for now. This is the time for standing still and seeing out the year
There’s an understanding that we’ve done all we can for now. It’s a time for standing still and seeing out the year
‘For fans of’ music: 2025 has been a phenomenal year for Irish artists
Tony Clayton-Lea reflects on a phenomenal year in the annals of Irish music
Michael Harding: It doesn’t surprise me that I always went for therapy coming up to Christmas
When I was almost 13, I faced the festive season in stoic silence, knowing loss for the first time
More than 1,000 motorists detected speeding on National Slow Down day
Road fatalities total 186 as of December 23rd, 19 more than in same period in 2024
Santa tracker live 2025: Watch Santa’s progress as he delivers Christmas presents across the world
Where is Santa now? Track his journey as children worldwide count down the hours to Christmas morning
Whatever happened to joy to the world? You have to look hard
We can see with our own eyes how unmitigated ignorance, hatred and dehumanisation can turn a democratic country into a polarised hellscape in just a few years
I don’t need diamond rings or shiny things. Give me something broken and glued together with love
I’ve always fantasised about being the kind of woman who is given or buys herself precious things. It’s just not me, though
A visit to Belfast’s only soup kitchen to see how they’re helping the homeless this Christmas
Demand has never been greater, according to The People’s Kitchen founder and co-ordinator, Paul McCusker
Oh, the treacherous lengths we go to in pursuit of ‘feeling Christmassy’
We go to treacherous lengths in pursuit of ‘feeling Christmassy’. But what are we actually looking for in all of these baubles?
‘If I can help someone, I will’: the Dublin woman who has been providing Christmas dinners for 39 years
Margaret Brown (80s) from Sandycove has been organising a festive feast for those in need since 1986
Nine Irish walks packed with history
From Tipperary to Sligo, get your steps in our Irish countryside and discover those stories behind the scenes
The perfect Christmas leftover sandwich: Foodies share their sambo secrets
From ramekins of gravy for dipping, to white bread purists, to each their own perfect sandwich combination
Separated family Christmas: ‘Choosing between my mum or dad. It always felt like I was going to disappoint one’
Logistics dilemmas, stress and sparing people’s feelings: what it’s like to be a child of separated parents at Christmas
Christmas TV guide: What to watch on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and St Stephen’s Day
Be it animated adventures, a ghost story, comedy or music, there’s plenty to see on the festive entertainment roster
The perfect little Christmas Day playlist: Louise Duffy, Steve Wall, David Kitt reveal their festive favourites
Making a song list and checking it twice? Some well-known names from the music world on their perfect festive tunes
Classic jingle: How a US suburb provided the setting for one of the world’s most famous Christmas tunes
As with much local history, discrepancies have emerged
CSO reveals the most popular Christmas baby names
After 10 years at the top, Holly is no longer the most popular girls’ name for babies born in December
‘They love the acoustics’: Cathy Davey sings to turkeys locked up due to avian flu
Singer-songwriter manages animal rescue centre on farm she co-owns with husband Neil Hannon
In Pictures: Families reunite at Dublin Airport for Christmas
Airport saws hugs aplenty as loved ones reunite for the festive period
Want to crack the formula for happiness at Christmas? Don’t argue with your aunt
How to survive the season of joy and goodwill to all – according to a neuropsychologist’s advice
‘You get hooked on ringing a bell. It becomes like a fix’: Christmas in the belfry at Christ Church
The bells of the cathedral ring out across Dublin, marking Christmas, New Year, and everyday life — thanks to a devoted team of volunteers
Christmas in emergency housing: ‘No child should ever have to wish for a house off Santy’
Stacy Boyd and three daughters are among more than 16,000 in emergency accommodation for the homeless
The Big Irish Times Quiz of the Year 2025
Answer Eoin Butler’s 100 questions correctly and you could win an overnight stay for two
‘Pups are not just for Christmas’: Dublin mayor highlights importance of dog welfare
Ray McAdam says Ireland has a ‘shameful standing’ as Europe’s ‘puppy farm capital’
Reluctant pop star Chris Rea felt ‘Monty Python-silly’ in Slane but was beloved in Ireland
The singer-songwriter’s streak of earnestness elevated him beyond other hitmakers of the day
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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