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Vatican

Pope urges return to simplicity at Christmas Eve mass

Pope Francis celebrated Christmas Eve Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica in front of a congregation of 10,000 people. He used the opportunity to remind

Economy

European retailers strike early with sales after autumn disappoints

High street heaven for shoppers as stores offer clothing bargains after warm autumn, but fears about terror take the fun out of bargain-hunting in France

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Ride that sleigh, again!

He’s coming to the end of the busiest time of the year. It’s that time again, when Santa Claus, aka Father Christmas, aka Julgubben, aka Joulupukki

World News

#MyTreedom: Christmas banned in Brunei

Committed Christmassers launch #hashtag campaign

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Finland

Santa Claus is on his way

He’s coming to the end of the busiest time of the year. The elves have done their job and now Santa Claus is preparing to leave Lapland and begin

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Christmas in the zoo

Christmas has come early for the animals at the Gdansk-Oliwa zoo in Poland. The creatures were given special treats, hidden in wrapped boxes, as part

World News

White Christmas cancelled due to warm weather

No show for snow

World News

France: security tightened at places of worship ahead of festive season

Worshippers to be searched on entry Churches to open only one door Congregations asked to flag up “suspicious” behaviour France is tightening

World News

Unusual Christmas trees

The humble Christmas tree has a rich history, from the evergreen trees used to symbolise eternal life in Ancient Egypt to tree worship among pagan

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Christmas rendezvous at the border

Russia’s Father Frost and the Finnish Joulupukki meet at the Russian-Finnish border as part of an annual tradition to exchange winter holiday

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Australia: Santa surfers!

A group of 320 surfers in Sydney, all dressed up in Santa costumes, set a new Guinness World Record for the largest surf lesson.

World News

Christmas adverts around the World

The modern way to tell the Christmas story

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World’s biggest floating Christmas tree lights up in Rio

A colourful spectacle of fireworks and lights marked the launching of Rio de Janeiro’s traditional floating Christmas tree on Saturday. The massive

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Run, Santa run

10,000 people dressed as Santa Claus race through streets of Spanish capital, Madrid. Five hundred elves, adding a touch of green to the sea of red

Germany

A migrant Christmas in Zwickau, Germany

It is a tradition which stretches back decades in the German town of Zwickau – the Christmas market. But for four Syrian refugees it is their first

Economy

Oil and currency gloom brings Christmas cheer... cheaper trees!

Amid the dark talk of debt crises, the huge oil surplus, growth slowdowns and currency problems there is some light and seasonal cheer – at least in

Italy

Roman Catholic Jubilee Year balances security with forgiveness

Vatican City is braced for the arrival of millions of pilgrims for the Roman Catholic Jubilee Holy Year. Pope Francis announced it by surprise in

World News

Hungary: Santa's Factory strives to give children a happy festive period

The festive period has begun in Hungary and one charity is hoping to make it the most wonderful time of the year for hundreds of thousands of

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USA: Obama lights National Christmas Tree

US President Barack Obama and his family led the lighting of the National Christmas Tree in Washington DC near the White House. A special guest

Italy

Christmas concert row forces Italian school head to quit

An Italian primary school headmaster has been forced to stand down after organising a Winter concert in January instead of a traditional Christmas