Pick Me Up! Special Festive Special 2022

Festive special I don’t know about you, but something about Christmas this year feels extra magical. After two years of restricted festivities thanks to the not so happy ‘C word’, it finally feels like things are back to normal. Despite all the negativity and loses of the past two and a bit years, the connection to family is stronger than ever. This Christmas, we may not have all those who we want around our table, but they’ll always be with us. For many, the spirit of Christmas deteriorates over the years, but for Ursh (pg62), it was something of the opposite. With her birthday on ‘Christmas Eve Eve’, she grew up resenting the holidays – just wanting to celebrate her birth. But years later, with children of her own, she realised the true meaning of…

Merry and bright Here’s me and my nan, Isobelle, dressed in our best festive get up. Santa dropped us home after a hard night of work at the elf station wrapping presents! Stacey, Bristol Don’t get your tinsel in a tangle What do you call Santa when he stops moving? Santa Pause! Say cheese With the family together again, it’s a chance to play a whole range of fun games. Speak Out is our favourite, even if we do look like we are at the dentist! Hayley, Oxford Free rein Taking the kids to the garden centre is an adventure in itself. Only, I end up being more interested by the displays than they do – the reindeer looked amazing. Nellie, Canterbury Get in the festive spirit! The hamper of dreams When struggling to think of the perfect Christmas present for…

Christmas pur-ding! A fitting costume for our black cat Pudding. She looks so cute I want to eat her myself! Chantelle, Hereford Head of the table Our cat, Tickles, always wants a piece of the action. So much so, he has to have his own seat at the dinner table during our festive feast. I’m sure he’s plotting how to be more like the Grinch. Tia, Derby Little donkey How cute is this donkey? My hubby got me a donkey adoption as a present last year, so we always have frequent trips to visit the sanctuary to see Timothy. Rose, Norwich Nativity scenes Visiting our local city farm is a must on my Christmas list. You can see all the nativity animals, and even feed some by hand. Me and my husband Jake had a great day…

Taking a seat at the dining room table, my son’s eyes suddenly widened. ‘Mum, you’ve really outdone yourself,’ Joe, 25, smiled. In front of him lay a full Christmas dinner with all the trimmings – a glistening turkey, roast carrots and parsnips, pigs in blankets, stuffing, warm Yorkshire puddings and steaming gravy. With Christmas music playing in the background, I’d created a nice festive atmosphere for him, too. Although he was eating his Christmas dinner alone, he piled his plate as high as he possibly could. ‘Cheers Mum,’ he smiled, lifting up his drink with a grin. While most people enjoy a scrumptious meal like this on Christmas Day, for Joe, it was two weeks early – on 8 December 2019. Myself, my husband Michael, 59, and our son Sam, 33, were holding out until Christmas Day,…

What did TV personality Kris Jenner make to celebrate Christmas 2018? To find out, solve the crossword then read down the letters in the shaded squares to find the five-word answer. ACROSS 11 Taking no notice of (8) 12 Less uncertain (5) 13 Get off a vehicle (6) 14 Measure of length (4) 15 Middle points (7) 16 Making wagers (8) 17 Brown furry pet (7) 18 German porcelain (7) 19 Eyelid movement (4) 21 - - - Firth, The King’s Speech star (5) 23 Extreme unkindness (7) 24 Party decoration (7) 28 Items for hanging up washing (4) 29 Day before a festival (3) 30 Soft felt hat (6) 33 Toady, yes man (7) 35 Old - - -, famous theatre (3) 36 Susanna - - -, TV presenter (4) 38 Gulp straight from the bottle (4) 39 Honours system award (inits)(3) 40 Count as part of (7) 42 Nearer (to) (6) 43…

We all know that Christmas is a time to celebrate the birth of Christ, but where did all our weird and wonderful traditions come from? Singing carols, putting up a tree and pulling crackers – these are all things we ‘just do’ on Christmas. But why, and when did this start? Travel through time with us to the very beginnings of Christmas, where we find out… A Pagan Christmas We truly have the Pagans to thank for many of our Christmas traditions. The Romans celebrated their seven-day winter festival, Saturnalia, on 17 December – all work would stop during this period, except for looking after the animals. People would decorate their home with wreaths and greenery and shed their usual white togas in favour of colourful clothes. Even slaves had the day off and would be served by…