Birth of Jesus should remind world of the suffering of children today, pontiff says in Christmas Eve address at Vatican

Braving the cold winter weather, people prayed for peace in the heart of this conservative Muslim State — a haven for religious tolerance as thousands of Christians Saturday attended the annual Christmas Eve Mass to commemorate the birth of Infant Jesus — a festive season spreading over a week. For some it is a month-long festival that starts with the Advent on the Sunday next to November 26 and ends on January 6 with the feast of the Epiphany.

People who die during the holiday season were found to be younger in comparison to the people dying in the rest of the year. Several studies have found that more number of people tend to die of heart ailments around Christmas and New Year than the rest of the year. It was initially believed that this festive season lies in the coldest months of the year, which makes people more susceptible to heart issues related to cold and flu. But the researchers are yet to trace the exact reason behind it.

Was Santa a drug smuggler?

After annual frequent requests, we decided to finally sin the original Home Alone. Unsurprisingly, we found plenty wrong.

If Die Hard is a Christmas movie, so is Jaws: The Revenge!

For many, the Christmas holiday in New York City finally comes to life when the sidewalks sprout evergreens.

In the spirit of the season here's a hilarious SNL Christmas Classic. Couldn't find the official source from SNL but this one is good, just ignore the foreign subtitles.

In the Welsh folkloric tradition of Mari Lwyd, a horse skull visits your home near Christmas, and you must best it in a challenge of rhymes.

The shadow home secretary, Diane Abbott, has defended union bosses planning a wave of strikes on the railways, in airports and at the Post Office in the run-up to Christmas. “Of course these strikes are going to be very disastrous if they all go ahead for the public over Christmas, but people do have a legal right to strike,” Abbott told the Sky News presenter Dermot Murnaghan. She added: “It’s not my role to second-guess the decisions of trade union leadership.”

Rio Ferdinand has donated toys worth £500,000 to charity as part of a drive to ensure children do not go without presents on Christmas Day. The former Manchester United footballer made the donation to Key 103’s Cash for Kids and the Mission Christmas Appeal campaign. Ferdinand, a father of three, announced his donation live on Key103, telling the presenters: “There are people that are less fortunate than we are so we want to try and help them. We are donating £500,000 worth of toys and gifts."

It’s not elves, but underpaid Chinese workers working around the clock that will enable you to unwrap your presents, writes Amoge Ukaegbu.

The song embraced a darker, more humorous side of the holiday. Plus, the singer knew how to hustle.

Some people get excited for the holidays when decorations are getting put up, lights are getting smattered over houses, and cheery music is all over the radio. I get excited for the holidays by watching bad ass helicopters fly in crazy gnarly patterns to transport Christmas trees. It’s like those arcade claw machines but with a freaking chopper.

Imagine binge-watching holiday movies and nomming on cookies in Santa Claus' house!!!

You all knew it was coming! Time for the festivities!

This is the story of a little girl called Bridget who loves to bounce. When her mum and dad buy her a trampoline for Christmas, they soon discover that she isn’t the only one with a passion for jumping.

As is told in the ancient Roman text How The Grinch Stole Christmas!, every Christmas, the Whos down in Whoville stand hand-in-hand and sing carols. Nothing can stop their impenetrable Christmas spirit. Even when The Grinch steals Christmas, they still stand out in Whoville Square without any presents at all, singing as loud as they can. But they're not singing because they love Christmas. They're singing because they're terrified that...

The winter holidays are a wonderful time of year filled with family, friends and dazzling displays of blinking lights. It can also be a time of complete chaos as you wrangle tubs full of disorganized decorations and an onslaught of new toys take over your home.  Here is a handy visual guide to help you.