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.

Spoiler alert: this article contains sensitive information about the existence of Santa Claus. Children may wish to look away now. Parents, though, are being urged to re-consider the ethics of the great Santa Claus lie. In an article published in the journal Lancet Psychiatry, two psychologists have raised the spectre of children’s moral compass being permanently thrown off-kilter by what is normally considered a magical part of the Christmas tradition.

It's a culture, not a costume. By Michael Gardiner.

In the late 19th century, a valentine in the post might not necessarily mean a romantic message from a lover or admirer, it could be a downright acidic insult.

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.

Thousands of people gathered in Sydney to celebrate the start of 2016 with a spectacular fireworks display at the city's harbor. (Dec. 31)

An unidentified Catholic priest is taking some time to reflect on his decision to ride a hoverboard at the conclusion of Christmas Eve Mass, according to religious news site Aleteia. An official...

Before I had kids, I despised Christmas. I thought the holiday was symbolic of everything that was fake, exploitative and wasteful about our culture. And nothing symbolized our population's sheep-like inability to think for itself than millions of economically strained people stampeding into debt because Television tells them they will offend Christ if they don't buy thousands of dollars of worthless crap.

All around the world, lentils and legumes are traditionally eaten to ring in the new year, in hopes of wealth and prosperity for the year ahead.

This has a happy ending, though.

To honor my first Christmas on Snapzu I want to share one of my favorite holiday sentiments delivered by a well-known spokesanimal.

I remember signing this in New Yorks Avery Fischer Hall in the 80's. Full choir from 5 states. It was amazing.

So it is Christmas eve here in the states. It is time for family and friends, meats and deserts, and rum and wine. I wasn't able to get every tribe a present, I ran out of time. But there is always next year. So to Snapzu, /t/christmas, and everyone who was forced to listen to Holiday music, I give you all one last present. What is left of my Dignity (see picture bellow) :D I hope all your Holidays are Happy and you have a Bright New Year! Captain of the Crooked Tale Pirates

Anthropomorphic cats, murderous frogs, and insects dancing by the moonlight aren’t exactly part of our Christmas card tradition today.

If you are eating turkey this Christmas out of some sense of tradition, food historian Ivan Day says, put down that drumstick. After studying English cookbooks hundreds of years old, Day says the giant bird isn't even that traditional. Besides, he says, "It's a dry wasteland of flavorless meat."