Ice, ice, baby

Amazing as it may seem, the following are all pictures of ice. They are entirely natural.


You can see more of these incredible images here and here.

The power of water never ceases to amaze me, and that of ice likewise. Check these out to see what I mean.

Now that's what I call dedication!

Nicola Simons calculates that she's already munched her way through 600 mince pies this year - and she hasn't finished yet! But then Nicola, 25, is the bakery product developer for Sainsbury's and responsible for creating the supermarket's seasonal range.

"Part of my job involves tasting every product, including mince pies, Christmas cakes and puddings from all our competitors, as well as reviewing our own range," she explains.

And she estimates that while developing this year's mince pies, she has chomped her way through 17kg of pastry and 18kg of mincemeat - approximately 23 jars.

"I usually spend around 12 hours a week eating, but in the run-up to Christmas this can be up to 21 hours," she adds.

To read more about Nicola's extraordinary dedication to perfecting the perfect mince pie, click here. And if you want to know what mince pies should really taste like, you can find an original Medieval recipe in What is Myrrh Anyway? available now!

JG on BBC Radio WM this Friday

With only 16 days to go until Christmas Day itself(!) you're going to start finding me popping up from time to time in the media.

First off, if you live in the Birmingham area, you can listen to me on Ed Doolan's show on BBC Radio WM on Friday 11 December, between about 1.15 and 2.00pm. I'm going to be on talking about the origins of familiar Christmas traditions and fielding questions from callers.

So, why not call in with your own burning Christmas-related query and I'll do my best to help!

Merry Xmas!

Every year more than 400 million people celebrate Christmas around the globe, which makes it one of the biggest religious and commercial festivities in the world.

But have you ever wondered why Christmas is so often shortened to Xmas?

In fact, the practice dates back further than you might suspect, ans has nothing to do with devaluing the Christian festival, as many people believe. In reality, both Christ and Christmas have been abbreviated for at least 1,000 years. The word Christ appears in Medieval documents as both 'XP' and 'Xt' and can even be found in this form in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle from 1021. By why were those particular letters used?

To find out more, pick up your copy of What is Myrrh Anyway? in time for the festive season. After all, there's only 17 days to go until Christmas! (Or should that be Xmas?)

Kirsty's Christmas Homemade Home

Crafty Kirstie Allsopp returns for a three-part special in which she creates the perfect homemade Christmas. I met Kirstie once, and ended up watching a firework display from her bedroom... but it's not as bad as it sounds. Honest!


Anyway, tune in to Channel 4 tomorrow (Tuesday 8 December) at 8.00pm. Apparently the series is a goldmine of creative ideas that viewers can replicate at home. Enjoy!

Happy St Nicholas Day!

Yes, that's right, today is the feast day of St Nicholas - a.k.a. Santa Claus!

In many countries around the world St Nicholas is the main gift giver. In some places he arrives in the middle of November and moves about the countryside, visiting schools and homes to find out if children have been good or bad. In others he comes in the night and finds carrots and hay for his horse or donkey along with children's wish lists. Small treats are also left in shoes or stockings so the children will know if he has been by the lack thereof in the morning.

In some countries it is St Nicholas' day that is the prominent gift-giving day and not Christmas itself. Parties may be held on the evening of 5 December with shoes or stockings being left out for the saint to fill when he visits during the night.

Did you know...?

Santa has approximately 31 hours in which to deliver all his gifts on Christmas Eve, thanks to the different time zones and the rotation of the earth, and assuming that he travels from east to west.

You can find out more about the origins of one of the world's most popular saints in What is Myrrh Anyway? Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Christmas - available now!

Make yourself a Victorian Christmas

Fed up with the same old Yuletide gifts and festivities? Then why not take a trip to yesteryear and make yours a Victorian Christmas?


Just follow this link to the BBC's Victorian Farm page for a whole host of authentic Christmas recipes and activities dating from the Victorian era. There's everything from toy theatres and keepsake boxes to paper flowers and Wassail punch, with something new being revealed everyday.

Today it's mince pies made with real meat.