The Ultimate Advent Calendar

Christmas is a time for giving, but it's also nice to receive every once in a while! That's why the people at Classic FM have teamed up with Grant's Whisky to create the ultimate Advent calendar.

They'll be counting down the days to Christmas by giving away all sorts of amazing prizes every day. From luxury mini-breaks in Scotland and fine dining on Orient Express, to this year's must-have gadgets such as Sony eBook Readers, iPod Touchs and Nintendo Wiis, there are great gifts for all the family to be won.

To use the calendar, simply follow this link and click on the relevant date to reveal the details of the daily prize and how to enter. Good luck!

What's your favourite Christmas Carol?

Whether it’s Away in a Manger, Silent Night, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, O Little Town of Bethlehem or The First Noel, Classic FM and the Radio Times want to hear from you, because they've teamed up to search for the Nation’s Favourite Carol this Christmas.

Voting opened at 6am yesterday (Tuesday 1 December) and will close on Sunday 13 December, with the full results being announced in a special live programme - The Nation’s Favourite Carol - presented by Howard Goodall on Christmas Day from 12pm to 3pm .

To cast your vote for the Nation’s Favourite Carol, follow this link.

And if you'd like to find out more about the origins of your favourite Christmas songs, why not pick up a copy of What is Myrrh Anyway? here to gen-up on all your festive-related knowledge?

First frost

December is here and with it came the first frost our way. I actually had to get out of the car and spray some de-icer on the windscreen! So much for global warming.

But of course parts of the UK have already seen their first snow, such as here in the Cairngorms.


And there's more to come.

But if you're wondering what the odds are this year of it being a white Christmas in your part of the UK, you can check here.

The X-mas Factor

Four weeks today is Christmas Day, so it's time to wheel out those favourite Christmas songs of yesteryear, like this one from 2008...

The countdown to Christmas starts here!

Yes, it's the 25 November which means it's only a month until Christmas!


But - you may be wondering - why do we celebrate the Feast of the Nativity on 25 December? And why do we bring evergreens inside our homes? And what have robins and reindeer really got to do with turkey and mince pies after all?


What is Myrrh Anyway? contains the answers to these and many other Christmas-related questions, so why not pick up a copy today and have the festive season explained once and for all?

All I want for Christmas is... swine flu? No thanks!

Debrett's, the etiquette experts, have issued advice on how to avoid catching swine flu this Christmas.

Debrett's etiquette advisor, Jo Bryant, said: 'It's medically proven that a peck on the cheek is much more hygienic than a handshake. People carry billions of germs on their hands so 'cheek-to-cheek' kissing, French-style, is a healthier greeting by far".

The 9-Step Guide

1) BE CONSIDERATE If you're feeling unwell at the Christmas do, just stand back and observe or, better still, make your apologies and go home rather than risk spreading the lurgy.

2) THE CANDIDATE Make sure you pick a willing target and that you won't make them feel embarrassed or uncomfortable by asking for a kiss.

3) THE REQUEST If you want to give someone a Christmas kiss under the mistletoe, it's polite and well-mannered to ask first.

4) THE DECISION Decide in advance, are you going to proffer one kiss or two? Be cautious with strangers - two kisses may seem over the top, even in festive environment.

5) KEEP YOUR DISTANCE Don't get too close before or during the kiss and avoid invading the other person's space.

6) HANDS OFF It's acceptable to touch the other person's shoulders or upper arms, but don't be a sleaze with wandering hands….

7) RIGHT CHEEK FIRST It is customary to kiss the other person's right cheek first (that's the one to your left!). Deflect any "meet-in-the-middle" embarrassment with humour or a friendly apology.

8) CHEEK-TO-CHEEK Unless you know a person intimately, a social 'kiss' is actually the briefest touch of your cheek against the other person's. Because there is so little contact, there is a minimal transfer of germs - that's why a kiss is the healthier alternative to a hand shake.

9) THANK the other person and wish them a merry Christmas.

The 9 Don'ts

1) Don't go to the Christmas do if you think you have flu.

2) Don't proffer unwanted kisses at the office party, mistletoe or not.

3) Don't reject a kiss under the mistletoe - a festive peck is all part of Christmas fun.

4) Don't leave a saliva trace - remember it's cheek-to-cheek.

5) Don't kiss on the lips - reserve this for private romantic moments.

6) Don't kiss anyone if you, or they, have a mouthful of food or drink.

7) Don't kiss the air.

8) Don't make sound effects.

9) Keep away from the mistletoe if you've had too much to drink - your social skills will be impaired & you don't want any of those morning-after regrets.

So, some words of wisdom to ponder there. After all, the last thing you want for Christmas this year is swine flu, otherwise you might just end up looking like this guy.

Santa with swine flu a.k.a. the Hogfather, from Terry Pratchett's Discworld

Meet Angus

He was built in the western Maine town of Bethel ten years ago, and when this photo was taken he was the tallest snowman in the world.

Angus, King of the Mountain, stood 113 feet, 7 inches tall. He weighed 9,000,000 lbs, was made up of 200,000 cubic feet of snow, had 4 ft. wreathes for eyes, his carrot nose was made from 6 ft. of chicken wire & muslin, 6 automobile tires formed his mouth, with another 3 skidder tires for his buttons, he had a 20 ft. fleece hat, a 120 ft. fleece scarf and two 10 ft. trees for arms.


The photo above was taken on 19 February 1999. Angus didn't melt until 10 June 1999.