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The wine merchant: 'We’re all shattered by the time we close at 3pm on Christmas Eve'
In the last of our series on the people who make Christmas in the country what it is, Paula Lester speaks to wine merchant Tom Ashworth.
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The racehorse trainer: 'Christmas Day is the only day of the year that I actually ride a horse'
Kate Green meets Philip Hobbs and Johnson White, in our series on the people who make Christmas in the country the joy it is, to discover how racehorses are looked after even when everyone else is inside with turkey and mince pies.
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Tom Parker Bowles: Forget turkey and pigs-in-blankets — the Christmas ham is the king of the yuletide feast
Ribboned with fat and gleaming with a clove-studded glaze,Tom Parker Bowles sings the praises of the succulent Christmas ham.
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The award-winning cook who makes 5,000 Christmas puddings a year, every single one of them by hand
Kate Green talks to Wizz Gambier, the woman who lives and breathes Christmas puddings, in our series on the people who make Christmas in the country the joy it is.
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Seven perfect Christmas gifts for people who just love beautiful, functional things
William Morris famously said to have nothing in your house that you don't know to be useful or believe to be beautiful. These things do their best to hit both targets.
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The cathedral choirmaster: 'The thing I love about the Christmas repertoire is the mix of modern and ancient'
Today's piece in our series on the people who make Christmas in the country sees Kate Green meet Tim Parsons at Wells Cathedral.
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The gamekeeper: ‘I’ve lost count of the school plays that I made by the skin of my teeth’
Our series on the people who make Christmas in the country what it is continues as Paula Lester meets Andrew Holloway.
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The Christmas wreath-maker: 'They sell quicker than we can make them'
All this week we're running a series on the people who make Christmas in the country what it is. Today, Paula Lester meets wreath maker Ellie Taylor.
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The five most beautiful Advent Calendars of Christmas
The best Advent calendars of 2024, as chosen by Flora Watkins.
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The 2023 Country Life Editor's Christmas Quiz: The Answers
All the answers to Country Life's 2023 Christmas Quiz.
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‘The love we share at Christmas is a refuge. It replenishes our depleted batteries and allows us to go out again into the world’: The 2023 Country Life Christmas message, by Revd Colin Heber-Percy
A safe haven, a refuge for rest and relaxation, the place we feel we belong—the concept of ‘home’ differs for each of us. At Christmas, home is so much more than a physical location: it is all around, says the Revd Colin Heber-Percy.
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When England cancelled Christmas
No feasting. No drinking. No celebrations. Ian Morton explores what the festive period was like when Oliver Cromwell’s Christmas clampdown gripped the nation.
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The most wonderful time of the year: Country Life's A to Z of Christmas
Lights and turkeys and bells, oh my! Embrace the festive spirit with Amie Elizabeth White’s A to Z of Christmas
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11 ways to do Christmas in right royal style, by A-list party planner Johnny Roxburgh
Johnny Roxburgh, one of Britain's top party planners, shares his tips on the best things to have at your own seasonal celebrations.
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Not so jolly old St Nicholas? The dark side of Santa
Father Christmas may be the rosy-cheeked, jolly character who personifies the fun of the festive season, but he’s had to overcome a few setbacks on the way, notes Ian Morton.
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Nine things you ought to know if you're having goose for Christmas
If you're looking for a change from turkey for Christmas dinner, goose is the obvious choice – but there are a few things to think about, as Kate Green explains.
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When did Stir-up Sunday first begin?
On the last weekend before Advent, families gather to make Christmas pudding on the day we know as Stir-up Sunday. But when did we start giving it that name? With Stir-up Sunday 2023 falling on November 26th, Neil Buttery takes a look.
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The 2022 Country Life Editor's Christmas Quiz: The Answers
No peeking!
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The 2022 Country Life Editor's Christmas Quiz
Challenge yourself with our traditional test of knowledge, drawn from all things Country Life, as compiled by Kate Green.
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The Country Life Christmas message, by the Revd Lucy Winkett
As many of us celebrate a simpler Christmas, the Reverend Lucy Winkett is moved by the generosity of those often dealing with their own difficult circumstances and stresses that giving someone your time can be a great gift, too.
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Who wrote the Christmas Carols we know and love? 11 songs and their stories, from Silent Night to Good King Wenceslas
Many of our best-loved and most moving Christmas carols started life as poems in search of a tune. Andrew Green uncovers the writers whose works were nearly forgotten, yet are now imprinted on the memory.
