A White Christmas on Broadway

A new cast has been unwrapped for ‘White Christmas’ on Broadway this year. To find out more, click here.

A Cthulhu Christmas

For the Lovecraft fanatic in your life...

Five Impossible Things to Believe Before Christmas

Published this week is Five Impossible Things to Believe Before Christmas by Kevin Scully, ordained in the Church of England and currently the rector of St Matthew's, Bethnal Green.

Here's what the book's publishers, The Bible Reading Fellowship, have to say about it:

Are you looking for a fresh look at things that we sometimes take for granted, skirt around or ignore completely - a dip-in book for Advent that sharpens our appreciation of and wonder at the season?

From the angel appearing to a teenage girl to give her the shocking news of an unexpected pregnancy, to the sudden appearance of mysterious 'wise men' following a star in search of a king, the Christmas story can feel so familiar that we can forget just how outrageous - and, humanly speaking, impossible - its many twists and turns really are.

The author of Into Your Hands presents non-dated Advent reading that combines reflection on the biblical events with wry comment on modern consumer culture. Five Impossible Things to Believe Before Christmas provokes Christians to consider afresh the shock of what we are asking people to believe. Each chapter concludes with questions for personal reflection, exercises for group use and a prayer.

Contents include:

• Introduction
• The wings of an angel: angel visitations
• Threats to society: the subversive message of Christmas
• Daring to say yes: Mary
• The crack in the universe: how does God become a baby?
• Rounding it off: the star in the east

To find out more about Five Impossible Things to Believe Before Christmas click here.

Free mince pie!

Thanks for dropping by, here's your free mince pie!


Sorry it's only a virtual one, it's just that we haven't invented Wonkavision yet.

But in all seriousness, did you know that the eating of mince pies in England is - at least technically - against the law? You're also unlikely to find hare's liver in mincemeat nowadays but it used to be an essential ingredient.

To find out more about the history of the humble minced pie, pick up a copy of Christmas Miscellany: Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Christmas available soon from Skyhorse Publishing.

If you don't believe in God, how can you believe in Christmas?

Truth be told, I'm not sure quite what to make of this.


To find out more, click here.

Enya's colours of Christmas

Enya - White Is In The Winter Night

Have you seen the mistletoe,
It fills the night with kisses
Have you seen the bright blue star,
It fills your heart with wishes
Have you seen the candlelight,
It shines from every window
Have you seen the moon above,
It lights the sky in silver

Green is in the mistletoe and red is in the holly
Silver in the stars above that shine on everybody
Gold is in the candlelight and crimson in the embers
White is in the winter night that everyone remembers

Have you heard the boys outside, when all the girls are skating
Have you heard their sweet hearts cry for all this time they're waiting

Green is in the mistletoe and red is in the holly
Silver in the stars above that shine on everybody
Gold is in the candlelight and crimson in the embers
White is in the winter night that everyone remembers

Have you seen the children playing, tiny hands are frozen
Have you seen them hurry home, when suddenly it's snowing

Green is in the mistletoe and red is in the holly
Silver in the stars above that shine on everybody
Gold is in the candlelight and crimson in the embers
White is in the winter night that everyone remembers

Have you heard that bells are ringing, ringing at their story
Have you heard the choir singing, Glory, Glory Glory


And here's the ethereal lady of Irish pop 'live' on US TV last year.