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"Fighting against the prohibition of Christmas was a political act". Image: David Teniers II's Twelfth-night (The King Drinks)

The year Christmas was banned in Ireland and Britain

Christmas • 19 Nov

"The art of making chocolate is now a science, one that chocolatiers experiment on all over the world".

The science that makes chocolate so addictive

Chocolate • 09 Apr

"The custom was that women made social calls to the homes of their friends and neighbours and enjoyed tea and the last of the Christmas cake". Photo: George Marks/Getty Images

The roots and traditions of Nollaig na mBan

Brainstorm • 06 Jan

"Nano Nagle, Mary Fouhy, Elizabeth Burke and Mary Ann Collins were driven by a progressive and ambitious missionary devotion to educate Cork city's Catholic poor." Photo: Universal History Archive/ Universal Images Group via Getty Images

How four women sparked a social revolution on Christmas Eve 1775

History • 08 Jan

There's more to cinnamon than just an aroma to remind you of Christmas

Why cinnamon is the Christmas spice that keeps on giving

Chemistry • 20 Dec 19

"If we don't move enough, we don't feel our best"

How to keep the kids active over the holidays

Health and Fitness • 19 Dec 19

"There was huge emphasis in the past on natural materials to decorate the home". Photo: Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images

How our ancestors enjoyed a sustainable Christmas

Folklore • 19 Dec 19

Would you trust these lads to get you round the world in one night?

Just how do reindeers fly Santa's sleigh around the world?

Santa Claus • 18 Dec 19

"The Empire Christmas pudding campaign appealed to patriots with a jingoistic view of the empire who perhaps believed in 1926 that the sun would never set on it". Artwork by F C Harrison for Empire Marketing Board

How to make a Brexit Christmas pudding

Christmas • 18 Dec 19

Coming to your gaff next week

Why Ireland goes mad for turkey at Christmas

Farming • 17 Dec 19

Home for the Christmas with James Stewart, Donna Reed) and Karolyn Grimes

Why It's A Wonderful Life is still a winner today

Film • 12 Dec 19

A Frost Piece by James Arthur O'Connor. Image: National Gallery of Ireland

What was Christmas like in rural Ireland back in the day?

Christmas traditions • 16 Dec 19

When all your pals on the 12 Pubs procession decide to dress the same. Photo: Kena Betancur AFP/Getty Images

The quasi-religious rites and rituals of the 12 Pubs

12 Pubs of Christmas • 12 Dec 19

Christmas shoppers on Dublin's Henry Street in December 1970

Is it Christmas yet? How music makes the cash registers ring

Music • 11 Dec 19

Dear Santa, can I have Brand X?

Christmas • 28 Nov 19

"A warmer planet would lead to floods, hurricanes, droughts and sea-level rises". Photo: iStock

A winter's tale about climate change and Christmas

Christmas • 19 Dec 19

Smile for the camera: tourists in Southern Lapland. Photo: Giles Clarke/Getty Images

Is the North Pole set to become a tourism hotspot?

Environment • 21 Sep 18

Hunting the wran in Dingle on St Stephen's Day is done with great passion, enthusiasm and commitment

"I'll see you the Wran's Day in Dingle"

St Stephens Day • 21 Dec 17

Some things never change: Christmas on Henry Street in Dublin in 1970

The roots of Christmas traditions in Ireland

Traditions • 20 Dec 17

A high five for Santa. Photo: Aengus McMahon

A visit to Santa's sensory-friendly grotto

Christmas • 18 Dec 17

What the Dickens? Two portraits of Charles Dickens from cica 1860. Photo: Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Reinventing Dickens for Christmas

Christmas • 05 Jan 18

You can never have too many books

All we want for Christmas are the following books...

Books • 18 Dec 17

Ready for take-off: Lego figures of NASA women Nancy G. Roman, Margaret Hamilton, Sally Ride and Mae Jemison. Photo: Lego

The gender divide in toys is about more than just child's play

Toys • 11 Dec 17

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