The kids’ Christmas wishes this year are an eclectic mix. There’s a request for a tablet (electronic, not medicinal I hasten to add), a bike and from our youngest, ‘lots of torches and Peppa Pig stuff’.

‘Tis the season to be jolly and we have much to be jolly about. There’s a lot of sadness and badness in the world but Santa has his bag full and will soon be on his way bringing delight, surprises and happiness to all and sundry.

Christmas is coming – in fact it’s almost here – and the big news is that Santa Claus has, if not now then in the new year, a gift for everyone in the country, a sparkling new government.

The winter wind swept across the Judean hills with a fierce determination, biting through clothing and carrying the acrid scent of wood smoke from distant campfires.

My favourite day of the year is Christmas Eve. As the song says, it’s the most wonderful time of the year. For many there is a lot of work to come, but with all provisions having hopefully been made, Christmas Eve itself is a day to savour.

Glowing orange marmalade, with its distinctive tangy flavour, occupies a special place in our affections. Marmalade has long been an essential on breakfast tables throughout our region.

Orla Bakeberg is on a mission to inspire. Dublin-born Orla moved to South Africa with her parents at a young age and that’s where her highly successful business journey began.

The assassination of Brian Thompson, the powerful CEO of UnitedHealthcare, has shocked corporate America.

My poor battered Palestinian flag, flying at Chez Loftus for this past year, in solidarity with the battered, broken people of the Gaza Strip is, as can be seen from the photo, in bad shape.

It’s not news anymore that religion, particularly the Catholic religion, is now either no news or bad news. That’s obvious in both the general and the particular.