Our annual Christmas double issue is without doubt one of our great highlights of each year. It’s been months in the planning and execution; here’s a little taster of just some of the things you’ll find inside.
A time to give with love
The Revd Lucy Winkett offers her message of hope this Christmas
Paul O’Grady’s favourite painting
The actor, presenter and dog lover chooses a convivial Swedish scene
The ghost of a Christmas past
How do the preoccupations of 2022 compare with 1897?
Invincible to enemies
On the 950th anniversary of its royal transfer, John Goodall explores splendid and influential Lincoln Cathedral
Ice and snow in art
Ice and snow consumed the painting world in the 16th century to create a pantheon of snowy masterpieces, says Michael Prodger
Hey, Mister Snowman
Katy Birchall selects her carrots and coals
The magic of Midnight Mass
The Revd Colin Heber-Percy sets his mind to the enchanted service on Christmas Eve
’Tis the season to eat merrily
From the goose to the pudding, it’s worth getting the best for Christmas. Tom Parker Bowles presents his pick of the producers
Of spice and men
The scent of the season is unmistakeable, but why are some spices so firmly associated with Christmas, asks Emma Hughes
Carve! The herald angels sing
Ben Lerwill meets woodcarver William Barsley, whose work echoes Westminster Hall
The master of disguise
If you manage to spot the well-camouflaged ptarmigan, you’re lucky, says Simon Lester
A winter’s tale
Alexandra Wood remembers the frozen wonderland of a childhood power cut
The Editor’s Christmas Quiz
No peeking at the answers!
Plenty of room at the inn
As the snow falls, the villagers gather in the warm fug of the pub to welcome an early arrival, relates Kate Green
Put a ring on it
Once necessary, now eco-friendly, napkin rings are enjoying a revival, says Matthew Dennison
The golden goose
Succulent and tasty, it’s impossible to resist a juicy goose, finds Tom Parker Bowles
Interiors
Arabella Youens, Matthew Dennison and Amelia Thorpe wax lyrical about candles
Luxury
Last-minute treats, watches and diamonds to savour and Kit Kemp’s favourite things
One pine day
John Lewis-Stempel marvels at the pine cone, an edible example of Nature’s artistry
In the still of winter
Tiffany Daneff explores Fullers Mill, Suffolk, where plantsman Bernard Tickner created a remarkable garden from rough land
Pigs for Christmas — and for life
Could you eat your garden resident? Julie Harding talks to those who can and can’t
Bursting with life
Plant your bulbs and let the beauty unfurl, urges Stephen Desmond
Kitchen garden cook
Melanie Johnson tucks into Brussels sprouts
Gone rabbiting
Fiona Reynolds walks the real-life Watership Down in the paw-prints of Hazel and Fiver
The farmer’s verdict on 2022
Jamie Blackett looks back over a turbulent year from the sanity of his farm
The flying ghosts of Christmases past
Jack Watkins salutes the magnificent equine heroes of the King George VI Chase
They wrote the words the whole world sings
First poems, now familiar carols, the likes of Hark! the herald angels sing often have unexpected origins, discovers Andrew Green
A coalition of interest
John Goodall talks to Sir Philip Rutnam, the erudite new chairman of the National Churches Trust, about the difficulties ahead
Masterpiece
Jack Watkins is swept away by Peter Pan
An Othello for the times
Michael Billington reviews the theatrical year
All creatures great and small
How the animals from our favourite childhood books stay with us forever
And much more besides