Christmas Ideas, Tips & Guides

Dive into the enchanting world of festive crafts by creating a mesmerizing Paper Christmas Star. You don't need fancy tools or expensive materials; just grab some coloured paper, scissors, and let your imagination take flight. This delightful project is not only a delightful addition to your seasonal decorations, but it also doubles as a fantastic family activity.

In the enchanting realm of Christmas decorations, the first step is to decide on a theme that reflects your unique style. Whether you're drawn to traditional reds and greens or contemporary metallics, your theme sets the stage for a cohesive and visually stunning display. Imagine your Christmas tree adorned with baubles, ribbons, and ornaments all harmonizing in a symphony of festive hues. Take a moment to brainstorm and let your creativity flow; perhaps a winter wonderland with snowflakes and glittering whites, or a rustic theme featuring natural elements like pinecones and burlap. Your chosen theme will infuse your space with the warmth and joy of the season.

The festive season is upon us, and what better way to spread joy and warmth than by adorning your outdoor spaces with dazzling Christmas lights? Outdoor Christmas lights have become an integral part of the holiday tradition, transforming ordinary surroundings into enchanting winter wonderlands. In this guide, we'll explore the magic of outdoor Christmas lights and share tips on creating a stunning display that will leave your neighbours in awe.

It’s that time of year again, when Advent Botany offers up a feast of festive plants. Long-term readers will remember last year’s Night of the Radishes, my contribution to the Advent Botany 2015 cohort. There was also a 2014 selection.

Christmas guarantees a wide variety of leftovers that need eating up. If you can’t face another turkey curry, or bubble and squeak, then plan on putting together a pie this year.

This morning, the Boeing Company’s CST-100 Starliner capsule launched on its first mission to the International Space Station. The aim of this uncrewed Orbital Test Flight (OFT) was to demonstrate that the spacecraft is ready to transport NASA astronauts and cargo. An instrumented mannequin named Rosie (named after the WW2 icon Rosie the Riveter, and a nod to the trailblazing women in aerospace and human spaceflight) took the place of a crew. 

I have been out in the garden a bit more over the last week. Rather than wait until later in the day, when I generally don’t feel like going outside, I have started going out to do something first thing in the morning, before I sit down at my desk. The weather is very mild, and a lot of days have been dank and overcast, but on the brighter mornings I can happily potter about for an hour before coming inside. It’s quite often the nicest part of the day, weather-wise.

This is one of a series of posts looking at what we might eat on Mars, where most food would have to be shelf-stable, tinned or freeze-dried. You can find other posts on this topic under the Martian Meals tag.

As an ethnobotanist focusing on edible plants, I was powerless to resist when Tree Aid issued their tree food challenge to design a healthy, nutritious* winter dish using one or more of several tree foods. I chose:

When you think about Christmas plants you probably think about holly and ivy, possibly Christmas trees and poinsetties, and maybe even Brussels sprouts and parsnips. But I bet you don’t think about radishes. And yet, the humble radish (Raphanus sativus) plays an important role in the Christmas festivities in Oaxaca, Mexico.

The role downunder played in helping track the Apollo 8 mission to the Moon.

It seems a little early to be thinking about Christmas, but if you’re thinking of decorating for Christmas with plants then it’s the perfect time for planning for that (and, for some things, a little late!).

This is one of a series of posts looking at what we might eat on Mars, where most food would have to be shelf-stable, tinned or freeze-dried. You can find other posts on this topic under the Martian Meals tag.

In Once Upon a Time I Lived on Mars, Kate Greene talks about Shannon Lucid, the NASA astronaut who spent six months living on the Russian space station Mir. Shannon, it turns out, was a bookworm. During her stay, she read 50 books and improvised shelving from old food boxes, complete with straps to stop the books floating off. This was in 1996, a good decade before the invention of the Kindle, and so these were real books. She apparently chose titles with the highest word to mass ratio, since launch weight is a critical factor! Lucid left her library behind for future spacefarers, but it burned up when Mir was de-orbited in 2001.

What did you get for Christmas? Hopefully something good, something seedy and something spacey! 

Trevor George, King’s College London

The Wartime Kitchen and Garden, starring Ruth Mott and Harry Dodson, was broadcast in 1993. Although you can still find copies of the book that accompanied the series, you can’t buy the episodes on DVD (or even video!), even though it is possible to buy the sister shows The Victorian Kitchen and The Victorian Kitchen Garden.

Iona McCleery, University of Leeds

This is one of a series of posts looking at what we might eat on Mars, where most food would have to be shelf-stable, tinned or freeze-dried. You can find other posts on this topic under the Martian Meals tag.

It’s hot, it’s humid, and I am longing for the shorter, cooler and damper days of autumn. My forays into the garden are brief; I am grateful that it has rained enough recently for me to avoid having to water. I am still waiting for the courgettes to produce edible fruit, but the climbing French beans (‘Helda’) are producing a handful every few days, and they are delicious.

This is one of a series of posts looking at what we might eat on Mars, where most food would have to be shelf-stable, tinned or freeze-dried. You can find other posts on this topic under the Martian Meals tag.

This is one of a series of posts looking at what we might eat on Mars, where most food would have to be shelf-stable, tinned or freeze-dried. You can find other posts on this topic under the Martian Meals tag.

Continuing on from musing about what we would eat on Mars, Ryan and I are pondering what we’d have for Christmas dinner on Mars. I mean, at the moment, plans for Christmas are so far up in the air that we may as well have it on Mars.

This is one of a series of posts looking at what we might eat on Mars, where most food would have to be shelf-stable, tinned or freeze-dried. You can find other posts on this topic under the Martian Meals tag.

This is one of a series of posts looking at what we might eat on Mars, where most food would have to be shelf-stable, tinned or freeze-dried. You can find other posts on this topic under the Martian Meals tag.