Bringing a little colour to your life each day - with six things that delight, inform and entertain.
In 1647 all Christmas celebrations were banned in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Shops were told to stay open, fun and games were outlawed, and festive food and drink was confiscated by the authorities. This did not go down well...
The robin topped a poll of more than 200,000 people in 2015 to choose the UK's first national bird. With its bright red breast, it is a familiar site in British gardens throughout the year, especially at Christmas.
Iconic comedy duo Morecambe and Wise reached their peak of popularity in Britain in the 1970s, having discovered the winning formula for combining theatrical variety and celebrity involvement with prime time family televison. This led to them drawing a record TV programme viewing audience of 28 million, and becoming a Christmas TV tradition.
Mistletoe is a familiar part of the Christmas tradition, and commonly seem growing wild in Britain. It is an evergreen plant which produces clusters of pearlescent white berries in winter which are favourites with hungry birds such as thrushes.
Mulled wine is an ancient drink, dating back to the 2nd century, when the Romans, who were conquering countries in Northern Europe, took to warming up their wine to help them through the freezing winter months. It began to be adopted by the local populations including Britain. It is also known as glühwein in Germany and glögg in Sweden.
Where does the word "Xmas" come from? It seems to be a useful abbrieviation for "Christmas", and it is sometimes said that those lazily using it are "removing the Christ from Christmas". But what is the truth of the matter?
Six things to delight and entertain you every day.