Met Eireann have issued weather warnings for the country as we approach Christmas Day.

They are the tastemakers - celebrity experts in everything from fitness to fashion. They share their dream gifts in their specialist fields with Ciara McDonnell.

Heading up north to save a few euro off the Christmas bill is extremely damaging to our still fragile economy and one economist has even described it as an act of betrayal, says Arlene Harris.

Esther N McCarthy picks ten toys that will get the whole family in the play zone.

IT'S FINALLY OVER.

Cork mother Nicole Duggan was at the end of her tether when her son Riley’s favourite Angry Birds toy went missing.

RTÉ's head of sport Ryle Nugent has been fined €100 for speeding on Christmas morning.

FROM family politics to food preparation, office parties to children’s presents — Christmas can be a bit of a pressure cooker, not so much the season to be jolly as the season to get very stressed.

Bord Gáis Energy staff were liaising with the North Pole last night to help Santa Claus make it a Christmas to remember for some very special children.

Scientists have discovered several small changes we can all make to improve our happiness. Dave Kenny picks the best of them to get us through another January.

MOTHER-OF-SEVEN Kate Byrne has been saving for Christmas since last June — her boys are hoping to get the new X-Box One this year. Byrne, whose seven sons range in age from seven to 23 years, says this year they’ve all agreed to share a ‘family present’ rather than opting for individual gifts.

Many people were waking up in fear of flooding this Christmas morning, as downpours of heavy rain continued to bring misery to parts of Britain.

Jonathan De Burca Butler and Deirdre Reynolds went shopping together and swapped vital notes on panic buying for your better half

From the turkey and the ham to the roast potatoes and gravy, Joe McNamee kicks off our Christmas food special, cooking up a traditional festive feast under the watchful eye of Darina Allen.

AS press launches go, this one in the swanky Covent Garden hotel in London is a little unusual.

Interior designer Deborah Ruddy of Chic Unique, Ratoath, Co Meath answers your questions. Email: interiors@examiner.ie

THIS year parents realised that they had far less money for presents for their children and some had none at all — the banks had stolen it.

SO, the Prodigal Son returneth tonight and we haven’t even cooked the fatted calf.

IT may be Christmas Eve but, with a derby against Ulster on the cards for St Stephen’s Day, Leinster’s players and staff will be clocking in for training today just as they would any other Thursday morning.

MORE than a week gone, homes ruined by incessant floods, a crisis in the church, a horrendous budget looming.

Gardaí in Kilkenny are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of a mother and her two daughters in a house fire on Christmas morning.

CHRISTMAS morning is a popular time for visitors to quietly pop into strangers’ houses with a big sack, but not all of them are wearing red coats, they’re unlikely to have white beards and they’re more inclined to take goodies rather than bestow them.

Rapper Jay-Z showed off his generous side on Christmas morning by handing out toys to Brooklyn, New York's disadvantaged kids. The recently-retired star handed out gifts at Brooklyn's Marcy Projects Recreation Center.

Sales of Johnnie Walker whiskey are to be suspended in Taiwan after an ad campaign was viewed to have slated the island's image.

Taiwanese MPs want to punish the makers of Johnnie Walker whiskey for a British ad campaign that some felt maligned the island’s image.