A typical Christmas isn’t available to some, and isn’t suitable for others. Joyce Fegan chats to people who won’t be celebrating the usual way — but are united in making the best of this most wonderful time of the year.

I estimate that this is the fourth Christmas column I’ve written for the Irish Examiner, and while I haven’t looked back at the others, I have a sneaking suspicion there are certain similarities between them all.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, so what better time then to look at the cattle trade.

Sports Minister Shane Ross was right to dismiss an FAI appeal for a €10m bailout.

He’s made his list and he’s checked it twice, but maybe Santa Claus should be considering whether plastic toys are naughty or nice, writes Ellie O’Byrne.

The latest instalment in the scandal of how insurance costs are overly influential is the news that thousands of parents may not have childcare from January.

The Christmas lights were officially switched on at Temple Street Children's Hospital by patient Jake and The Coronas.

Season’s Greetings to everyone from the mystical North Pole.

Playing Santa carries with it a responsibility like no other. Get it right, and you become an icon. Get it wrong, and you run the risk of ruining Christmas says Chris Wasser.

Ed Power says there are some terrific children’s movies to enjoy as a family so sit back and get zapping.

“Santa Claus would come at Christmas and Rovers would win the Cup.”

Since we’re fast approaching Halloween and we’re all friends here, I have a confession to make. Dramatic pause — I believe in witches.

Sergio Parisse has hit out at World Rugby’s “ridiculous” decision to cancel Italy’s World Cup match against New Zealand.

Sergio Parisse has hit out at World Rugby’s “ridiculous” decision to cancel Italy’s World Cup match against New Zealand.

The chair of the Oireachtas sport committee has expressed his concern at the timing of John Delaney’s departure from the FAI, and has called for transparency as to how much the former chief executive has received in a payoff from the association.

Arlene Harris talks to three men about their delight in being parents to growing children and how they deal with the difficulties of single or sole fatherhood.

Supermac’s founder Pat McDonagh claims the judiciary is ‘letting the whole country down’ in the way it handles compensation cases.

A chef who loses his memory for six hours, a swimmer who can’t stop hiccupping, a mum who refuses to accept her disability may be psychosomatic, these just are some of the intriguing case histories in a new book by consultant neurologist Prof Niall Tubridy.

Why does Santa live at the North Pole? How does he fit all those presents onto his sleigh? And how on earth does he get the reindeer to fly? These and many other Christmas mysteries are solved today by the Junior Infants of Gaelscoil Charraig Uí Leighin in Carrigaline, Co Cork. Áilín Quinlan reports

Cormac MacConnell was chatting with interesting VIPs during his break in the Netherlands, but seems to have been even more impressed by their new no-water house plant for a future of rising seas, the amaryllis.

A Fianna Fail TD’s Christmas wish that the Government would provide small farmers or pensioners with vouchers to subsidise their meals in local restaurants was dashed last week.

Each year, there is one particular aspect of the festive season which gathers particular momentum. Normally, they are of the consumable variety and quickly become oversaturated. Beauty advent calendars anyone?

Season’s Greetings to everyone from the enchanted North Pole!

Irish winter tourists visiting Lapland face disappointment as no snow has fallen in the run-up to the festive season.

Check out the magic of Christmas as Santa Claus arrives in style to the Annual Christmas in Killarney Magic Parade and switching on of the Christmas lights on Saturday night.

The broadcasting watchdog has rejected a number of objections lodged against TV and radio debates ahead of May’s referendum on the Eighth Amendment - but upheld in part a complaint an interview in which the head of RTE was asked who she would like to kick in the testicles.

A father of three proposed to his love of 14 years in a novel way over Christmas, enlisting the help of Santa and the elves at a branch of Dunnes Stores in Cork.

Once upon a time, Santa was a quick visit in a department store, at the end of a day of shopping. How times have changed. From Beyond to Winterval, Ciara McDonnell and Vickie Maye round up the best festive experiences. 

In 1999 Westlife were No. 1 at Christmas, Bobbyjo won the National, Meath were All-Ireland football champions, and I spent Christmas with my right leg in a cast, writes Ruby Walsh.

Fergus Finlay take some to reflect and looks forward to what could be an exciting year ... on the rugby field at least!     

The school holidays are nearly here and with it being so cold outside, it can be a challenge entertaining kids every day for two weeks.

The FBI has said it found a martyrdom letter and several guns in the home of a former marine who said he wanted to carry out a Christmas Day attack on a popular San Francisco tourist destination.

It was a case of Happy Christmas, love from the Premier League. 

Some of my fondest childhood memories revolve around the evening that my sister and I would sit down to write our Santa letters.

How do Santa’s reindeer fly? And what does Mrs Claus do on Christmas Eve, while Santa’s flying around the world? These and other mysteries are kindly explained to Áilín Quinlan by the junior infants of Kilgarriffe National School in Clonakilty, Co Cork.

It’S not quite predestination, but let’s be honest. You can pretty much tell the kind of adults children are going to be from very early on. Like, if you look at them closely in the cradle, writes Terry Prone. 

The school holidays are nearly here and with it being so cold outside, it can be a challenge entertaining kids every day for two weeks.

There was some festive magic around the streets of Killarney as the Christmas parade was in town.

In a major boost to Cork’s reputation as home to industry, Santa Claus has relocated his workshop from the North Pole to the banks of the Lee for the month of December.

"What is this?” my father asked in a bemused tone when he turned on the TV and found a couple kissing in an extremely chaste fashion, a picturesque snow-capped log cabin in the background. 

Kids up to the age of five will be able to travel on all public transport for free.

The use of the “poor box” to avoid criminal convictions and fines is a strange, bizarre and constitutionally dubious practice that has become increasingly part of judicial