We owe much to the Victorian figures determined to resurrect the joy of Christmas through music. Andrew Green charts how carol collectors have shaped the way the world celebrates

John Rutter at 80 Donald Macleod visits John Rutter at home in this celebratory series of Composer of the Week, looking back at the highs and lows of his extraordinary career. We hear about the full b

Three women share their stories of festive singing

I was at one of those gatherings where friends of friends sprawled into groups entirely unconnected from the first, like a suburban town long freed from its planner. “It must be great to be in enterta

It was 1963 and things were changing – but had Judith been left behind?

From gleaming presents to inebriating parties, discover five artists’ interpretations of the festive season