Collecting stamps stamps of approval

Christmas stamps, as featured on this year’s COUNTRY LIFE Advent calendar cover, are a cherished annual event– but how did they become one? Emma Hughes investigates

Painting a local cricket match, Sherree Valentine-Daines received an invitation that changed her career and led her to become artist-in-residence at Goodwood

Sharan Sammi, 44, lives with her family in Wolverhampton. When a Christmas card plops through my letterbox, I think ‘Oh no! Where am I going to put this?’ From a decluttering point of view, Christmas

Postmaster Jerry Brown certainly hopes so. “Christmas subsidises the rest of the year for us,” the Suffolk local tells Big Issue. “I say subsidise – we couldn’t survive without a big boost in trade in

HELLO, little one!” Penny Dauntless greeted a robin-redbreast, who cocked his head as she pushed along her trolley of post on the daily round. “How often is there such a perfect mid-December morning?”

They say a pic is worth a thousand words. What does yours say about your special moment? Here one reader shares the story behind her favourite photo