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

Our columnist fondly recalls her childhood Christmases – apart from the time the milk ran out!

HAVE YOUR SAY

Our pick of your best letters and some wise words from our favourite stars…

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

Take care before you “splash the cash” at Christmas, warns money expert Stephanie Hawthorne. I HAVE such fond memories of my childhood. At Christmas, my parents usually bought their seven children pre