THIS year, Vanessa was going to have a different kind of festive season. She usually hosted Christmas for her family at her house, even after her husband passed away a few years ago. Every second year

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As I look ahead to Christmas this year, I feel that familiar cocktail of excitement and mild dread. The children are growing up fast now – and who knows how many more years of ‘magic’ we have left? La

From cards to carols, celebrating the festive season when you’ve two lots of family traditions to bolt together isn’t easy…

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?”

From singing sensation to popular presenter, bestselling author to agony aunt, Coleen Nolan has many strings to her bow. But, out of the limelight, she is a working mum whose first priority is her fam