It is, I think, the first time we have touched ... I am five miles or more away, it is four days until Christmas, dawn bleaching the sky, and I put my hands in my pockets and discover the five ...

On the first day of Christmas, My true love gave to me A partridge in a pear tree. On the second day of Christmas, My true love gave to me Two turtle doves, And a partridge in a pear tree.

This year, the two are linked in a special way, because the first night of Hanukkah falls on Christmas Day. That’s only happened five times since 1910, most recently in 2005, nearly 20 years ago.

The first day of Christmas is December 25 and the last day is January 5. For hundreds of years, Christmas holidays did not begin until Christmas eve and don’t end until Epiphany, January 6 ...