Tips for ensuring your kids have a great day when you are separated

On her first Christmas away, Maria Majsa discovered what really mattered.

Another reason to stop in Taihape - the scenic lookout. Made with funding from NZ On Air.

Advice from the PM, Tom Sainsbury, Guy Williams, Ray McVinnie and others.

Some leave buying the essentials until after 10pm on Christmas Eve.

COMMENT: Christmas has come early this weekend.

Kiwis are spending up large this Christmas and it is set to continue on Boxing Day.

41,000 passengers will use Auck Airport's international terminal on Dec 23 - a busiest day

All Stacey and Simon Kale want for Xmas is for twins to make it home for the next one.

COMMENT: You could call it a guide to surviving Christmas with millennials.

The annual Christmas holiday rush is growing across the country.

Paymark's sales data also hints at what you might get in your stocking this year.

Man who became Santa was all business during his third-century life in modern-day Turkey.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have released new photos to celebrate their engagement.

The Christmas forecast is set to be a scorcher around the country.

From the cold and dark winter of Germany to the hot and bright summer of New Zealand.

Pasifika women in particular need to be more aware of what their body is telling them

As Paymark's Paul Brislen puts it, we are now officially in "spend mode".

Shoppers at Sylvia Park talk about the busy Christmas season. / Jason Oxenham

Some items requested include a light bulb, a wheelie bin, and a stick.

Comment: Christmas should be cheerful, not stressful

Twelve days of Xmas: people that come from a refugee background need a lot of support.

Recent New Zealand migrants the Bliss family provided an early Christmas gift.

Ian Lees-Galloway's grim warning did little to dampen Shane Jones' enthusiasm for trees.

Truck driver AJ Quinn is begging drivers to stop being stupid.

How can you take advantage of the sales without the shops taking advantage of you?

Police urge Northlanders to take it easy on the booze after alcohol-related incidents

Furoshiki looks amazing and it's recyclable. Made with funding from NZ On Air.

Struggling Aucklanders may not be able to get help if City Mission donations don't pick up

And other strange Christmas traditions explained.