It’s time to get your Christmas shop on so here’s a guide for shopping for him - with a few tricks that will work for her too.

Selfie sticks and remote-controlled helicopters are among some of the more popular items among Kiwis buying Christmas gifts this month.

A few years ago I had a family Christmas where our tree toppled over because of the number of presents stuffed into it.

The dangers of the office party are real. If you're lucky enough to wake up still holding the respect of workmates, you've done well, writes Matt Heath.

We went into winter late, and we're exiting winter late, the MetService said - as many Kiwis were left pondering where on Earth summer disappeared to this weekend.

The weather meant previous turnouts weren't challenged - but organisers say they are thrilled with the crowd at the Coca-Cola Christmas in the Park.

Some well known Kiwis — and one adopted Aussie — tell us their Christmas rituals.

Bedecked with images of Santas, reindeer, snowflakes and happy-looking snowmen, all crafted in the finest polyester, the Christmas suit is the latest item to challenge received ideas about what looks good for the festive season.

Christmas shoppers have bent the plastic, spending a whopping $2.3 billion in the first fortnight of December.

Soldiers will make sure there is no Christmas cheer in Sierra Leone this year as the Ebola virus continues to spread through west Africa.

Christmas crackers around the dinner table and Champagne corks popping are sounds of festivity and fun for most people.

As if it wasn't enough to live in the same house as a superstar, Lorde's mum, Sonja Yelich, is threatening to take it one step further.

Looking for some weekend activities in Auckland this weekend? These are the places to be.

I woke up feeling very charitable this morning, New Zealand's answer to Bob Geldof and Band Aid and all that kind of thing.

There are fisticuffs over ornamental garden features. There is eye gouging over ferret-patterned coasters. There is battering to death of underpaid shop girls with relaxation candles.

Consumers are feeling more cheerful going into the peak Christmas trading period, the ANZ-Roy Morgan consumer confidence survey has found.

These guys have paid as much attention to decorating their beard as they would their Christmas tree, attaching anything from robin's nests to candy canes.

Just what do you get our top movers and shakers for Christmas? Helpfully, Toby Manhire has compiled a list of ideal options (so you don't have to).

When your job description involves saving lives, you need to be well-equipped.

Hundreds of families from as far away as Hamilton are queuing at the Auckland City Mission for help to put food on the table this Christmas.

Employers are changing the way they run Xmas parties to cater for more diverse workplaces, including an increase in Muslims who don't eat ham or drink alcohol.

A warning is being issued to motorists after a third of New Zealanders surveyed admitted to leaving valuable possessions in their car.

Many kids are begging Santa for Lego, iPads and iPods or a new dog or cat for Christmas in letters they have written, New Zealand Post says.

Holiday dinners could be put on hold after of a large number of Christmas hams, salamis and steaks were stolen from a Nelson butcher, police say.

Far from experiencing peace and goodwill at Christmas, nearly half of men admit to feeling sad or depressed over the festive season.

Radiant summer weather made a brief call to the North Island at the weekend, attracting hardy bathers into the still-cool water at beaches and creating a run on icecream.

Well-known Kiwis tell the Herald on Sunday about the worst presents they’ve received. Cherie Howie reports.