Christmas is a time for giving — and taking, and your powers of persuasion can play a big part when it comes to securing that dream gift.

Celebrity chefs and restaurateurs have banded together to ask diners to help feed needy Kiwis this Christmas.

The killing of big Maori surfer dude Tony Williams on the Gold Coast at Christmas three years ago barely makes sense.

Put that credit card in your pocket. There are lots of things you shouldn't be buying before Christmas. They're the items that the retailers keep at full price or not far off.

St Nick dominated Auckland's Viaduct Basin last night.

Those giving fly swats or tea towels for Christmas this year may want to think again - they have been voted among the worst presents Kiwis have received.

Santa lands in Auckland today but if you want to see him, use public transport and arrive early.

Smoke alarms are not most people's idea of a Christmas present, but the Fire Service wants us to think about them anyway.

Ever wondered how Father Christmas gets around the whole world in one night? Why no one sees him delivering presents? How he fits down the chimney? Or how the nose of Santa’s trusted navigator, Rudolph, came to glow? Professor Steve Pointing and Professor Allan Blackman explain some of the unanswered mysteries of Father Christmas’good work in this video. Courtesy AUT University/YouTube

Kiwi retailers are today hoping to cash in on "Black Friday", America's biggest shopping day of the year, by luring consumers with promises of big discounts on goods ahead of Christmas.

Celebrating the Christmas season doesn't need to be at the expense of the environment. Consider spreading some of your festive goodwill to the planet that sustains us all.

The Christmas madness is about to begin and for many retailers the stakes have never been higher, writes Business Editor Liam Dann.

Although the events shown in the Sainsbury's Christmas ad are fictional, they tried to make the details as accurate as possible. Everything from the insignia on the men's uniform to the depth of the trenches is based on historical fact. In this short documentary Sainsbury's talk to the experts who advised, interviewed the grandson of a soldier who was there, and hear first-hand accounts from both sides. Footage: Sainsbury's/YouTube

An Auckland mother and retail worker wants to make sure no one misses out this Christmas.

The annual Christmas Party is the perfect opportunity to kick back and celebrate a great year with your colleagues over a drink or two ... or is it?

Some call him creepy, others call him a piece of cultural history - either way Auckland's giant Santa has been saved from early retirement.

Santa has been saved, with a family-owned company pledging money to keep him on Auckland's main street.

Aucklanders are facing Christmas without the city's larger-than-life Santa. The big man's banned after Heart of the City said it couldn't afford the $180k installation.

Starting a Christmas savings scheme will make shopping less stressful and the way you save will make a big difference to how much cash you'll have.

A booming Christmas shopping period and an overall annual spending jump shows a return to pre-global financial crisis consumer confidence levels, retail experts say.

The week after New Year is a testing time for resolutions to correct a bad habit. But it is a good time to make one new one - tackle the 'obesity epidemic'.

The original Christian saint of secret gift-giving and children was St Nicholas, a fourth-century Greek bishop, whose feast day is December 6.

When TV chef Sachie Nomura arrived from Japan almost 17 years ago, she couldn't get over the size of NZ's vegetables.