We're just a handful of sleeps away from one of the most exciting mornings to wake up on - Christmas Day!

If you've ever found yourself on the receiving end of a thoughtless gift you'll know it hurts. Here's some advice on dealing with a bad present.

The ten gifts you'd rather not find under your Christmas tree this year.

Many festive folks will have one eye on the difference Christmas indulgence makes to their waistlines.

Normally, talkback in the week before Christmas is full of callers ringing in with lovely stories of family get-togethers and their own personal Yuletide traditions, and we wish each other well for the holiday season. Nice, warm, fuzzy stuff.

Superyachts and their millionaire owners are in port - and they're sharing the Christmas spirit. The locally-built 50m Ohana and the palatial 58.5m Ulysses are the big attractions around Auckland's Viaduct Basin.

Christmas isn't just about grabbing at a huge pile of presents, it's also a great time for giving, or buying "good" gifts - the sort that make the world a better place.

Northland is in for a drenching this weekend, as the remnants of Cyclone Evan brush the country.

This Christmas, more alleged criminals will be in jail awaiting trial than in any previous year on records supplied by our prisons. The number has steadily increased since this Government came to power, to a estimated 1671 this week.

Festive lights, Christmas trees, a jolly Santa waving you in and carols can be the magic formula for retailers trying to lure shoppers in and seal a deal.

Consumers cutting loose after a year of watching their wallets is one reason for a huge increase in Christmas spending, according to the Retailers Association. Paymark said just over $3.2 billion went through its network between Nov 30 and Dec 20.

Christmas always proves the adage: it is easier to give than to receive. Not that giving seemed easy this week as we searched the shops for something loved ones would like.

Cyclone Evan's going to put a bit of a dampener on Christmas - it's likely to be wet, hot and humid. The remnants of the tropical cyclone which hit Samoa and Fiji are set to reach New Zealand around Christmas Eve.

New Zealand soldiers overseas this Christmas have been sending their love to their families and friends back home in New Zealand.

Fuelled by the highest rate of unemployment in 13 years, the queues snaking along the pavements outside the Auckland City Mission have nothing festive about them.

If you haven't sorted your Xmas selections yet you may be starting to panic about finding the perfect present for each person on your list. Go easy on yourself by simply buying a gift set.

Two personal finance companies - one of which charges over 500 per cent interest a year if loans are not paid back in two weeks - are in a High Court stoush over a super hero logo.