For marrying innocence and joy with tragedy, few historic events come close to the events of Christmas Day in 1914. So powerful is the image of soldiers laying down arms to take up a football that the match of the 1914 Christmas Truce has become the inspiration for plays, films, novels, songs - and even a Sainsbury's Christmas advert. For one eye witness, it was the British who produced a ball and tempted the Germans into a contest. 'Men have been talking together, and they had a football match with a bully beef tin, and one man went over and cut a German's hair.' While the Christmas truce was limited to certain sections of the Western Front, with an estimated 100,000 men taking part, not all those involved in the temporary truce felt comfortable taking part in the sport.

Thousands watched on as Pope Leo led his first Christmas mass at St. Peter's Basilica. Pope Leo XIV held the first Christmas mass of his pontificate on Wednesday, greeting thousands of faithful in St Peter's Square before the service. Many watched the service on screens from St. Peter's Square, holding umbrellas and wearing ponchos under a hard rain in Rome. 'St Peter's is very large but unfortunately it is not large enough to receive all of you,' he told the crowd of around 5,000 people. On Thursday, the pope will celebrate a Christmas Day Mass and deliver a twice-yearly 'Urbi et Orbi' (to the city and the world) message and blessing.

But there’s no reason why Twixmas should be a dull time for kids. “There are steps parents can take to ensure their children don’t slip into boredom, or the risk of too much screen time. “It’s a natural source of mood-boosters too, creating a more meaningful playtime in contrast to technology use.”Collect foliageTake young children on a nature walk in your local park or around your neighbourhood. “Let your child pick their favourite leaves along the way,” suggests Rhiannon. “The Christmas break is a great opportunity to spend quality time with your child,” stresses Buttery.

Hollywood icon Drew Barrymore is embracing her fine lines as she prepares to turn 51. Now, with her birthday less than two months away, Barrymore is sharing a message with followers that goes more than skin deep. On Tuesday, she displayed her bare, make-up free complexion in a video that showcased her stunning face, fine lines and all. Indeed, Barrymore did not shy away from displaying her stunning, au natural complexion - even zooming in to show off her various lines. She opened up about coming to grips with the little lines on her face earlier this year on her talk show.

Just under a third of consumers who do not have a receipt said they would regift an unwanted Christmas present if they did not have a receipt. The survey published this morning by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) found that 42 per cent of consumers never include a gift receipt when giving presents at Christmas, rising to 52 per cent of men surveyed. It highlighted the unintended consequences of the decision, which makes it much harder to return unwanted presents. Just under a third of consumers who do not have a receipt said they would regift an unwanted Christmas present if they did not have a receipt. “This makes it harder to return or exchange unwanted gifts and can leave many unsure about what to do with their unwanted presents.

Connacht are back on home turf and hoping to put behind them last weekends collaspse to Dragons when they face Ulster at the Dexcom Stadium. Watch all the action live on TG4 and Premier Sports. Set the Sky Box: The Premier League is heating up and continues over the Christmas period. Saturday Liverpool welcome Wolves, Chelsea face Aston Villa while Sunday Sunderland hosts Leeds and Crystal Palace take on Tottenham. Watch all the action live on Sky Sports, Premier Sports and TNT Sports.

Spike Island, or "Ireland’s Alcatraz", is a small coastal enclave off the coast of Cobh in Co Cork. But while most of us associate its colourful history as one of a battle-hardened prison, its story begins much earlier, centuries earlier in fact. Spike Island’s rich history extends as far back as 635 AD when Saint Mochuda set up a monastery on the island, which lasted for 500 years. Spike Island is still Britain and Ireland’s largest-ever prison and was used as a prison facility up until 2004. Today on the Indo Daily Ellen Coyne is joined by John Crotty, former general Manager of Spike Island and author of Spike Island: The Rebels,Residents and Crafty Criminals of Ireland’s Historic Island, to discuss the island’s colourful past and the potential histories yet to be unfurled.

Elon Musk's much heralded chainsaw couldn't make the cut. The findings were stark: Of the top 13 contract cancellations in DOGE's database all 13 were incorrectly characterized, according to the Times. Perhaps most telling: 80 percent of the cancellations touted on DOGE's public dashboard claimed savings of $1 million or less—a rounding error in the federal budget. Musk waved it around, called it “the chainsaw for bureaucracy,”Other cost-cutting attempts from DOGE faced legal challenges, and were reversed. 'I think instead of doing Doge, I would have basically worked on my companies, essentially,' Musk told Miller.

Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim insisted Kobbie Mainoo represents the future of the club but may have to wait for his chance to prove it. But the United boss suggested he is taking a longer-term view despite the player's lack of chances this season. “So, he's going to be the future of Manchester United, that is my feeling. I am really happy with them but I don’t know what is going to happen.” The United boss insisted he would not be disappointed if reinforcements did not arrive next month. I think if we have the opportunity to bring in a player that we think that is going to be the future of the club, he is going to come.

Mohamed Salah is facing criticism from his Muslim followers once again after sharing a photo of a Christmas tree - but has also received plenty of praise and support. The Liverpool and Egypt star has made it an annual tradition to share a Christmas tree photograph and message despite his Muslim faith. Many congratulated Salah on sharing a message of goodwill and pushing for a message of unity despite religious differences. 'Respect is respect, being in the African Cup of Nations didn't stop him from sharing love, humanity comes first, Merry Christmas,' another commented. Salah could not be there to sit beneath the Christmas tree because he is busy trying to win the first AFCON of his career.

Dozens of hardy souls racing to the water for the Golden Jubilee Christmas Day Swim at Broadstrand, Courtmacsherry, West Cork. Juliette Collins, Rochestown, and Jill Donegan, Douglas, at the Christmas Day swim in Fountainstown, Co Cork. • See more photos from Ireland's Christmas Day swims here: In Pictures: Thousands take to sea for Christmas Day swims. Meet more of our hardy Christmas Day swimmers Anna and Terri O’Keefe, Claire Coffey, and Caoimhe O’Keeffe enjoying their Christmas Day swim at Myrtleville, Co Cork. Picture: Martin Walsh Santy costumes were very much in favour at the Christmas Day swim at Myrtleville, Co Cork.

Darts has also continued to be popular, with fans continuing to flock to events on the Premier League circuit. Premier League Darts 2025 - ManchesterWayne Rooney was among those in attendance for the 10th stop of Premier League Darts back in April. Premier League Darts 2025 - Play-OffsThe Premier League Darts season concluded at London's O2 Arena in May, with the play-offs producing a repeat of the 2024 final between Luke Littler and Luke Humphries. Chris Eubank Jr vs Conor Benn IIFor the second time in 2025, Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn took centre stage at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Chris Eubank Jr vs Conor BennThe rematch between Eubank Jr and Benn is only behind the original fight on the list of most demanded events this year.

Mohamed Salah's farewell message gives Liverpool and Arne Slot January transfer dilemmaMohamed Salah has been a key player for Liverpool for years, winning them trophy after trophy with his goal contributionsView 3 Images Mohamed Salah has given Arne Slot plenty to consider (Image: Rico Brouwer/Soccrates/Getty Images)Mohamed Salah's final words to Liverpool before jetting off for AFCON have left Arne Slot with plenty to think about ahead of the transfer window. ‌Liverpool's poor run was made worse by a public row between Salah and Slot, following the Egyptian's unexpected drop down to the bench. ‌This assist saw Salah tally up 277 goal contributions for the club, surpassing any other player in Premier League history. ‌Salah's impact at Liverpool is immeasurable, with many of his goals paving the way to glory and trophies. Clubs from the Saudi Pro League are reportedly keen on acquiring Salah, with a transfer fee of £100million being touted for his exit.

The Coastguard has called off its search for two swimmers who got into difficulty off a beach in Devon on Christmas morning. The Coastguard stood down the search this evening at 5pm after a joint effort search from Exmouth and Beer Coastguard Rescue Teams, RNLI lifeboats, Teignmouth and Torbay and coastguard search and rescue helicopters. Hundreds of people were seen gathering at Exmouth and Budleigh beaches this morning for unofficial Christmas Day swims. There is no good time to die but Christmas Day is so terrible. The Met Office warned of 'strong and gusty east to northeasterly winds' from 4am until 11.59pm on Christmas Day in parts of the south west of England and Wales.

Here, we look at a rising trend among world-class athletes - and why footballers could be next to join the seedy OnlyFans empire. The athlete at the other end of a surreal phone call is discussing his hope to paddle a canoe for Team GB at the Olympics. It has paved the way to unprecedented success for Team GB at the Games since it was introduced in 1997, but gold medals rarely make you rich. For their part, senior British Olympic Association sources have previously told me they were ‘relaxed’ about the number of Team GB athletes using the platform ahead of the Paris Olympics. She had traumatic visits to the Winter Olympics in 2014 and 2018 for Team GB, before retiring three years ago and joining the platform soon after.