And now for the Christmas sales Santa hasn't even been yet, but if his presents this year leave you disappointed, don't despair - Sally Kinnes has dug out sales bargains to be had once Christmas is over.

Silent nights in St Mark's Martin Buckley stumbles across beautiful gifts and chilly Christmas concerts while lost in the near-deserted streets of Venice.

Stocks run low as Britain hits the shops Last-minute Christmas shoppers could be disappointed as Britain's top retailers have deliberately not ordered enough stock.

Letters to Santa Send seasonal messages to your friends and family using our postcard service.

Last-minute shopping to top £9bn
Shoppers will spend £9.58bn on presents in the week before Christmas, £1.91bn more than last year, research suggests.

Dreaming of a wired Christmas
Leader: Online shopping has become so successful that supermarkets are unable to satisfy demand in the run-up to next weekend.

What do you call your step-grandson's ex?
Anne Karpf: When I looked down at my Christmas shopping list and was struck by the span of relationships it described.

Dear Santa ...
A selection from the thousands of letters to Father Christmas received by the Royal Mail this year.

Socks are so last century
Thanks to gadgetry, the perennial nightmare of what to buy men is now a thing of Christmas past, says Bobbie Johnson.
Shop for gifts

Beating the crush of the high street
For great gifts and a Dickensian Christmas atmosphere, London's street markets are top of the tree, says Jo Adams.

Guardian Christmas charity appeal
This year the Guardian appeal is raising money to fund antiretroviral treatment in sub-Saharan Africa.
Special report: Aids & HIV

What men really want
Reading glossy pull-out sections on What To Buy Your Man For Christmas can leave you excited, dispirited or, frankly, rather worried, writes Euan Ferguson.

Make your own Christmas presents
Forget trudging up and down the high street this Christmas - round up the kids, and make personalised gifts instead, says Danielle Proud.

Cut-price Xmas in store
Shoppers out searching for Christmas presents will find them cheaper than a year ago, according to figures on shop prices out yesterday.

Best places to buy online
Christmas presents.

Why do parents spend more on boys than girls?
In a school-age reflection of the gender pay gap, it turns out that parents spend an average of £223 on Christmas presents for sons, whereas the equivalent figure for daughters is £127.

Is it OK ... to get a Christmas tree?
Leo Hickman's guide to a good life.

Oh, you really shouldn't have
Moral fortitude is difficult at the best of times, but this Christmas, it is essential that some of us try to demonstrate it.

Getting your goat
Last year's feelgood gift of choice was a goat for a family in the developing world. But what happened next?

Buy a child an education this Christmas
Charities are appealing for people to give more educational gifts this Christmas.

If Christmas gets your goat, this idea's a gift
They were the must-have Christmas present last year: not computer games or cartoon toys but the gift of a goat to help a poor family survive.

All the fun of the fear
I scare easily, but even in full daylight, Fear will take you by surprise more than once.

Do your bit for the games industry this Christmas
Every year, gamers complain about the lack of original titles available for Christmas. Here are five pointers to help you buy better games.

Buzz into action
Finally, a game that will appeal to grandparents and children alike.

Nice girls don't talk and fork
The hot topic on everyone's lips right now is good v bad manners. Just don't debate it with your mouth full, says Mimi Spencer.

The 2005 Christmas bad gift guide
In the face of another year of goat-giving and gift-wrapped Kalashnikovs a desire for immoral and, frankly, just plain wrong presents arises.

Christmas presents
City break | Active day out | Classic car hire | Cookery course | Spa treatment

Flying off the shelves at ... Selfridges
Santa suits for dogs.

Stinking rich: the £115,000 perfume
This perfume bottle could double as a whisky decanter, and holds about a pint.

Alison Cork's finishing touches
A weekly guide to the best bargains for the home and garden.

How to avoid blunders
The party season is fraught with potential fashion blunders, so save your face by investing in a simple classic

Who says the tie has died?
The tie is enjoying an unlikely comeback.

Souks you, Sir
Why stay at home with the wife and family when you can jet off to sunny Morocco with your mate and still get all the Christmas shopping done, asks Phil Hogan.

New York for nix
With a little insider knowledge, you can sip cocktails with celebs, stock up on designer labels and see New York's best sights - for a snip.

Middle East tops Christmas holiday list
Muslim countries of the Middle East are becoming the fashionable destination for Britons wanting to escape Christmas at home.

A continental Christmas
Enjoy some foreign festivities: from oysters in Paris to the gift-excreting logs of Catalan tradition.

Forget the art ... where's the Prada?
Barbara McMahon joins 10 women bonding in Gucci heaven on an escorted shopping weekend to Florence's designer outlets.

How to DIY it
Shopping around for christmas

The turkey can wait ...
Stuart Jeffries introduces our guide to the very best plays, outings, concerts, kids' stuff and more this Christmas.

Special events
Joanna Moorhead suggests five alternative things to do this Chirstmas.

Christmas markets
From London's Frost Fair to the Dickensian Christmas festival in the Yorkshire Dales.
Kids
Film
Dance
Music
Art
Comedy
Theatre

Smashing pumpkin
Let your vegetarian supper sing to the heavens this Christmas, with aromatic spices and the tangiest fruits. Nigel Slater puts a tropical smile on a festive squash.

Label watch
Mince pies

Christmas present calculator
Stuck on ideas for that perfect present? Our Christmas present quiz will inspire you.