Life and style | guardian.co.uk

Party game

When feeding a crowd at this time of year, it pays to have alternatives to the usual festive fare, says Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

Unique Christmas gift ideas

Interactive: We've searched high and low to find over 100 of the most stylish and unusual Christmas gifts
- About our guide
No batteries required

Christmas is the perfect time to reclaim traditional games with your family and friends, says Tom Hodgkinson
Time to shine

In pictures: What to wear for the Christmas party season, by Dannii Minogue and three rising stars of 2011
- Jess meets Dannii
- More on fashion
The perfect Christmas hamper

Interactive: We've tested Christmas products so you can fill your own hamper with the most delicious festive goodies
- Best recipes

Latest multimedia

Food & drink
Restaurant: Hawksmoor, London

The steakhouse is a hard concept to get right, says John Lanchester. But these boys have got it nailed
Wine: Perfect partners for cheese

Is it possible to be a wine lover and a curd nerd? Yes, says Fiona Beckett. Here's how

Fashion & beauty
How to dress: Ruffles

Video (3min 53sec): Jess Cartner-Morley, the Guardian's fashion editor, guides you through the latest trends. This week: ruffles

Dress your home

We've added a huge range of homeware and furniture to the Guardian Fashion Store
Reader offers

Find a great selection of Christmas gifts, gadgets, cookware, homeware, all at bargain prices
New Eat right festive plan

Feel your best with a new six-week festive plan from Eat right, our healthy eating service
Shopping and services

Choose from a huge range of special offers, services, gift ideas and promotions

Health & fitness
This column will change your life

We all know not to judge a book by its cover, so why do we take people we 'meet' on social networking sites at face value, wonders Oliver Burkeman
Doctor, doctor

Should I stop taking medication for a rash? Plus: are my cosmetics safe?
Celebrity
Lost in Showbiz

Alexis Petridis on the week's most important revelation: Eva Longoria's role in the War on Terror
- Lost in Showbiz blog
Why Tommy Lee is defending a whale

Alexis Petridis: The former Mötley Crüe drummer shows that rock'n'roll hasn't gone soft on protest
- Alex Reid's foolproof career plan
Women
Torn apart

For a few women in the UK, giving birth results in traumatic, life-changing injuries. Joanna Moorhead reports
Running for Congo

Chris Jackson was so haunted by what rape victims in Congo told him he decided to run 12 marathons in 12 months to raise awareness of their plight

Family & relationships
'Did his wife not suspect?'

'I went to the funeral of an old man recently' … So begins this woman's attempt to make sense of deeply disturbing memories
'Hi, did you know my mum?'

Katherine Rosman went through her late mother's Filofax and called all the names inside it to find out more about her
Homes & gardens
Christmas decorations: Red

Gallery (6 pictures): Red is all over the high street this year. Add tassels, ribbons and a few garden cuttings and the result won't scare the mother-in-law
- Christmas decorations: White
- Christmas decorations: Rustic
When the growing gets tough

Should we brace ourselves for another brutal January? Will our yuccas survive? Top weather forecaster Dr Liz Bentley gives Lia Leendertz the gardening inside track
Craft
Life in miniature

Gallery (16 pictures): Established in 1985, the Kensington Dollshouse Festival has become the leading event for craftsmen and enthusiasts
Not so naive ...

Her folksy designs are tapping into the zeitgeist. But can Donna Wilson stay cool while making it big? Hannah Booth meets her