Articles by Jo Foster

Despite being first released in 1989, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation is a film that continues to be enjoyed every year during the festive season, with some fans even rating it as the top Christmas movie ever! © Everett Collection Inc / Alamy Stock Photo Following on from the popular National Lampoon's Vacation film series, this third instalment, written by John Hughes and direc...

Christmas is traditionally a time for playing board games. Whether you're playing with the kids to keep them entertained on Christmas Day, or with friends for a bit of fun over a cheeky drink, there's nothing like a good board game to create some festive fun! © fcw5 / Adobe Stock If you think board games are a modern invention, this isn't the case. In fact, the oldest known board game...

A Christmas tree is an integral part of the festive celebrations, but it's the Victorians we have to thank for introducing this ever-popular Yuletide tradition. Credit: Wikipedia / Wikipedia Early Christmas trees Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, is credited for introducing the Christmas tree to Britain. In 1848, the Illustrated London News published a drawing of the Royal ...

Creating your own Christmas Eve box is a tradition that provides families with the chance to have fun together. Christmas Eve is an important time, whether you're putting the finishing touches to the Christmas tree, preparing festive food, or leaving out a mince pie and a glass of milk for Santa and his reindeer. The idea of the Christmas Eve box is that it should contain items that will hel...

“We’re just wild about Harry!” While most people see retirement as a chance to relax and do the things they enjoy, former football manager Harry Redknapp decided to live rough in the Australian bush! The 71-year-old former manager of Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur swapped his £4 million seaside mansion in exclusive Sandbanks, in Poole, Dorset, for a jungle hammock beneath the stars...

An innovative new solution to the world's plastic waste problem is sweeping communities across the planet. Ecobricks are being created as a unique recycling method that involves saving, segregating and packing plastics into bottles - which are then used as building blocks for many applications. The ecobricks can be used time and time again to build green structures that will enhance our comm...

Traditional festive foods can evoke memories of Christmas at any time. Certain iconic dishes are absolutely vital to any Christmas holiday menu, including meats, treats and desserts. Just how did certain foods become so ingrained with the culture of the festive period? Read on to find out the history and tradition of some of our Christmas culinary favourites... Credit: haveseen / Adob...

Written by Pete Seeger and Lee Hays in 1949, If I had a Hammer was first recorded by The Weavers. As a song with simple, repetitive, almost child-like lyrics, there's actually more to the meaning of the verses than meets the eye. Here's everything you need to know about this folk ditty. Credit: Wikipedia / CC 3.0 Introducing the Weavers Before If I had a Hammer was penned, American...

The world's oceans are becoming a sea of plastic, with bottles, food wrappers and plastic bags polluting the sea and beaches. Marine creatures such as fish, seabirds and whales are dying after ingesting carelessly discarded waste, as a staggering 12 million tonnes of plastic enters our oceans each year. Scientists say around 100,000 marine creatures die every year after becoming entangle...

When the legendary BBC sitcom, Only Fools and Horses, was launched in 1981, its star, David Jason, admitted to feeling fascinated by writer John Sullivan's skills in creating visual gags. Jason, who played Peckham market trader Derek "Del Boy" Trotter, was referring to one of the most famous ongoing jokes in the show: the name of his company. He ran Trotters Independent Traders - which spelt...