Best of Weekender: Picture-perfect homes for Christmas, travelling through Finland, and the best books and movies of the year

As the Christmas spirit pervades the globe, who doesn’t like gazing at pictures of an over-the-top, all-white Christmas tree right in the middle of a living room?

Or a ridiculously gorgeous wreath adorning a pretty door? Or strings of sparkling lights in a bizarre array along the awnings? Our lifestyle writer checked out the most exciting celeb homes of the season and found some of the most beautiful Christmas home décor ideas of the year.

Don’t miss this stunning, extravagant, and picture-perfect collection of Yuletide-ready homes that will give you some great pointers on how to decorate your own home. From the Jenners and the Kardashians of the world, to some celebs closer home, read all about the most impressive celebrity homes this year.

Did you know that a popular Christmas song, Jingle Bells, is not a Christmas Carol? It’s just a song! So, what’s the difference? What makes a song a ‘song’ and a carol a ‘carol’? Our writer delved into the origin of this timeless festive tradition and discovered that the word carol means “a dance or a song of praise or joy.”

Thousands of years ago, Europeans used to dance around the stone circles on Winter Solstice celebrations. When Christianity spread across Europe, early Christians replaced these winter songs with Christmas carols. There are not too many carollers out in the streets today, but there are some people who are trying to keep this dying tradition alive.

Don’t miss our interviews with carollers who spend the month of December visiting homes, singing carols and spreading some Christmas cheer.

One of the best things about the Yuletide season is the slew of movies that come out around this time on Netflix and other streaming platforms on television. They could be about finding a prince in your backyard who could whisk you away to his royal kingdom.

Or it could be about elves with all kinds of magical powers or a Christmas calendar that has the power to change your life. Here are six Christmas themed movies you should be on your must-watch list this year.

So, take out the popcorn, sit back, and enjoy the stuff of pure fantasy where dreams come true and all stories end in ‘happily -ever-after.”

For the second year in a row, the United Nations World Happiness Report ranked the frigid Nordic country Finland the happiest country in the world. Our travel writer discovered that there was some truth behind this ranking, as he felt more relaxed and much happier in Finland’s uber-safe cities and its picturesque countryside.

From visiting saunas and attending local festivals to gazing at the Northern Lights and even networking with business professionals, he found that there is something for everyone in this beautiful country.

Here’s your chance for some fascinating armchair travel as he tells you what makes the country special, even during the harsh months of a Nordic winter.

As the year comes to a close and the weather becomes a little nippy, there can be a no better way to wind down and cosy up than staking claim to your favourite chair in the living room, and curling up with a good book. This has been a great year in publishing with several books in every genre being embraced by book lovers all the world.

Our book writer listed author Margaret Atwood’s sequel, The Testaments, Daisy Jones & The Six and On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous as her favourite fiction picks of the year.

As for some standout nonfiction, she chose books as diverse as The Anarchy by William Dalrymple, Save me the Plums by Ruth Reichl, The Moment of Lift by Melinda Gates and so many more.

Read all about the top books of 2019 in her list of the best non-fiction works of the year.

Many things may have changed across the world, but “going to the movies” remains one of people’s favourite things to do.

And so, we have also curated a list of the best Bollywood movies of 2019. Our movie reviewer believes that movies hold the power to change and transform us, either by moving us to tears, inducing peals of laughter, or giving us the courage to keep going.

So, check out her list of the top Bollywood movies of 2019, which made us giggle, laugh, sniffle, cry, think, reflect, and contemplate about all that is important and special in life.

Do you love reading books by Jim Corbett? Is Superman your favourite superhero? Are you passionate about entrepreneurship? If yes, meet Anshuman Singh, Founder, CEO, Paul Adams, who feels the same way. His company, Paul Adams, creates ultra-premium handbags and accessories, and a vast range of bespoke bags for men and women.

With a mission to make art an intrinsic part of everyday life instead of it being confined to a frame, the organisation has embarked upon an initiative called, #ArtEverywhere. As for his motto, ‘Listen, design and act, that’s the way to get ahead,” is the best way to succeed in entrepreneurship and in life.

Don’t miss his responses to our Proust questionnaire, where he talks about his heroes and his greatest regrets and achievements.

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