Knitivity scene

“The angel came first and after that it took on a life of its own. Some sheep, a donkey, three wise men . . . before we knew it, the whole scene was done.”

Teresa McCormac and Fran Dalton have had crowds gathering to enjoy the knitted nativity scene in the window of their shop, Stitch, at 74 Shantalla Road in Beaumont, Dublin 9. See stitch.ie.

Stories straight from the heart

Fill some stockings with these three seasonal reads: The feel-good Stories of Hope, for an adult readership; There's No Place Like Home at Christmas, a collection of stories for children about the true meaning of Christmas; and Dear Santa, the best letters ever written to Father Christmas. Part of the proceeds from Valerie Bowe's Stories of Hopewill benefit the Kitty Whittle Fund, which provides education bursaries for lone parents, and There's No Place Like Homeis in aid of the Jack & Jill Foundation.