Many Christmas church services in Christchurch, New Zealand will be held outdoors after four strong earthquakes struck on 23 December

Most nativity plays usually feature the local Sunday school, but this year a Church of Scotland minister and a Roman Catholic priest have enlisted the help of police officers, fire fighters, council leaders and even the Kilmarnock football team.

During the past week, many in the Middle East, caught up in the yuletide spirit will have been hoping for a more peaceful world in 2011, says Harry Hagopian. But what are the prospects for peace and stability in the region?

Soothing 'Christmas messages' have become practically unavoidable, says Simon Barrow. But most of them are bland beyond belief. In truth the birth of Christ confronts us with something much more demanding - a choice between two ways of living in a world dominated by empire.