IN the run-up to Christmas – days stuffed full of gift buying, frenzied food shopping, speed wrapping and last minute final prepping, all done to an ever-more-frenetic soundtrack of festive hits – the glistening mirage of the big day, when the rollercoaster judders to a halt at last, shines brightly.

But those hoping for a sleepy Christmas Day when the news finally stops rolling can think again. Though most shops may shut and public transport grind to a halt, elsewhere a slew of Christmas events are grinding into gear from loony dooks to community meals and parties.

While religious and state leaders from the Pope to the Queen prepare to deliver their annual Christmas addresses, many will be more focused on Doctor Who, who is getting ready to transform into a woman as his current incarnation – Scottish actor Peter Capaldi – passes over the baton to Jodie Whittaker in this year's hour-long Christmas special.

Loading article content

Those more interested in travelling in co-ordinated steps than time travel may plan Christmas activities planned around the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special, now almost as much part of the day as the turkey and trimmings. However, it is still likely to be the Queen's speech at 3pm that will top the ratings, last year pulling in over eight million viewers.

This year Channel 4, which has broadcast its alternative Christmas message since 1993, has a poignant offering – featuring children made homeless after the Grenfell Tower fire in June. Five young people who survived the tragedy – which killed 71 people, including 18 children – will speak out about the importance of having a home and of cherishing family members.

Hayam Atmani, 10, who lived on the 15th floor of Grenfell Tower with her parents is now living in hotel far from her school and admits "it's not that much fun” while Amiel Miller, 10, and his brother Danel, 7, will also speak about their memories of waking up to the smell of smoke and the noise of people screaming. They and their parents escaped safely from the 17th floor.

Now rehoused, the brothers said they were looking forward to seeing family at Christmas, playing with their cousins, opening their presents and eating “mountains of food”. Amiel said: “My Christmas message is … it’s not all about getting presents, it’s also about giving.”

That message is being taken to heart by an increasing number of people who will come together to host Christmas meals and events across the country. In Glasgow, organisations such as the Project Cafe and the Space – a donations-based cafe and venue in the east end of the City – are promising Christmas dinner and dancing, while in Edinburgh hundreds of volunteers from hairdressers to doctors and entertainers will be attending charity Crisis at Christmas' two-day event for homeless guests.

Elsewhere plenty of loonies are planning to launch themselves into cold water today. While most organised events – such as the Peter Pan Cup for members of the Serpentine Swimming Club held in Hyde Park, are south of the border – veteran outdoor swimmers said others will be ad hoc.

Daniel Start, author of Wild Swimming, said: "Winter dipping is about the camaraderie of shared challenge, an antidote to sitting around eating and a wonderful way to connect with nature at winter. It leaves you pink and glowing once you get out, and with an amazing sense of accomplishment and a huge endorphin rush, which is pretty addictive."

But those hoping for the picture-perfect white Christmas look set for disappointment. A spokesman for the Met Office said that although there is a better chance that rain forecast for Boxing Day may fall as snow in Northern regions, the white stuff is unlikely today: "There might be the odd wintry shower that falls in the mountains but we are not likely to have snow in a way that anyone would notice," he added. "In fact you are statistically more likely to get snow at Easter than at Christmas. The white Christmas is more of a Dickensian ideal than a reality."

Twixtmas

TRADITIONALLY it has been the only time of year when you can sit around in your pyjamas all day eating cheese and trifle – perhaps even with the same spoon. But now a new campaign is calling on us to put the spoon down, get dressed and use the five days between Christmas and New Year to change the world.

Organisers of Twixtmas – pitched as a celebration of "all that is good in us and our world" – claim that we can make better use of the final days of December. The concept comes from the Flexible Thinking Forum, a social enterprise promoting community cohesion, which claims that as our society becomes ever more time poor we can do better than simply zoning out in front of an action movie and a box of chocolates, in the "dead zone" between festivities.

The five-day Twixtmas "diet" includes one day to do something for yourself and another to make a sacrifice for others. You should also "reach out" to a friend, do something to help save the planet and plan what you can do in the future. Tips to achieve this include getting outside no matter what the weather (no moaning allowed) and avoiding "negative people" who sap your energy. Volunteering and lowering your standards (take note perfectionists) are also encouraged.

A spokesman said: "The period between Boxing Day and New Year's Eve presents an opportunity to do something for many people. It gives the chance to take stock, do things we don't normally get time to do."