Christmas crackers

Although summer is traditionally the media's silly season, each Christmas sees some stories which are crackers in their own right. Enjoy the best of the current crop with BBC News Online's compilation of the festive reports from December 2002.

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Santa fries around the world

Safe and well, but in need of a shave

A vicar from Maidenhead in Berkshire has upset children in his congregation by telling them that Father Christmas was dead because the speed of his sleigh would make him burn up. The Reverend Lee Rayfield claimed he was explaining the impossible science of Santa but said he did not realise how young some of his audience were.

Reverend Lee Rayfield

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All lit up

Some of the suburban lights

A festive new art form is drawing travellers to the side streets of suburbia. Homes bedecked in Christmas decorations, already popular in the US, are now well-established in the UK as well.

The BBC's David Sillito reports

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Christmas dinner sprout drought

Weather is blamed for sprout shortage

The traditional Christmas vegetable which everybody loves to hate is under threat. Brussels sprout growers say waterlogged fields and high winds mean that this year they are having a real struggle harvesting their crop.

The BBC's Jon Kay reports

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Popstars looking out for number one

Christmas number one 2002: Girls Aloud

Pop critics and music fans have been declaring the demise of a great festive tradition after the fight to top the music charts came down to a clash between two manufactured acts. The girl group and boy band from ITV's Popstars: The Rivals were fighting for the coveted Christmas number one, with Girls Aloud beating out One True Voice.

The BBC's Razia Iqbal reports

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Dreaming of a green Christmas

Christmas trees can be recycled into woodchips

Friends of the Earth have warned that Christmas is the time of the year when people produce the most waste, with only 10% of it being recycled. In an effort to encourage people to have a green Christmas, they have suggested some environmentally-friendly festive tips.

The BBC's Jane Hughes reports