Queen attends Christmas Day service

The Queen is due to attend the traditional Christmas Day service at Sandringham.

She will be greeted by thousands of well wishers outside St Mary Magdalene church.

The Queen was forced to miss church on the Sunday before Christmas as she shook off the tail end of a cold.

After today's service, she is expected to receive flowers from local children.

In her Christmas Day address, the Queen will pay tribute to the enormous sporting achievements of 2012.

"As London hosted a splendid summer of sport, all those who saw the achievement and courage at the Olympic and Paralympic Games were further inspired by the skill, dedication, training and teamwork of our athletes," she says.

"In pursuing their own sporting goals, they gave the rest of us the opportunity to share something of the excitement and drama."

Christmas will be quieter than usual for the Queen with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge spending Christmas with the Duchess's parents, and Prince Harry serving in Afghanistan.

News
The first Christmas song to be sung in churches
The first Christmas song to be sung in churches

Every Christmas, people sing the song “While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night”. Unlike many other songs and carols that include elements of non-biblical tradition and myth, this song is pure Scripture. It was the first Christmas song authorised to be sung in the Church of England. This is the story …

The story of the Christmas Truce of 1914
The story of the Christmas Truce of 1914

On Christmas Eve in 1914, many men were in the trenches fighting the war, but the spirit of Christmas halted the conflict for a brief period. This is the story …

Report highlights injustices experienced by Christians in the Holy Land
Report highlights injustices experienced by Christians in the Holy Land

Jerusalem Church leaders have released a report detailing the struggles and challenges currently faced be Christians living in the Holy Land.

Have you lost the wonder of Christmas?
Have you lost the wonder of Christmas?

For you who have been followers of Jesus Christ for a long time, maybe the pain and suffering of this world and the darkness you have had to live through this past year has gotten you down to the point of complete and utter discouragement. But all is not lost.