The Weekend Edit: Behind the scenes at the coronation and the trick to having a restful Christmas

Enjoy this week's features and longer reads

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Sunday, December 24, 2023 Welcome to the Weekend Edit, where we highlight the best features, columns and reviews from The Independent, delivered straight to your inbox.   As we head into the Christmas period, there will be no parades, trees or lights in the biblical birthplace of Jesus this year. Read Nicholas Blincoe on the Bethlehem he remembers from better times. There's a rollicking interview with Freddie Fox as he stars in a new festive Arthur Conan Doyle adaptation, and Alan Rusbridger has a modest proposition for the King – why not give up the ghost ship that is Buckingham Palace and let MPs and Lords from the equally decrepit Palace of Westminster move in?   For unlimited access to Premium insight along with ad-free reading, the daily edition newspaper, exclusive newsletters and more, you can subscribe for just £20 for 1 year — but be quick, this offer will end on 31st December. ENTERTAINMENT A wobbly crown, playful Prince and a King's joke about 'sausage fingers' – behind the scenes at the coronation It was one of the most watched TV events of the year, but it's the moments we didn't see that are the most fascinating. Harry Mount pulls up his chair for a preview of the Boxing Day documentary that captured it all on camera Read more King Charles III and Queen Camilla in coronation gowns and crowns at Buckingham Palace on the big day (BBC/Oxford Film and Television) Freddie Fox on cousin Laurence, Conan Doyle and believing in ghosts: 'I wasn't scared. But I knew she was there' The real Leonard Bernstein: 'A prodigiously gifted man, of omnivorous appetite, who drove himself and others to extremes' Freddie Fox on cousin Laurence, Conan Doyle and believing in ghosts: 'I wasn't scared. But I knew she was there' The real Leonard Bernstein: 'A prodigiously gifted man, of omnivorous appetite, who drove himself and others to extremes' LIFESTYLE The psychological trick to having a truly restful Christmas (that works every time!) Know what not to waste your time on, says Helen Kirwan-Taylor who picked up the art of 'learned helplessness' from her father... and finds it's a festive lifesaver Read more There's one way to guarantee having a relaxing Christmas, and that's not knowing how to help in the first place O little town: Christmas is cancelled in Bethlehem, but the city still shines with hidden magic   O little town: Christmas is cancelled in Bethlehem, but the city still shines with hidden magic This is what a women-only Christmas looks like   This is what a women-only Christmas looks like   COMMENT From Mary Earps to Michelle Mone: the heroes and villains of 2023 England's Lionesses might have inspired the nation more than the coronation of King Charles III, writes Sean O'Grady. Figures from the world of sport, entertainment and – whisper it – even politics gave us reason to cheer in 2023. Inevitably there were also plenty of less honourable moments to balance things out...  Read more From Mary Earps to Michelle Mone: the heroes and villains of 2023 Why I'm proposing we move our MPs and Lords... into Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace is a ghost ship and the Palace of Westminster is falling apart, writes Alan Rusbridger. The solution? Ask the King to vacate and temporarily move the Commons and Lords chambers into his pad Read more Why I'm proposing we move our MPs and Lords... into Buckingham Palace Defeating Trump in court will be dangerously destabilising to American democracy As the Supreme Court deliberates on whether to let Colorado's decision to strike Trump from the state ballot stand, Jon Sopel explains why not letting the divisive former president run could do more harm than good... Read more Defeating Trump in court will be dangerously destabilising to American democracy Rishi's 'J-turn' on migrant visas exposes this government's heartless incompetence The prime minister is supposed to be a details person – so why has he partially rowed back on his plan (not quite a full U-turn…) to raise the salary threshold for spousal visas to £38,700, asks John Rentoul Read more Rishi's 'J-turn' on migrant visas exposes this government's heartless incompetence   Subscribe today to enjoy: Advert-free reading across independent.co.uk Full access to Premium analysis, opinion and longer-form articles The Independent Daily Edition newspaper The Independent app with daily puzzles and audio readings of articles Exclusive subscriber-only newsletters SUBSCRIBE: £99 £20 FOR 1 YEAR The Independent proudly partners with Refuge and the National Domestic Abuse Helpline: 0808 2000 247   Join the conversation and follow us: Download the free Independent app Please do not reply directly to this email   You are currently registered to receive marketing emails from The Independent.    To unsubscribe from these emails or to manage your email preferences please click here.   This e-mail was sent by Independent Digital News and Media Ltd, 14-18 Finsbury Square, London EC2A 1AH. 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