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WHERE is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

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[Council Chamber, City Chambers]

It came, a flower bright, amid the cold of winter ...

[Drummond Place backgreen]

AND the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehendeth it not.

[German Market, The Mound]

Readers of genre fiction often grow tired of justifying their particular taste against charges of literary inferiority. Not so Broughton resident Laura Vivanco, whose closely reasoned and wide-ranging academic defence of Harlequin Mills & Boon novels – For Love and Money – was published this week.

‘Having spent a great deal of time reading HM&B romances, I would argue that many are well-written, skilfully crafted works which can and do engage the minds as well as the emotions of their readers, and a few are small masterpieces,’ she writes.

AND they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

[Broughton St Mary's Parish Church, Bellevue Crescent]

AND suddenly there was with the angel a heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men ...

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[Mansfield-Traquair Centre, Mansfield Place]

City of Edinburgh Council Planning officials do not have a problem with the colour of signage used at the new Coop on McDonald Road, which opened this morning.

How wise. Jolly clear and cheerful it is too.

How very unlike the nasty 'bright green' signage of Real Foods on Broughton Street, which is an obvious affront to Civilisation and must be stopped.

[NB: Colours have not been manipulated, boosted or otherwise artificially tweaked in either picture.]

The Genting Casino (owner of Maxims) has applied for listed building consent to replace signs and erect lights on the exterior of its Ecclesiastical Category A-listed 5B York Place premises (Ref. 11/03445/LBC). New LED uplights to illuminate the windows are proposed.

... and glory shone around.

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[Inchkeith Lighthouse lens, National Museum of Scotland]

These bite-sized biscuits are the perfect make-ahead Christmas present. Not only do they look as impressive as the authentic German variety that you may have seen at the German Christmas Market, but they also get better over time and can even last up to two weeks in an airtight container.

The quarter teaspoon of black pepper in this recipe helps to intensify the flavour of the classic Christmas spices such as cinnamon, ginger and allspice without adding too much heat.