As Christmas approaches, it’s vital to look beyond festivities and understand life today in Jesus’ birthplace, Bethlehem, living under constant threat of displacement and violence. Govanhill residents Ruth and Rebecca highlight the work of Tent of Nations, which invites volunteers to act as a protective presence during the olive harvest, helping to reduce some harm from Israeli forces.

It’s that time of year again, the holidays are around the corner and all the big retailers are getting ready for the busiest time of year. But we want to show some love to the smaller, local shops and independent makers who are also preparing for the gift-giving season to remind folk to shop local at this time of year.

As the nights draw in, the lights get twinklier and we all start to coorie down for the winter months, we wanted to explore the diverse cultures in the area and discover how our neighbours are preparing for the coming festivities. 

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas… in Govanhill! Have you got your hands on one of our mini festive issues yet? There’s a gift guide, what’s on, local services and recipes to explore.

December is nearly upon us, and in the Southside there are a whole load of Christmas events already underway where you can support local businesses and find plenty of festive spirit. Find out where are the Christmas markets in Glasgow Southside.

As we start to wind up work and studies for the year and enter the Christmas festive period, we wanted to find out how the holidays are celebrate by people from all over the world who call Govanhill home.