Christmas

QT Hotels famous Christmas boxes are back for another year of decadent dining

For the past few years, the fine folk behind QT Hotels have been posting up a bit of a Christmas day for families and friends who want to eat and drink very, very well. A taste of absolute decadence is packed into the group’s QT At Home boxes, gifting merry-makers a one-stop-shop of deliciousness so…

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The AU Review’s Ultimate Christmas Guide For 2023: Gifts For All Budgets

The AU Review is back with its annual Christmas gift guide to help guide you to the gadgets, gifts and products that anyone would love to find under the Christmas tree. There’s no denying that everyone needs Christmas this year, or at least the family and friend aspect that comes out of the day. Of…

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The AU Review’s annual last-minute Christmas gift guide for 2022

The AU Review is back with its annual last-minute Christmas gift guide to help guide you to the gadgets, gifts and products that anyone would love to find under the Christmas tree. There’s no denying that everyone needs Christmas this year, or at least the family and friend aspect that comes out of the day….

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Film Review: Violent Night is a brutal, seasonal delight

‘Tis the month before Christmas and in Tommy Wirkola‘s sight, is a deliriously entertaining seasonal film called Violent Night. Taking a few cues from Die Hard and embracing the brutal mentality of Home Alone – here you’ll see what would actually happen to someone if they were pummelled by bowling balls – director Wirkola (Dead…

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Interview: Tommy Wirkola on Violent Night, balancing comedy and tension, and how Home Alone informed much of the film’s brutality

When Peter Gray last spoke to Tommy Wirkola, the director had just released the trailer for his anticipated seasonal action/comedy Violent Night. Now with the film –  centred around a team of mercenaries who break into a wealthy family compound on Christmas Eve and find themselves unprepared for a surprise combatant in Santa Claus (David…

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Amazon Australia announce first stop-motion holiday movie to help raise money for Starlight Children’s Foundation

Amazon Australia has today released a heart-warming stop-motion film with the help of the Amazon Playmakers – ten kids selected by Starlight Children’s Foundation to be the official toy testers for Amazon’s annual Top 100 Toy List. The Playmakers were sent a selection of the top 100 toys to test and review to help Australians…

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Game On Cancer’s Holiday Spectacular to unite gaming community and support cancer research

Cure Cancer’s Game On Cancer initiative returns once again this holiday season to unite the larger gaming community in a bid to support the progression of cancer research. From Tuesday the 15th of November to Thursday the 15th of December, various gamers and creators can jump on board and prompt viewers and partnered communities alike…

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Interview: Director Tommy Wirkola on mixing humour and gore for Violent Night and casting David Harbour as a killer Santa Claus

Santa Claus: Action hero? The jolly man in red is getting a violent, twisted makeover in Violent Night, and whilst it may seem like an odd premise, when you realise it comes from the brains behind Nobody, Bullet Train, and Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters it makes perfect sense! As the trailer for the film…

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The AU Review’s Christmas food & drink guide 2021

We’ve already let you know our top picks for gifts this Christmas, but that isn’t all that you’ve got to fork out for when it comes to bringing the festive cheer to your home. Food & drink is always going to be a big part of the big day, so we’ve rounded up some of…

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The AU Review’s Ultimate Christmas Gift Guide 2021: From tech and grooming, to kitchen and design

2021 has been tough for Aussies, and it seems that quite possibly things are going to be… complicated… for months to come. There’s still a lot of gloom about despite many cities now enjoying life out of lockdown, which is why the upcoming Christmas holidays just may be the most important ones yet. There’s no…

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Fireball Whisky and Vic’s Meats team up to offer Aussies a unique glazed Christmas ham

Fireball Whisky won’t end 2021 without making an impact. The raucous label is known for its spicy collaborations, and the latest just might take the cake. The label has teamed up with Vic’s Meats in Sydney to launch a Fireball-laced limited edition Christmas ham for anyone who wants something a bit different cooking in the…

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The best hip hop Christmas songs of all time

Christmas themed hip hop songs have been a part of hip hop culture since the early 80’s, and from The Treacherous Three and Kurtis Blow to Kanye West and Run the Jewels, there are actually some really good ones out there. To soundtrack your Christmas family get together we’ve gone through and counted down what…

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The best Christmas gifts in Australia for 2020

Christmas is almost here, and given the year we’ve just had, it’s go hard or go home. This holiday season is – pending none of 2020’s indulgent curve-balls – going to have a lot riding on it. It’ll be like cannoning-balling into that perfectly temperature controller pool after trudging through the Sahara, and hearing those…

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20 gift ideas if you really want to sleigh Christmas this year

What makes the perfect Christmas gift? Something that tugs the receiver’s heart strings? something the receiver has already asked for? or something the receiver didn’t know they even needed in the first place? It of course depends on the individual (and the gift-giver), and that should be your first consideration when trying to find the…

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Film Review: Last Christmas wears its tinsel-laced heart on its sleeve with an unashamed abandon

As much as Last Christmas is selling itself on the notion that it’s “inspired” by the musical catalogue of the late, great George Michael – or more specifically the Wham! festive classic that this film’s title has lifted as its own – it’s ultimately not as formidable as it wishes to be. That’s certainly not…

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Our top picks for the perfect gift this Christmas

It’s hard to believe 2018, an exhausting year for many around the world, is already coming to a close. Just one look at any news media would tell you people around the globe put up with a lot this year, and that’s all the more reason to make this Christmas one that’s stress free and…

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Film Review: Anna and the Apocalypse (UK, 2017) is funny, romantic, appropriately gory and deliriously catchy

When you think of zombie comedies, it’s difficult to look beyond the witty brilliance that is Edgar Wright’s Shaun of the Dead (2004).  Whilst we’ve had our share of interesting takes on the walking dead in the years since, the arrival of Anna and the Apocalypse stands as the choreographed high-kick the genre needed.  Not…

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Over 115 producers and providores join the lineup for Carriageworks Farmers Market (Sydney)

Those who are looking for quality produce ahead of Christmas should keep this one in mind. Carriageworks are bringing back their annual free-entry Christmas Farmers Market on 23rd December, rounding up over 115 producers and providores for an enormous market kicking off at 8am and wrapping up at 1pm. Focused on food and produce, the…

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Anna Polyviou has opened a gingerbread dessert pop-up at Shangri-La Sydney

Renowned Punk Princess of Pastry Anna Polyviou will be helping Sydney’s lush Shangri-La Hotel, at which she has long been an Executive Pastry Chef, charge into the holiday season with a special pop-up store which will be marked by an enormous four metre gingerbread train out the front, combining 2,000 kilos of gingerbread bricks, 500…

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The best ways in and around Sydney to eat your way through Christmas 2017

We hope you’re ready for the holidays because in or around Sydney this December there is going to be plenty for you to eat and drink your way into 2018. Whether you’re scouting for a party venue or looking to tuck into the special holiday menus popping up around the city and beyond, we’ve got…

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The best Christmas gift ideas in Australia for 2017

Gift guides popping up all over your feed is a good thing; it’s another sign that the holidays are finally here. 2017 is about to be done and dusted, but first you’ve got the Olympic sport that is gift-giving to get through. However you choose to celebrate the Christmas holidays, it’s going to be all…

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Recipe: Bondi Harvest toss up their tips for healthy and simple dishes this Christmas

The count down to christmas is fast approaching, and for foodie enthusiasts it is one of the best times of the year, for obvious reasons: lots of freakin’ food. If it is your turn hosting this year’s Xmas lunch, or you’re in need of a head-turning dishes to add to to the table, then Bondi Harvest…

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Anna Polyviou’s epic gingerbread house and festive high tea take over Shangri-La Hotel (Sydney)

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas at Sydney’s Shangri-La Hotel. Executive Pastry Chef, Anna Polyviou and her team of elves have outdone themselves this year with a life-sized gingerbread house full of lolly decorations on display, as well as a Christmas-themed carousel. The introduction of these annual decorations have transformed the atmosphere in…

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Reynold Poernomo offers special Ferrero Rocher dessert for Christmas at KOI (Sydney)

In just a few weeks renowned dessert chef and new Christmas ambassador for Ferrero Rocher, Reynold Poernomo will be celebrating his Sydney based KOI Dessert Bar being open for a year. What has now become a Kensington Street staple opened late last year and has since become a platform for Poernomo’s inventive approach to desserts,…

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GPO Dessert Bar returns to Martin Place with Nutella donuts and chocolate truffle baby cakes (Sydney)

The GPO Grand have brought back their pop-up dessert bar ahead of the holidays, setting up right by Martin Place’s enormous Christmas tree to offer exclusive outdoor seating and a huge range of festive desserts. Under those Bulgari Christmas LED lights Sydneysiders will find the likes of Nutella donuts, loacker gelato, chocolate ricotta cannoli, salted…

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The best Christmas day lunches in Sydney 2016

Sure, you could put your kitchen to the test with a long and laborious Christmas lunch, or you could head out and let some of Sydney’s best restaurants do all that hard work for you. The latter is definitely the better choice. While most shut up shop for the holiday period, many of the finest…

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The Ultimate Australian Christmas Gift Guide

Somewhere in the world right now an overly enthusiastic music publicist is preparing a press release to let you know that yes, Michael Buble has a new release coming, and those dulcet tones could only mean one thing: Christmas! The traditional gift-giving time of the year is but a few weeks away and those who…

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Here’s a list of the big pre-Christmas sales at Westfield this weekend

Each year Westfield shopping centres around Australia push into the Christmas holidays with an enormous amount of sales, all tied into what they call Super Saturday. The Saturday in question is tomorrow, where all 35 Westfield centres around Australia will offer over 200 exclusive offers from their major and independent retailers. To facilitate all your…

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The top 20 Hip-Hop Christmas songs of all time

Christmas themed rap songs have been a part of hip hop culture since the early 80’s, and from The Treacherous Three and Kurtis Blow to Kanye West and Run the Jewels, there are actually some really good ones out there. To soundtrack your Christmas family get together we’ve gone through and counted down what we…

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