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If it began to sound a lot like Christmas earlier than usual this year, it wasn’t your imagination.

Halloween wasn’t even over before Spotify users began curating songs about mistletoe, snow and presents under the tree.

Holiday playlists created on Spotify in the U.S. jumped 60% in October over last year, the Swedish audio company said. Some Spotify users started crafting holiday playlists as early as summer.

“It’s a combination of wanting to feel good and nostalgia, and these are testing times,” said Talia Kraines, editorial lead for pop at Spotify. “Somehow Christmas music brings comfort and I think that’s a real part of it.”

Indeed, eight of the top 10 songs on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart for the week that ended Saturday were Christmas songs, with the top five being familiar holiday classics, including Mariah Carey’s 1994 hit “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” Brenda Lee’s 1958 recording of “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” and Wham!’s “Last Christmas,” released in 1984.

On-demand streams for holiday music in the U.S. increased 27% to 8.3 billion this year, compared to a year ago, according to L.A.-based data firm Luminate.

The popularity of music streaming has helped to fuel a surge in users seeking out more holiday music, and earlier in the year.

The change has been driven by technology. In the pre-streaming era, consumers would play Christmas music through CDs and, records or catch tunes on the radio during the winter months.

But the rise of Spotify, Apple Music and other streaming services opened the floodgates by offering large libraries of songs on demand.

The new platforms created and marketed holiday playlists, making it easier for consumers to discover seasonal songs and add new ones to their own song collections.

“You used to have a bunch of Christmas albums around and rotate them through as you’re decorating the house or wrapping the presents,” said Dave Bakula, vice president of analytics and data insights at Iconic Artists Group. “The availability of all the music, all the time is such an incredible gift that streaming services have given us.”

For musicians and record labels, holiday music also has taken on growing importance.

Vince Szydlowski, executive vice president of commerce at Universal Music Enterprises, the centralized global catalog division of Universal Music Group, said he starts planning the year’s campaign for holiday music in January.

“For UMG and many of the artists that you associate with holiday music, it will be the most important time of the year, without a doubt,” Szydlowski said. “In some cases, especially with certain legendary artists, it could make or break their year.”

Artist Brenda Lee performs at the “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” concert at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville in 2015.

(Laura Roberts / Invision / AP)

One campaign Universal Music Enterprises worked on was promoting Elton John’s 1973 holiday song “Step into Christmas.” The song was featured in Amazon Prime Video’s holiday movie “Oh. What. Fun,” starring Michelle Pfeiffer.

John posted viral social media videos with the song playing in the background that drew more than 100 million views.

Those efforts helped boost the track’s consumption by 44% this year compared to last year, according to Universal Music Group, citing data from Luminate.

“It’s a very comprehensive campaign in which to continue to boost that track visibility among the holiday perennials,” Szydlowski said.

Many of the popular Christmas songs in the U.S. date back decades, making it challenging for new, original holiday songs to break through.

Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” has been the longest-running number one song in Billboard Hot 100 history at 21 weeks, according to Billboard.

The holidays are an important time for older artists like Brenda Lee, whose rendition of “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” remains a winter hit.

In November 2023, Lee’s version of the song topped Billboard’s Hot 100 chart for the first time, 65 years after the song’s debut, making Lee, then 79, the oldest woman to top the Hot 100, according to UMG.

Then there are artists like the late Nat King Cole, known for hits like the holiday classic “The Christmas Song,” and Dean Martin, who died in 1995 and whose rendition of “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!” is especially popular during winter months.

Nat King Cole in 1963. “The Christmas Song” became one of his enduring hits.

(Capitol Records Archives)

Another source of appeal for Christmas music is that it‘s timeless.

It isn’t really affected by trends and the songs highlight themes like love, hope, joy and family that remind us of our friends, family and past Christmases, said Jimmy Edwards, president of Iconic Artists Group.

“It’s the one music that you can share it together from any age. As Nat would say, from one to 92, right?” Edwards said, referencing a lyric from Cole’s “The Christmas Song.” “Those emotional bonds you have with that music stay with you forever … It promotes the best of us and all the good things. That’s why people love it so much.”

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THE Signet Collection is one of my personal favourite hotel brands in the UK, with properties tucked away in countryside locations where you can snuggle down in cosy nooks near a roaring fireplace.

The Barnsdale is its third property, which opened in 2023. Here’s everything you need to know.

Where is The Barnsdale?

This elegant retreat sits just a stone’s throw from one of the UKs most famous reservoirs, Rutland water.

It’s immersed in isolated countryside, so you’ll want to drive and take advantage of the parking on site.

Oakham train station is around a ten-minute drive away if you’d rather use public transport.

What is The Barnsdale like?

The Barnsdale has all the charm of a dainty cottage in the Cotswold, but with the hospitality benefits of a 4* hotel.

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The luxury Chelsea hotel with affordable suites overlooking the London Eye

A former hunting lodge constructed in 1760 that – despite the installation of modern amenities – still has an old world feel to it in the form of grand paintings and varnished wooden furnishings.

It has an air of posh members club to it, only without the price tag.

What are the rooms like?

Each of the 46 rooms is decorated in a typically English style with pastel-toned walls, frilly cushions and patterned armchairs. 

The Classic is the smallest and cheapest of the bunch and worth it for the lower price.

The only difference in rooms, bar the decorative tweaks, tends to be size and the view (the Royal Room has one of the best).

Classic rooms cost from £85 per night with brekkie. Click here to book.

What is there to eat and drink?

The hotel’s 1760 Brasserie serves classic British favourites including seared scallops doused in butter and a mouthwatering 32-day dry-aged rib-eye served with chips.

I opted for the Atlantic cod which was seasoned well and served with an unctuous vermouth sauce.

Anyone with a sweet tooth will love the sticky toffee pud – this one’s a real crowd pleaser.

What else is there to do at The Barnsdale?

People come for the outdoor Signet Spa where wood-fired hot tubs, a heated pool and a glass-walled sauna overlook fields of grazing Highland cows.

It’s a lovely way to spend a Sunday afternoon, sipping on sparkling wine and admiring the creatures munching away on the grass.

The only downside to the spa being entirely outdoors is the unpredictability of the British weather.

Fret not, though – every spa guest is given a DryRobe and flipflops to plod around in.

They can keep this for the duration of their stay.

When the drizzle hit, we persevered in our tub. Big thanks to the staff member who swiftly came to the rescue with a couple of umbrellas.

Massages can often be overpriced, but not here.

My therapist truly listened to my needs and pressure preferences, ensuring I enjoyed every one of those 60 blissful minutes.

Is The Barnsdale family friendly?

Families are well accommodated at The Barnsdale with specific family rooms that come with a double bed and a separate bedroom with bunk beds which comes complete with a cuddly lion toy to keep.

When little ones aren’t taking advantage of the outdoor play areas they can have a get stuck into some classic board games in the Rod Room.

Looking for a place to stay? For more hotel inspiration click here.

Carl Carlton, the funk and R&B singer known for upbeat, era-embodying singles like “Everlasting Love” and “She’s a Bad Mama Jama (She’s Built, She’s Stacked)” has died. He was 72.

Carlton’s son, Carlton Hudgens II, posted to social media confirming the death on Sunday. “RIP Dad, Legend Carl Carlton singer of She’s a Bad Mama Jama. Long hard fight in life and you will be missed.” The post did not cite a cause of death.

Born Carlton Hudgens in Detroit in 1953, he debuted as “Little Carl” Carlton, but changed his stage name and moved to Houston after he was signed to the local label Back Beat Records. He had a minor soul-scene hit in 1971 with “I Can Feel It,” and broke through nationally in 1974 when his regal cover of Robert Knight’s “Everlasting Love” hit No. 6 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and spent 15 weeks on that chart.

Carlton is perhaps best known for his 1981 single, “She’s a Bad Mama Jama (She’s Built, She’s Stacked),” a grooving and awestruck ode to the female form that hit No. 22 on the Hot 100 and helped his self-titled album that year reach gold status.

The song has enjoyed a long life in popular culture — it’s been sampled by rappers like Foxy Brown, BigXThaPlug and Flo Milli, and frequently appeared on soundtracks for TV shows and films like “Friends.”

He continued releasing records into the ‘80s, and appeared several times on “American Bandstand” and “Soul Train,“ though his output slowed in the ‘90s. In 2003, he performed for Barry Glazer’s TV special, “American Soundtrack: Rhythm, Love, and Soul,” which featured Aretha Franklin and other marquee R&B and soul acts. His last album was 2010’s gospel LP “God Is Good.”

AN iconic film has just returned to Netflix, and fans are realising that its ‘hot blonde’ bombshell hasn’t aged a day.

It’s been over two decades since the legendary comedy first graced screens across the globe, with this ‘hot blonde’ character only being in her 20s at the time of filming.

American film and TV actress Darcy Donavan, is best known for her feature in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004), where she shared the screen with Hollywood heavyweights Will Ferrell, Steve Carrell and Paul Rudd.

Anchorman became considered as a “cultural phenomenon” in the world of comedy, loved for its absurd humour, witty characters and highly-quotable lines – and it’s returned to streaming service Netflix this week.

Following a hotshot television anchorman (Ron Burgundy), viewers are taken along on a journey of life in the newsroom, from breaking stories to feuds, new hires, and jealousy.

Anchorman, which also starred a stunning Christina Applegate, was nominated for countless awards in the year following its debut.

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Though Darcy didn’t have a huge role in the movie, being officially listed under the role of ‘hot blonde’ in such a big show made her character all the more iconic.

20 years on, it’s hard not to notice from recent snaps of the hot blonde – who is now in her forties – that she’s barely aged over the decades.

Darcy has maintained her svelte figure over the years, stunning in a bodycon sparkly dress on her Instagram recently.

The same signature blonde hair that also landed her the part of ‘hot blonde’ remains as beautiful as ever, now falling down past her chest.

Fans also got a glimpse of her age-defying beauty in a recent appearance on the Rollin’ Olan podcast with host Jeff Olan.

During their chat, the film and TV star recollected her filming experience on the set of Anchorman.

She told Jeff that the whole movie “was pretty much improv” and praised her famous scene partners for their wit and acting talents.

“Will Ferrell is definitely, you know, a comic genius.

“And Paul Rudd, I mean, he’s such a sweetheart. I really became good friends, too, with the director [Adam McKay].

“He is so talented, but he’s just really down to earth, you know, and, uh, he’s a phenomenal director.

“He understands, you know, how to get the best out of an actor and not feel pressure. And that’s the one thing I just think is phenomenal about him.”

Following the success of the first film, the lead stars returned for Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues in 2013, though Darcy did not reprise her role.

The ‘hot blonde’ has however starred in lots of other films and TV shows since, including popular series Modern Family, dystopian sci-fi Westworld, and even CSI.

But she still performs the occasional more anonymous role, such as ‘hot housewife’ in My Name Is Earl.

Darcy’s most recent work is on 2025 movie Hollywood Grit.

Starring alongside others including Max Martini and Tyrese Gibson, the production follows the story of a detective who’s looking for somebody’s daughter who vanished from a Hollywood jazz club.

January can be a great month to take a holiday as prices drop and there are plenty of destinations that are both hot and affordable.

Winter has arrived bringing with it dark, chilly and damp days. Whilst Christmas can inject some festive spirit into these dreary months, there’s still a considerable wait until spring makes its appearance.

Plenty of people will already be dreaming about their summer getaway, but if you’re unable to hold out that long, there are numerous destinations within easy reach of the UK that can deliver the sunshine you’re longing for.

January can prove to be an ideal time for travel, as holiday spots offer budget-friendly prices that allow you to kick off your new year in style.

A travel guru has highlighted four locations you can jet off to from the UK for “winter sun on a January budget”.

TikTok travel specialist Robonthebeach has revealed four of his personal top picks that Brits can escape to in the new year. He’s suggested destinations that are both warm and wallet-friendly.

As reported by the Express, Rob said: “January is one of my favourite months to book a holiday. Everyone’s skint, everyone’s cold, flights are quiet and the prices in a lot of destinations drop way lower than you’d expect.”

He examined January weather conditions, booking trends and pricing to compile his recommendations for a “warm, good value holiday next month”.

Madeira

Kicking off Rob’s suggestions are the Portuguese islands of Madeira. The four-island archipelago lies off the northwest coast of Africa and is renowned for its wine, pleasant temperatures and subtropical climate.

Rob pointed out that whilst January won’t bring scorching temperatures, visitors can still enjoy pleasant sunny conditions hovering around 19C to 20C. He described it as “one of the most gorgeous coastlines in Europe” and managed to find a bargain at £330 per person departing from Dublin, including flights and bed and breakfast.

Tenerife

The biggest of the Canary Islands offers consistently warm weather even during January, with temperatures reaching 22C to 23C and daily sunshine. Rob demonstrated the destination’s affordability by discovering a seven-night self-catering package from Liverpool for just £260 per person.

His personal tip was to base yourself in Costa Adeje, which he praised for being “sheltered, warm [with] loads going on”.

Sharm El Sheikh

This Egyptian resort town is celebrated for its pristine beaches and crystal-clear waters. Rob enthused: “If you want actual summer in January, this is it. You’re looking at 24C to 27C here, blue sky every single day and water that’s like a bath.”

He tracked down an all-inclusive seven-night package with flights from Luton for a mere £225 per person. “If you want heat for cheap, this is the one,” he declared.

Miami

Rob confessed this pick is his “wildcard” but insisted that with the right offer, it can still represent excellent value for a winter escape. He located seven nights at a Miami Beach hotel with indirect flights from Heathrow for £605 per person.

The travel guru remarked: “For Miami beach in January, peak sunshine season, that’s pretty nuts.” Miami’s weather sits at a balmy 25C to 27C.

HOLLYWOOD actress Sydney Sweeney unmasks herself as a secret tourist during a whirlwind trip to the UK.

The Euphoria star enjoyed a sightseeing tour around London before heading to Soho Farmhouse in Oxfordshire for some relaxation.

Sydney, 28, shared pictures from her whistle-stop visit — including putting on a facemask with a pal in a hot tub and horse riding.

The trip was organised by designer brand Miu Miu, which recruited Sydney as an ambassador in 2022.

Sharing the snaps online, Sydney, whose psychological thriller The Housemaid is released later this month, told her fans: “Little London getaway.”

Last week Sydney broke her silence over her American Eagle advert backlash. 

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Speaking out about the ad, which saw her backed by President Donald Trump, Sydney said: “I was honestly surprised by the reaction. 

“I did it because I love the jeans and love the brand. 

“I don’t support the views some people chose to connect to the campaign.” 

The star added: “Many have assigned motives and labels to me that just aren’t true. 

“Anyone who knows me knows that I’m always trying to bring people together. I’m against hate and divisiveness. 

“I have come to realise my silence regarding this issue has only widened the divide, not closed it.

“So I hope this new year brings more focus on what connects us instead of what divides us.” 

Leave it to Leslie Jones and menopause to turn “The View” into a more entertaining program.

The “Saturday Night Live” veteran was halfway through a chat Tuesday with Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar and the rest of the “View” crew when she suddenly began to sweat — visibly. She coped by dabbing at her face with a small navy blue towel that magically appeared from under the table.

“You’re — you’re hot,” Behar stammered, breaking up a conversation in which she had opined that comics are truth-tellers who undermine propaganda.

“I’m always hot, babe,” Jones replied, continuing her blotting adventure before explaining — perhaps unnecessarily — “I’m having that menopause. That pause, that pause.”

The performer continued. “I am in it,” she said. “I am ‘pause.’ The heat that comes off of me can light a small city in Guadalajara.”

Forget that Guadalajara itself is a city, and not a small one. Jones’ deadpan demeanor at that moment prompted Sunny Hostin to begin fanning her with a large notecard. Behar joined in with her own card.

“Let’s talk about your latest comedy show because it is funny and it’s called ‘Leslie Jones: Life Part 2,’” Hostin said, attempting to get the segment back on track.

She did not completely succeed.

“I’m spritzing!” Jones said as she once again dabbed her moist face with the magical towel.

The show played a clip from her special where she talked about everyone needing to go to therapy, after which Hostin steered “The View” conversation toward dating.

Then Goldberg stole the spotlight, having left her seat to take over dabbing duties from their guest. “I could die now,” Jones said, holding her hands out, palms up, and looking to the heavens with a peaceful smile as she basked in Whoopi’s careful attention. “This is a little — this is a dream. This is a dream come true.”

At that point, Hostin seemed to give up on talking about guys with Jones and started once again fanning her with the notecard.

“Whoopi Goldberg wiping my sweat,” Jones declared, relaxing into the experience.

“Yes, it’s a beautiful moment,” Behar snarked.

Oh, but wait. Hostin was not to be denied. Or perhaps whatever producer was hollering into her earpiece wouldn’t be denied.

“You talk a lot about the men you’ve encountered … so tell us, how’s the pool out there?” she asked, not clocking that the audience was far more interested in Whoopi now fanning Jones by waving the magical towel. “Have you found any men,” Hostin wondered, “who would do that for you?” Fan you? Wipe your sweat?

“Unfortunately, no,” Jones replied. “Listen, I’m 58 now, so I’m past the BS.”

“You’re also post-menopausal at 58,” Dr. Behar interjected, revealing herself to be an armchair expert in female endocrinology. “It should be over by now.”

Jones turned from her reverie and looked at Behar as if the latter were a bag of dog poop burning on her doorstep. But she did not stomp on the bag to put it out. “It’s different for everyone,” Alyssa Farah Griffin chimed in cheerfully.

“Have we got a beef?” Jones asked Behar, looking at her with that stone-faced gaze only Leslie Jones can deliver.

“Not that I know of?” Behar said. “You know what, we respectfully disagree.”

Good to know that Behar thinks Jones isn’t capable of experiencing menopausal symptoms despite Jones experiencing menopausal symptoms right in front of her face.

Meanwhile, Whoopi stepped up the blotting, offering comforting words to Jones while Behar babbled on in her own defense.

“You comin’ at me,” Jones told Behar.

“Let me get your face,” Whoopi said.

“Thank you, baby,” Jones told her personal sweat-swabber.

And the conversation turned back to the dating scene, which Jones correctly told Hostin “is not bleak. It’s diabolical.” As she spoke, Whoopi folded the magical towel, laid it down in a magical resting place and backed away, blowing on Jones as she took slow steps toward her abandoned chair.

“Just blow yourself all over me, babe,” Jones said, and Whoopi stepped back and obliged. Behar, looking uncomfortable, asked someone to grab a hand towel.

“It’s so sad,” Jones said, “that my whole spot is going to be about me sweating.”

After a commercial break, Behar had in hand a small electric fan, which she promptly aimed at Jones. “This one will take care of all your issues.”

“Thank you, darling. I’m good,” Jones said. “Now I’m freezing.”

Nah girl. When it came to Joy Behar in that moment, you were just cold.