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One of the Czech Republic's best loved singer-songwriters Jaromir Nohavica has just released a new Christmas album. The online collection features songs for all the family and, in keeping with the seasonal tradition of giving, it is completely free.

Ana Geislerova is one of the Czech Republic's most popular young actresses, having appeared in hit films such as "Sileni", or "Lunacy", and "Kraska v Nesnazich", or "Beauty in Trouble", which is in theaters now. All this past weekend, however, she's been doing something a little different: running a charity swap meet.

The ideal bureaucrat? A topless sex-bomb! A battle over Christmas lights in Teplice and a solarium for horses. Find out more in Magazine with Daniela Lazarova.

With Christmas fast approaching, the figure of Santa Claus is to be seen all over the place in the Czech Republic - in decorations, on shopping bags and in store windows. But Santa is a relatively new phenomenon in this country. A similar figure, Mikulas (St Nicholas), visits children on December 5, while presents are delivered on December 24 by Jezisek, the Baby Jesus. Some Czechs resent the omnipresence of Santa Claus, among them the Creative Copywriters Club; they have set up a website with a simple message: Santa go home! I spoke to the group's

Christmas markets are a Central European tradition that goes back centuries. This weekend, markets appeared in squares all around the Czech capital.

Although in most of the country there is no sign of snow, which is typically associated with Christmas in this part of the world, Christmas preparations have started in earnest. In a square close to the Czech Radio building, a Christmas market appeared on Monday. But probably the best-known Prague market, the one on the historic Old Town Square, is not going to open until next Saturday, December 2. Yet the tall Christmas tree which will dominate the square is already on its way to the capital.

St. Stephen's Day - better known as 'Boxing Day' -- became known as such because that was when churches opened their alms boxes to hand out money to the poor, in the spirit of Christmas. In the Czech Republic, the day (in fact, the whole week) is one for feasting with family and settling down to watch 'pohadky' -- fairy tales -- on the telly. In that spirit, and as part of our holiday series, We now treat you to a look at some of the most beloved Czech fairytales on film.

In this week's Mailbox we quote from Christmas greetings sent in to Radio Prague by Charles Konecny, Ted Schuerzinger and Mike Hughes from the US, and Marcela Ross and Arcadia Wylie from New Zealand.

Czech Christmas music has a rich tradition, aptly enough in the land of Good King Wenceslas. He lived over a millennium ago and little or no Czech music from his day survives, but there is plenty from the 16th century onwards.

Are you tired of baking the same Christmas cookies year after year? Do you have a sweet tooth and think it deserves a special treat at Christmas time? Jarka Halkova asked Martin Polacko, a young and up-and-coming chef, to come to your aid. He proposed apples and pears wrapped in pastry "purses" - a Christmas dessert that's delicious and very easy to bake. Here's the recipe: