A Christmas gift from the whole family

For the parent who says they want nothing

Plenty of parents say they want nothing for Christmas, and they mean the jumpers and the gift sets. They'll still love hearing from every one of you. A Chorus book gathers the whole family into one present, with voice notes, videos, photos and written messages.

It suits a family spread across the world. Your brother in Sydney and your sister in Toronto can each record whenever it suits them, and nobody has to be in the same room.

Set it up in an evening

1. Start a Christmas book and put in who it's for. Three Christmas questions are already in it, and you can change any of them.
2. Record your own message first, so there's something in the book when the others open the link.
3. Send the link to the family WhatsApp. Send it on its own to anyone who isn't in the group, like an aunt or an old neighbour.
4. Tell everyone the date you're closing it, and send one reminder the week before.

Nobody needs an app or an account. They open the link, say who they are and record.

Who to ask

Start with the children and the grandchildren, then go wider. Ask the brothers and sisters, the in-laws, the cousins, the godchildren, the neighbour who calls in every Sunday and the friends from work or the club.

Small children can sing a line of a carol or say Happy Christmas while a parent holds the phone. Anyone who's shy about recording can write their message instead, and it goes in the book with everyone else's.

Gathering the messages is free however many people take part, so ask everyone you'd like to hear from.

What to ask them

One good question gets people talking. These four work well at Christmas:

• What's your favourite Christmas memory with them?
• What do they do that makes it feel like Christmas?
• What's a present from them you still remember?
• What would you like to say to them this Christmas?

Three of these are already in the Christmas book. Tell people to start with the year and the place, then say what happened.

Dad, it's Niamh. Do you remember the Christmas we got Bonnie? You hid her in the Dalys' shed the night before and she barked until midnight.

Niamh, his daughter

Happy Christmas Dad, it's Conor in Toronto. The kids made you a card and they want to read it to you.

Conor, his son

Close it by Friday 4 December

Close the book by Friday 4 December 2026 and order the printed copy, and it'll arrive for Christmas. That gives everyone a few weekends to record.

Left it later than that? The podcast link and the book online are ready the day you order, so you'll still have every voice to play on Christmas morning.

Everyone can chip in too. Turn on chip-in, and each person who records can put money towards the book. What they put in comes off what you pay.

What they open on Christmas morning

They open a hardcover book with a page for each person. Their message is written out on the page, with their photo beside it.

The podcast link plays every voice straight through, with each name and every word written out. Put it on after the dinner while everyone's still at the table. They can play it again any day they like.

Start the book tonight and send the link round the family.

Start a Christmas book