<B>Germans want plastic surgery for Christmas</B>

Once upon a time, Germany’s Christkind darted from house to house with traditional wooden toys for children on Christmas Eve. This year, it will be bringing a very special gift for the grown-ups. Husbands and parents are surprising their loved ones with a record number of lifts, tucks and implants over the Christmas period. Breast enlargements or “Christmas bells”, as they are known among surgeons, are one of the most popular operations.

“I am operating from morning to night,” said Albert Hofmann, president of the German Association for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. “People want to be able to stand under the Christmas tree with their new car, new living room cabinet and new breasts. Last year, we had a family who gave their mother a breast enlargement as her Christmas present. I now have a 22 year-old student who is getting the same as a Christmas present from her parents.”

The Association for German Plastic Surgeons has also noticed the trend. “Demand is up to 25 percent higher at Christmas compared with other times of the year,” said Marita Eisenmann-Klein, vice president of the group.

Eisenmann-Klein said liposuction was the most popular operation in Germany, followed by breast alterations. There were 360,000 plastic surgery operations in 2002 according to figures from the Association for German Plastic Surgeons.

<B>Plenty of room at inn for Mary and Joseph</B>

A hotel chain is offering couples called Mary and Joseph a free night’s stay over Christmas. “We are trying to make up for the hotel industry not having any rooms left on Christmas Eve 2004 years ago,” said Sandy Leckie, manager of the Travelodge hotel in Covent Garden.

“Our hotel is definitely more comfortable than a stable. I just hope they don’t bring their donkey,” he said. But the offer has just one proviso – the Marys and Josephs have to prove their identities first.