With at the time of writing only 22 shopping days left till Christmas (groan!!!), there are advent calendars springing up all over the place.

How about having an advent calendar with a difference – it’s not too late, you know.

You could have the BMJ Christmas Advent Calendar  “The BMJ‘s Christmas team has selected some of our favourite Christmas papers from the past. There are some well known classics and a few hidden gems. Check back every day in December to see the advent calendar open and rediscover a BMJ paper from our Christmas past.” Treats include the answer to “Why Rudolph’s nose is red: observational study” and “Were James Bond’s drinks shaken because of alcohol induced tremor?”

 Great science can be great fun.

Or for the researchers out there, What better way to tick off the days until the festive season than with a celebration of the wonderful services on offer from the Office of Scholarly Communication? 
Count down throughout December with our ADVENT CALENDAR and learn more about what we do and how we can help researchers, librarians, administrators and everyone interested in open research.

24 days in the lead up to the busiest time of year for many of us might be just too much, so how about something a bit smaller? 12 Apps of Christmas, anyone? 

This short free course is for anyone who is interested in mobile learning, specifically the potential mobile apps hold for learning and teaching.  Over 12 consecutive weekdays, starting Dec 1st, take the time to read 12 short case studies written by educators from Ireland, the UK and America, and be inspired by the work that they are doing. Let us know what you think of what you’ve read and watched by leaving a comment on that day’s case study page, or tweet your thoughts using #12appsDIT.

The Cochrane UK (@CochraneUK) have got a slightly different approach, with their Evidently Advent focusing  on priorities:

1. 24 priority Cochrane reviews. We’ll be sharing these in blogshots and also our new vlogshots!
2. 7 presents. Well, I use the term ‘presents’ a bit loosely, but we’re going to share some resources that are on our favourites list.
3. Cochrane UK staff science-y book choices.
4. Martin Burton’s unicorn (if we can find her). If you’re mystified, read his blog here!
5. Some favourites from the #EvidentlyAdvent archive.

And even CUHT are getting in on the act with their Add-vent calendar: Join them every day in December for the return of their unique take on an Advent calendar.This year the cast of Addenbricks will be bringing you helpful hints and topical tips for a happy and healthy Christmas! Follow them on Twitter or via Facebook