Phil Harrison
BBC News, South East

Image source, Dave Griffiths

Mariah Carey, Ed Sheeran and Elton John have all had huge hits with their Christmas singles, but none can match The Five Bells in Chelsfield.

Locals at the Kent pub have released a festive song for the 10th year in a row and, rather optimistically, have the number one spot in their sights.

Known as The Belldrinkers, their latest song, called "Another Song, Another Christmas", is more than seven minutes long and comes with a music video referencing past attempts to top the charts.

The annual project's co-creator is Lester Barnes, a media composer who records the songs in his garden studio.

"We do it as it's a lovely thing to bring the community into our local pub at Christmas time. It's become a wonderfully eccentric tradition, and we're already thinking about next year's chart flop!" Barnes told us last week.

Why change a good thing? That's the view of Molly Robinson, who's dined at the same restaurant every week for 37 years.

Every Thursday, the 92-year-old takes a taxi to Langley Castle in Northumberland and orders the same slap-up meal - soup of the day, fish and chips, and two glasses of champagne.

She originally visited the medieval castle with her late-husband Jock, but since he died she has continued going on her own. She always offers a glass of champagne to the staff.

The restaurant describes Molly as a VIP, and Molly says she "adores" the castle and staff.

Ros Atkins
Analysis editor

When it was announced I’d be DJing at Glastonbury, I got a message suggesting I remix the BBC News theme. I decided to see what I could do.

First, I messaged the composer of the theme, David Lowe. He was keen. Next, I messaged DJ and producer Crissy Criss. He was up for it too.

Before I knew it, the three of us were on a Whatsapp group plotting the remix. Over several weeks, it went through any number of versions before, with a few days to spare, the remix was done.

Then things really got crazy. Greg James played it on Radio 1. Huw Stephens played it on 6 Music. I even talked about Drum&Bass to Jeremy Vine on Radio 2 and Sarah Montague on Radio 4.

My set was in the Stonebridge tent. I'd saved the remix for the end. I pressed play and the crowd really went for it.

I still play the whole thing over in my mind. I don't think I can quite believe it happened.

Nabiha Ahmed
Live reporter

Image source, Family handout

When Mehreteab Yohannes started teaching maths lessons on YouTube two weeks ago, he had no idea that a TikTok post by his daughter would attract over a hundred thousand budding mathematicians.

The retired shop owner's daughter, Sam, shared a video, external of her dad, who lives in West Yorkshire, using a ladder and some old cardboard boxes to record a maths lesson on his phone.

She was hoping to “get him 10-20" subscribers on his new YouTube channel.

What came after was millions of likes, thousands of subscribers and countless comments thanking Yohannes for his arithmetic lessons.

On the heartfelt reaction, Yohannes told the BBC: “I was totally shocked and amazed when it went viral! I am so grateful and honoured by the support I have been receiving and the lovely heartfelt comments and messages.”

Sam added: “Dad used to just teach me and my siblings with the same board when we were younger...He never would have thought of hitting 1,000 subscribers, never mind over 100,000."

Image source, MANDY JONES

A book-loving five-year-old has brought joy to care home residents by reading his favourite stories to them.

Harri, five, spends his free time after school reading to residents in Pendine Park's Highfield care home in Wrexham.

His mum Laura said it was his love of reading that inspired her to bring the book fanatic to the care home where she works.

Harri has become a firm favourite among residents and his mum said their faces "light up" when he arrives.

Laura, a senior care practitioner at Highfield, added: "Staff also have got to know him well and always shout out “hello Harri” on his arrival.

"They all know him and enjoy hearing how well he is progressing with his reading."

Harri added: "It's great. I like to make them smile and it's nice when they help me if I get stuck on anything."

We're absolutely loving the heartwarming stories you've been sending in so far, and we can't complete this challenge without you.

So please, keep on sharing your little stories of joy.

These could be big or small acts of kindness by you or someone else - or anything that has made you smile in 2024.

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Image source, RSPCA

A dog left in the cold and dirt that was rescued last winter will spend Christmas with a new family.

Nini, an American Bulldog, was "worryingly skinny" when she was found unattended at a property in Nottingham, 10 days before Christmas 2023.

This Christmas, Nina will be with her new owner Alison Southgate, from Suffolk, who "knew she was the one" at their first meeting.

Southgate, who nicknamed the dog Nini, told the BBC: "When we first brought Nini home we let her have the run of the whole house so she could explore and see everything - she didn't know what the TV was.

"But now she's really made herself at home. She absolutely loves my son Jareth and gets so excited when he comes home, they cuddle on the floor for hours."

She added: "I'm so excited to have Nini with us this Christmas, it'll make it such a magical day. She'll get her own stocking and lots of doggy presents to enjoy on the day - and I'm sure she'll get a special dinner too, although I expect all she'll really want to do is snooze under the tree all day."

Nabiha Ahmed and Rachel Flynn
Live reporters

As journalists, stories tend to stick with us - for better or for worse.

But this week, we're using this page to highlight those that have made our lives just that little bit brighter.

So far today, we've looked back to the thrill seekers who tumbled down a hill to win some cheese.

But not all heroes compete for a Double Gloucester wheel. Some come in the form of a kind stranger, dubbed by us as "Mystery Mancunian Matt", who paid for a stranded couple's taxi.

Stick with us and we’ll hear what it’s like to unexpectedly DJ at Glastonbury, and we’ll also be hearing from you about the stories which have made you smile this year.

Your Voice, Your BBC News
By Emily Doughty

Many of us use Facebook marketplace to buy new things but Amelia Allen has used it to reconnect her dad, Phil Allen, with the furniture he helped make as a child at the now-sold family business.

Amelia said her father was left "speechless" and "reflective" after they drove from Exeter to north London to pick up chairs made by her grandfather.

“He has lots of stories as a boy about this furniture,” she said.

Speaking to Your Voice, Your BBC News, the 33-year-old said: “It’s a layer of re-connection, learning about the furniture and my history”.

Amelia said the furniture remains wrapped up until Christmas but they have already been shared with family.

"One (of the chairs) has gone to my brother, one to my sister, one to me and two to my Dad," she said.

Maryam Moshiri
Chief presenter, BBC News

Image source, Lindsay Cook / North Herts Road Runners

Back in October I spoke to Sarah Roberts from Hertfordshire, a 75-year-old runner who is beating world running records - despite only starting running when she was 67.

It all began with a park run, which she tells me she "walked the first time and ran a bit the next".

By her 75th birthday on 6 October, she ran a 10k almost five minutes faster than the world record for women's 75-year-old category, at 44 minutes and 33 seconds.

"The weird thing about me is usually people slow after their 60s. I have been getting faster!" she said.

Sarah has also done personal bests in the 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, 3000m, 5000m and 10,000m categories.

What an inspiration.

Caroline Lowbridge
BBC News, East Midlands

Back in April, a nine-year-old British boy won a European championship with his uncanny impression of a seagull.

Cooper, from Chesterfield in Derbyshire, travelled to the Belgian coastal town of De Panne to compete in the EC Gull Screeching competition.

He originally started doing seagull impressions after being nipped by one while he was eating a tuna sandwich.

He wanted to become "Seagull Boy", like when Peter Parker became Spider-Man after being bitten by a spider.

The EC Gull Screeching competition is held every year in an attempt to change the image of seagulls, which some people see as a nuisance.

Moments spent with grandparents can be some of the most precious of our lives - and sometimes that means shooting up enemies online.

More famously known as Grumpygran1948, Scottish grandmother Cath Bowie spends up to six hours a day playing Fortnite after being introduced to the game by her grandson.

The popular video game has over 400 million players worldwide, and pits up to 100 players against each other in a fight to be the last one standing.

Cath’s obsession with Fortnite began when she watched her 17-year-old grandson gaming.

"I just happened to go into his room and was rather intrigued by what I saw on the screen. That really was the beginning of it,” she explains.

Now, not content with gaming alone, the 76-year-old has gone onto set up her own “squad” of older players, and streams her gaming sessions online for her 21,000 followers to watch on Twitch.

Your Voice, Your BBC News
By Emily Doughty

Off the back of our 100 heartwarming stories live page, we've been hearing from you, our audience, about the moments that have brought you joy this year.

For Vince and Josie Byrne, that moment was when a stranger stopped a trip to Manchester from becoming a disaster.

The couple, in their 70s, were returning home after a concert in the city when they discovered trams to Eccles, where their car was parked, were cancelled.

With no replacement bus service in sight the couple were stranded.

It was at this point a stranger, only known to the couple as a musician called Matt stepped in.

The “perfect stranger” then not only ordered the couple a taxi, but paid for it to the complete surprise of the couple.

If Josie could meet Matt again, what would she say?

“I would just want to say thank you so so so much, we had a lovely day and it could have been ruined without you” she told the BBC.

You can send in your stories - or come forward as mystery Mancunian Matt - using our Your Voice, Your BBC News contact form.

Thank you for sending in your stories.

Image source, PA Media

Cast your mind back to the beginning of the year for this one.

Luke Littler was thrown into the spotlight when aged just 16 he reached the final of the World Darts Championship in January.

He's since risen to fourth in the world rankings, and his remarkable rise is driving greater interest in the sport.

He is Google's most searched athlete in the UK this year.

And he's third in Google's overall most searched people list for the UK this year, ahead of the prime minister and King Charles, and behind only Catherine, the Princess of Wales and Donald Trump.

What a year for him.

Image source, Joe Berry

Not for the first time, we're asking for your contributions of stories to tell and pictures to share.

Fortunately, you've got a great track record – and there are few better ways to demonstrate this then our slithery pal Neptune the snake.

As per election tradition, this July we received a load of fantastic pics and video of polling station pooches waiting for their humans who were off casting their votes.

But all our expectations were exceeded when we received this picture of Neptune, who clearly wanted to get in on the act.

Also spotted outside polling stations on the day – a tortoise and a horse.

Image source, Damian Walton

Image source, Abbi Willetts

Image source, PA Media

Never underestimate what a person will do to get their hands on a wheel of cheese.

That's as relevant when you're doing your last-minute Christmas food shop as it is on this Gloucestershire hill when it hosts the annual cheese rolling event in May.

The first one to reach the bottom of Cooper's Hill wins a wheel of Double Gloucester cheese.

Image source, PA Media

Every year people come from across the world to take part, and this year delivered the goods when it comes to enjoyable videos of people bouncing absurdly down the familiar green slope.

"You just have to roll," said Abby Lampe, from North Carolina, who won the women's race for the second time.

To really get a sense of the action, here's a video of the event in slow motion...

Image source, Dave Strother/National Trust Images

Let's kick off day two with news of the Sycamore Gap tree.

After being felled in 2023, saplings from the tree are now being given to 49 organisations and individuals.

This iconic tree, once voted England's best, stood in a dip in Hadrian's Wall, Northumberland.

A few months back, the National Trust invited applications for saplings.

Each of the 49 saplings, grown from seeds of the original tree, represents a foot in height of the tree, which was 15 metres (49.2 feet) tall.

One sapling will go to the charity Holly's Hope, set up by the parents of Holly Newton, who was murdered in 2023.

Another will be planted at The Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease, honouring the rugby league icon.

"Each sapling will carry a message of hope with it as they start a new chapter not just for the tree but for all the 49 people and communities," the National Trust's Andrew Poad said in November.

Image source, James Dobson/National Trust Images

Tinshui Yeung
Live reporter

Welcome to day two of our 100 stories of kindness and joy.

We're sharing heartwarming tales, to spread cheer and remind us that happiness often hides in plain sight all this week.

I hope these stories inspire you, as they certainly do for me!

Just last week, I did something I haven’t done for nearly 30 years: I wrote Christmas cards.

I penned over 30 of them to family, friends, and former colleagues who shaped my 2024 in ways I hadn't properly thanked them for.

Thirty cards might seem tiny, but aren't these small but certain gestures what make us better people?

If you've done something similar, we'd love to hear from you as we gather these 100 stories.

Neha Gohil
Live page editor

As we inch ever closer to 2025, most of us will be looking back at all that has happened this year – all the highs and the lows.

In the world of news, it is commonplace for some of the best of humanity to be overshadowed by the worst.

But, for this week, we’re seeking to remind our readers of the joyful moments from this year - stories that have uplifted our teams at the BBC and, most importantly, our audience.

Whether it is the eight-year-old who handed out goody bags to emergency services or the retired postman gifted £1,500 from his residents, our live page has sought to highlight the big and small acts of kindness that have happened this year.

So, as we bring the first day of our live page to a close, do join us again tomorrow for another dose of stories showcasing 100 heartwarming moments from 2024.

Image source, Dee Harrison

The Northern Lights have had a good year.

It used to be a once-in-a-lifetime event for people to see them in the UK, but it's became more common in the last few years - and especially in 2024 (we explain why here).

But unfortunately one woman missed out.

Dee Harrison from Ipswich was out driving when she thought she saw the aurora borealis. She posted three pictures on social media - but later learned it was actually the bright lights from a nearby tomato factory.

Disappointed Dee's mistake went viral. But all was not lost. She was offered a trip to Iceland to see them for real. "It's just been a whirlwind," she said.