Elizabeth II, 95, Queen, will not be traveling for Christmas this year, but will be celebrating in Windsor. It was a “personal decision that was made after careful consideration in accordance with a preventive approach,” the PA news agency quotes an unnamed source from the royal family. Elizabeth II normally spends the holidays and New Years at her Sandringham manor. Because of the spreading omicron variant of the corona virus in Great Britain, the Queen had already canceled her traditional pre-Christmas family reunion. “Too many people’s Christmas plans are at stake,” it said as a statement from palace circles. Usually the Queen’s children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and cousins come together for lunch in Buckingham Palace the week before Christmas. This year marks the first time since their wedding in 1947 that Elizabeth II has to spend the holidays without her husband Prince Philip, who died in April at the age of 99. She will not spend Christmas alone, however, but is expecting a visit from the family.
Matthias Maurer, 51, astronaut, has to postpone Christmas. He will celebrate on board the International Space Station ISS, at an altitude of around 400 kilometers. But because a SpaceX supply capsule is expected, the crew will have to work on Christmas Eve. The capsule also has some European experiments with it, including biological samples that need to be processed quickly. “Unfortunately, we will have to make up for Christmas a little late,” said Maurer of the German press agency. Christmas in space is of course “an unbelievable opportunity” and unique: “I will see almost all places in the world from above. And then to be able to celebrate Christmas together with all these people on earth – is a nice thought.” For the festival, Maurer will unpack the small plastic Christmas tree that is on the station all year round. The capsule also brings “a few little surprises from our loved ones at home” into space. “I hope that there is also a little present for me.”
Kanye West, 44, “Ye”, plays Santa Claus. The rapper donated more than 4,000 toys to a charity event in his hometown of Chicago, according to local media. She is very happy that Kanye is once again committed to his homeland, said councilor Stephanie Coleman. “He loves coming to visit – but this Christmas he really was our Santa Claus.”
Jasmin Wagner, 41, singer and “little flower”, brings her new boyfriend home with her for Christmas. “This year love has come back into my life. At Christmas my family will get to know my new boyfriend for the first time,” she told the magazine Colorful. He is Danish, in his mid-30s and an entrepreneur in the fashion industry. The two got to know each other through a mutual friend. “It was actually a very special encounter right from the start.” Wagner had separated from her husband Frank Sippel last year. As soon as the divorce is complete, she wants to celebrate a party next year: “Ideally with my ex-husband and my new partner.”
Boris Palmer, 49, Mayor of Tübingen, got married. As reported by regional media, Palmer and his long-time partner Magdalena Ruoffner, 35, a teacher, tied the knot at the weekend. The two have two children together.
Jannik Schümann, 29, actor, has been feeling better since he came out last year. “I feel more free today and I am very happy in every way,” he said Colorful. He made the relationship with his friend Felix public in December 2020 with a couple photo on Instagram, “because at some point it was clear to me that I wanted to do something for the community and that it is almost my duty to contribute something to a freer society.” Schümann also supported the “Manifesto #ActOut“, an initiative of German actors who are part of the Süddeutsche Zeitung magazine advocate greater visibility for the LGBTQI + community in the film and theater business. “I would like to see such a brave action in football,” said the 29-year-old.