CHRISTMAS is a special time for many.
It's a chance to spend quality time with loved ones, exchange gifts and cosy up by the fire with a hot chocolate as you enjoy your favourite Christmas films.
And who could forget Christmas Day itself?
Sitting down to enjoy a lovingly prepared roast dinner with all the trimmings, pulling Christmas crackers to reveal little prizes and laughing as you play silly party games.
However, for more than 1,200 employees and many more patients, Christmas will not be spent in the comfort of their own home but in hospital instead.
So what happens during the festive season for patients in the Royal Berkshire Hospital?
Christmas begins at the hospital with a carol service during the first week of December - a tradition which is believed to date back to the 1950s.
The service is held inside the hospital's chapel and is open to everybody including patients, staff, volunteers and the public.
The choir is made up of staff members from nurses and doctors to admin and porters who deliver a variety of Christmas carols spreading festive cheer.
Carollers then move from the chapel to outside the front of the hospital where the Christmas tree lights are switched on and mince pies are enjoyed.
The tree is donated every year by the charity League of Friends of the Royal Berkshire Hospital.
The whole service is recorded and then broadcast on the hospital radio on Christmas Day before the Queen's speech.
Once the carol service kicks off the festive season, the rest of the month is filled with activities to celebrate Christmas.
Reading Football Club (RFC), the Masons and London Irish Rugby players make a special visit to the children's ward of the hospital bringing gifts for them to enjoy.
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RFC and the London Irish players take time to play with the children and sign autographs for fans.
Wards are also opened up as charity singers visit singing carols.
Sharon Herring, director of nursing for Networked Care, explained how important these Christmas activities are for patients.
She said: “It is good for their recovery, to keep people active when they are in hospital when often there is nothing to do.
"When you’re sat in a hospital bed it can be boring, especially if you have no relatives which a lot of our older patients don’t.
"So it is nice when someone comes in to visit, and even just talks to people."
Mrs Herring, who has worked with the trust for more than 30 years, also explained there are volunteer 'befrienders' who visit the hospital's older patients to chat to them and keep them company.
On Christmas Day, visiting hours are open all day as usual so families can drop in whenever they wish.
Additionally, every patient receives a gift donated through the hospital's 'Gift Tree' Appeal which included more than 800 donations this year - each wrapped by volunteers from companies around Reading.
Kirsten Rogers, the Trust's voluntary services manager, said: “I am always bowled over by the generosity of our local community.
"The ‘Gift Tree’ is a lovely way for the community to support the Trust and brightens Christmas Day on the wards.
"No one wants to be in hospital for Christmas, but if you have to be, receiving a gift donated by your local community can bring a smile to our patients, particularly for our older patients who may not get many visitors."
Patients also enjoy a roast dinner, if they are well enough to eat it, and a Christmas cracker.
But, in order to keep the hospital ticking over, just under 1200 staff work on Christmas Day.
They too enjoy a roast dinner on December 25 and receive fruit baskets as a thank you for their hard work.
Mrs Herring, who is also head of patient experience, explained the hospital is "like a big family" and "everybody works together as a team".
She said: "If one ward is short of staff because something has happened, all staff will pull together to try to help.
"Christmas most definitely boosts team spirit across the hospital and makes our outstanding team stronger."
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