Christmas

Read the most recent news stories about Christmas on Newser.com

Stories 261 - 280 | << Prev   Next >>

Bomber Report Out Today a Shocker: Jones

Yemen confirms attacker met Awlaki; explosives Nigerian

(Newser) - The public will feel “a certain shock” at the security failures outlined in the unclassified report on the Christmas Day attack being released today, says national security adviser Jim Jones. In an interview with USA Today , Jones doesn’t downplay the miscues, saying President Obama is “legitimately and...

Subplots to Watch at Obama's Terror Meeting

How tough will the president be on himself and his staff?

(Newser) - President Obama meets with his security chiefs today to dissect the failed Christmas terror plot—and deflect criticism over his initial, tepid response. Politico breaks down the burning questions:
  • Do heads roll? Janet Napolitano and Michael Leiter have both been mentioned as possible sacrifices, but insiders increasingly doubt that Obama’
...

Christmas Storm Slaps US
 Christmas Storm Slaps US 
SLIDESHOW
Dec 25, 2009 10:13 AM CST

Christmas Storm Slaps US

The weather outside is frightful, snarling travel and knocking power out

(Newser) - A fierce Christmas storm dumped more snow and ice across the nation's midsection today after stranding travelers as highways and airports closed and leaving many to celebrate the holiday just where they were. Meteorologists predicted the slow-moving storm would glaze highways in the East with ice through Christmas night and...

Things Not to Love About Christmas
 Things Not to Love 
 About Christmas 
bah, humbug
Dec 25, 2009 9:51 AM CST

Things Not to Love About Christmas

Shopping, fruitcake, eggnog, carols ... no, thanks

(Newser) - Peace on earth is all well and good, but this whole business of needing "a little Christmas" has gotten out of hand, grouses Dodai Stewart of Jezebel . She lists 10 things that are rubbing her the wrong way:
  • Eggnog: "Disgusting."
  • Fruitcake: "See previous item."

Pope Delivers Christmas Blessing Despite Fall

Cardinal fractures hip in Christmas Eve assault by woman

(Newser) - Pope Benedict XVI delivered his traditional Christmas Day blessing today, looking tired and unsteady but otherwise fine hours after being knocked down by a woman who jumped the barrier at the start of Mass in St. Peter's Basilica. The Vatican said the 82-year-old Benedict was unhurt in the fall and...

Holiday Greetings Should Come From the Hand
Holiday Greetings Should Come From the Hand
OPINION
Dec 24, 2009 10:46 AM CST

Holiday Greetings Should Come From the Hand

Lousy handwriting is no excuse for e-cards, writes Meghan Daum

(Newser) - Meghan Daum is sick of receiving e-cards with dancing Santas and singing snowmen instead of real Christmas cards, and she's got a theory why people are sending so many of them. It's not laziness or a wish to save paper, it's because too many people—including herself—have let the...

Sasha, Malia Dish on White House Christmas

Obamas tell kid patients of 26 trees; 'presents not under each one'

(Newser) - The first family—minus the president, but plus the first dog—talked about their first White House Christmas yesterday, but Michelle Obama wouldn’t spill any secrets on what’s waiting for Barack under the tree. Malia told patients at the Children’s National Medical Center about the 26 trees...

Rudolph Is Female, and Other Crazy Reindeer Facts

Reindeer travel 3K miles a year—not including flights

(Newser) - Climate change is blamed for a drop of nearly 60% in reindeer numbers in recent decades and scientists warn that Arctic ecosystems are likely to suffer as a result. LiveScience lists other surprising—and less depressing—facts about St. Nick's beasts of burden.
  • They're actually caribou. Caribou and reindeer are
...

Beware These Horrific Holiday Mishaps

From common slips to exploding lights and eyelids stuck in zippers

(Newser) - Work enough Christmases in the ER, and you’ll see every manner of bizarre holiday accident—some of them more than once. One UK doctor shares with the Telegraph the injuries his hospital sees "without fail" every year:
  • Exploding tree lights burn eyelids and eyeballs, so keep a safe
...

The Only 3 Christmas TV Plots
 The Only 3 Christmas TV Plots 
TRADITIONS
Dec 20, 2009 3:43 PM CST

The Only 3 Christmas TV Plots

When it comes time for the holiday episode, don't expect a surprise

(Newser) - Christmas “takes over the airwaves as comprehensively as it does malls, office lobbies, and public service announcements”—but unfortunately, the Christmas TV plotline always falls into one of three categories, writes Torie Bosch for Slate :
  • Money woes: “A holiday season without gifts doesn't really feel like a
...

Americans Send Fewer Holiday Cards
 Americans 
 Send Fewer 
 Holiday Cards 
MAYBE NEXT YEAR...
Dec 19, 2009 7:52 AM CST

Americans Send Fewer Holiday Cards

Penny-pinchers skimp on mailbox cheer

(Newser) - Noticing a certain emptiness in your mailbox? Holiday cards are the latest victims of the weak economy—Americans sent 11% fewer pieces of mail than in 2008 during the first half of December, the US Postal Service reports. Hallmark estimates that 1.8 billion holiday cards will be sent this...

Risqu&eacute; Xmas Ad Sparks Anger
 Risqué Xmas Ad Sparks Anger 
Dec 17, 2009 3:50 AM CST

Risqué Xmas Ad Sparks Anger

Catholics offended by Anglican church billboard

(Newser) - A New Zealand Anglican vicar trying to be funny by putting a sheepish Joseph naked in bed with Mary on a billboard has infuriated Catholics. "Poor Joseph, God was a hard act to follow," reads the ad. The idea "was to lampoon and ridicule the idea of...

How to Be Oh-So-Sensitive to Jews at Christmas
How to Be Oh-So-Sensitive
to Jews at Christmas
HO HO HA!
Dec 14, 2009 4:37 PM CST

How to Be Oh-So-Sensitive to Jews at Christmas

If you watch White Christmas , be considerate: also watch Munich

(Newser) - "Just because anyone with half a brain celebrates Christmas," Paul Rudnick writes in that bastion of traditional Christianity, the New Yorker , that's no reason to alienate your yarmulke-wearing friends. Some tips:
  • Calling Jesus "Our Savior" might seem gauche. Just call him "the Jew that got away.
...

Prepare Your Kids for Disappointing Presents
 Prepare Your Kids 
 for Disappointing 
 Presents 
A HOLIDAY HOW-TO
Dec 13, 2009 10:00 AM CST

Prepare Your Kids for Disappointing Presents

Keep the inner spoiled brat at bay with these tips

(Newser) - With buildup for the holiday season at fever pitch by Halloween, it’s easy to see how kids are set up for disappointment when it comes time to open gifts. From Julie King and Joanna Faber , some tips to keep the inner spoiled brat at bay, not to mention avoid...

Obamas' Favorite Gifts Are ...
 Obamas' Favorite Gifts Are ... 
oprah christmas special
Dec 12, 2009 11:40 AM CST

Obamas' Favorite Gifts Are ...

A bike and a basketball for him, doll house for her

(Newser) - Oprah's Christmas special at the White House airs tomorrow night, in which we learn the first couple's favorite holiday presents. For those who just can't wait: The president picks a 10-speed bike and Michelle a doll house. ("I remember I really didn't know how to set up a house...

Dear Santa, Send Me a Mom (Not Clothes)

Kids' letters to St. Nick go way beyond toys, and often skip 'please'

(Newser) - Some are funny, some are sad; some ask for a microscope, some to be transformed into an elf; but the one thing kids writing letters to Santa agree on is: no clothes. So says a professor who analyzed more than 1,200 letters sent to Santa, from one child's heart-wrenching...

Tea Baggers Demand Mandatory Xmas Carols

Initiative seeks to force Calif. schools to offer festive music

(Newser) - Members of the Tea Party movement are fighting to force California schoolchildren to sing Christmas carols. Substitute teacher Merry Hyatt has partnered with churches to gain signatures for the ballot initiative, which would require children to either sing or perform Christmas songs at school. Penalties would be imposed on schools...

How 'White Christmas' Stole Our Hearts—and Ears

Classic tune recalls America's loss of innocence on entering WWII

(Newser) - The best-selling record of all time is a deceptively simple 15-line song about longing for home, writes Roy J. Harris for the Wall Street Journal , in a look at how the Bing Crosby-crooned, Irving Berlin-penned "White Christmas" has managed to sell an estimated 100 million copies over the last...

21 Kinky (and Gross) Christmas Gifts

From Santa dildos to boobie ornaments, these gifts are truly disturbing

(Newser) - Ah, the holidays: A time for family, a time for eggnog and roasting chestnuts, a time for…reindeer thongs? Simcha Whitehill selects the 21 most disturbing "sexy" gifts on The Frisky —check out a few, above, or click here for the complete list.

It's High Time We Get a New Classic Christmas Movie
It's High Time We Get a New Classic Christmas Movie
no more 'elf,' please
Dec 6, 2009 7:10 AM CST

It's High Time We Get a New Classic Christmas Movie

A critic says 'bah humbug' to another year's worth of mediocre movies

(Newser) - When it comes to films, the Christmas canon is made up of old favorites like It's a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Story, and Miracle on 34th Street that are, well, old—and it's high time that changed. The 21st century is the "dark ages" of holiday movie going, writes...

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