Christmas

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

Stories 321 - 340 | << Prev   Next >>

Time to Give Joseph His Due
 Time to Give Joseph His Due  
opinion
Dec 23, 2008 8:30 PM CST

Time to Give Joseph His Due

Priest sees stolid husband to Jesus's mother as a role model

(Newser) - Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and even the Three Kings come to mind at Christmastime, but rarely do Christians think of humble Joseph. James Martin, a Jesuit priest, writes in Slate that forgetting the man who raised Jesus—the reason for the season—is unfair. "It's time to take a...

Star Wars' Secret Shame: The Holiday Special

1978 TV show included singing, dancing, and Wookiees

(Newser) - It sounded like a good idea at the time. In 1978, Star Wars was huge, but a sequel was 2 years away. So why not make a TV special? Why not a holiday special? Centered on Wookiees? "The only sound they make is like fat people having an orgasm,...

Shoppers Turn to Funny, Useful Gifts

Boots, joke books, comfort clothes score big in recession

(Newser) - Christmas shoppers are thinking small this year, and the gifts they're buying reveal how Americans are coping with recession, USA Today reports. Here's a list of today's trends:
  • Practical: Nearly half of the most popular items searched for online were boots, according to one mall inventory service. Gifts that help
...

The Kids Are All Right: Let's Drop the 'Santa Debate'

Parents sharply divided on whether to pretend for sake of kids

(Newser) - As if shopping for the last Malibu Barbie weren’t hard enough, Christmas is testing parents' psyches in more insidious ways, Carl Honoré writes in the Washington Post. “The Great Santa Debate,” about whether to keep up the St. Nick myth for children, “feeds into a broader...

What Your Xmas Lights Say About You

They say you're a pretty princess

(Newser) - Your neighbor’s yard is strewn with lit-up Santas, blinking stars, and a waving snowman. Think he’s trying to tell you something? It turns out he is, psychologists tell the Chicago Tribune. They consider decorations a manifestation of our need to communicate. “It’s a very basic tendency...

Sold-Out Kindles Still Available—for a Price

Amazon loses out as savvy buyers trade e-book for big returns

(Newser) - Amazon.com has run out of Kindle e-book readers, sending their prices soaring on the second-hand market and on sites like eBay, reports Bloomberg. Ever since an Oprah endorsement in October cleaned out the online retailer’s stock, those with Kindles in hand have sought to secure a return on...

They Used to Laugh and Call Her Names

Rudolph and Santa's other sleigh-pullers may be ladies

(Newser) - Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer very likely is a girl, or so say wildlife experts who’ve turned their attention to Santa’s lead sleigh-puller. Male reindeer typically shed their horns before Christmas, so popular images of Rudolph’s team with big, branched antlers would mean they might actually be female,...

Economy Spells Weary Christmas for Toy Charities

Donations off as much as 30%, some say

(Newser) - Across the country, charities that dole out gifts to underprivileged kids have seen donations fall off steeply compared to last holiday season, USA Today reports. Some are reporting as much as a 30% decline in giving as the economy flags. “Families that would normally have been helping us by...

Madge's Family Xmas Includes A-Rod

Ritchie wants kids in London for holiday; singer counters by bringing Yankees star

(Newser) - Madonna agreed to her ex-hubby’s request that she bring the kids to Britain for Christmas—as long as Alex Rodriguez can come along, the Sun reports. Madge offered the Yankees star first-class airfare and a room in a top hotel in London because “she wants to treat him,...

Brangelina Push DIY Christmas
 Brangelina Push DIY Christmas 
Dec 16, 2008 11:12 AM CST

Brangelina Push DIY Christmas

Family aims to keep spending to a minimum, want kids to 'make something' for each other

(Newser) - Though they are among the richest couples in the world, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie don’t plan to drop a bundle on their six kids this Christmas. “We have gifts, but we try to keep the money spent to a minimum,” said Pitt in an interview with...

Physics Fuels Santa's Magic
 Physics Fuels Santa's Magic 
Dec 15, 2008 4:15 PM CST

Physics Fuels Santa's Magic

Nanotechnology, space-time distortions enable Christmas miracles

(Newser) - New research has shed light on the amazing ability of Santa Claus to deliver presents to children around the world in a single night, Reuters reports. Santa is able to distort the space-time continuum, says a North Carolina State expert: "He understands that you can stretch time, compress space...

First Dog Releases Last Video
 First Dog Releases Last Video 
Dec 15, 2008 2:42 PM CST

First Dog Releases Last Video

Olympic medalists Phelps, Liukin guest-star in 2008 'Barney Cam'

(Newser) - The White House released its final “Barney Cam” Christmas video today, continuing the adventures of the first dog, the AP reports. This year, the Bushes’ terrier dreams of representing America as an Olympic pole-vaulter and swimmer before clinching a US victory in the Ryder Cup. After waking, Barney decks...

Suri Pans Dad's Santa Act
 Suri Pans Dad's Santa Act 
Dec 15, 2008 10:08 AM CST

Suri Pans Dad's Santa Act

Cruise isn't fooling youngest child with Christmas getup, promises improvement

(Newser) - Tom Cruise’s acting skills got a thumbs-down from a very important fan—his daughter, E! Online reports. Cruise, who always plays the role of Santa during family Christmas celebrations, said astute tot Suri recognized him immediately last year: “I did my best Santa impression. She looked at me...

Disgusted No More: Britons Eating Brussels Sprouts

Britons say they like the veggie, but many will toss the leftovers

(Newser) - Brussels sprouts were once no-nos at Christmas dinner in Britain, but the veggie is gaining ground as people learn how to cook them, the Telegraph reports. Nearly two-thirds of Britons now like them, although one-third admit they refused to try them as kids, a survey says. Even jokes about the...

Website Seethes Over Newly PC Christmas Carols

(Newser) - A British website is accusing churches of political correctness after they made changes to age-old Christmas carol lyrics, the Telegraph reports. Vicars say the edits aim to remove gender-specific or racially charged words, but the editor of a Christian site calls it "a festive car crash. Half the congregation...

Madonna, Guy to Spend Christmas Together

Divorcing couple to make nice for kids

(Newser) - Feuding exes Madonna and Guy Ritchie have called a truce for Christmas, the Mail reports. The divorcing couple, still locked in a custody battle over their two sons, will spend the holiday together at Ritchie’s British estate. Rocco, 8, and David 3, have been with their mom while she’...

Holidays Is Familiar, Charming
 Holidays Is Familiar, Charming 
MOVIE REVIEW
Dec 12, 2008 10:08 AM CST

Holidays Is Familiar, Charming

Movie adds a little Latin spice to the usual holiday movie recipe

(Newser) - Nothing Like the Holidays is much like many other holiday heart-warmers, and that's not necessarily a bad thing, say critics. The "warm but generic family-stressing-for-the-holidays dramedy" tells the tale of an extended Latin clan getting together for Christmas and stars a who's who of Hispanic talent, Roger Moore writes...

Noonan: Expect a Frugal Holiday
 Noonan: 
 Expect a Frugal Holiday 
OPINION
Dec 12, 2008 7:41 AM CST

Noonan: Expect a Frugal Holiday

Nation not in an excessive mood

(Newser) - Will this be the last Christmas of the big-spending era? Will stalwart shoppers, who still can’t see this recession, grab big-ticket items, “sliding the platinum card along the counter with a ‘We who are about to die salute you’ flair”? Or will everyone hunker down for...

Downturn Naughty, Not Nice to Seasonal Santas

Recession killing to holiday cheer

(Newser) - If you dress up as Santa Claus for extra holiday holly, you may need a miracle on 34th Street to make it through Christmas. The recession has spread to the North Pole, reports the Boston Globe, as Santas-for-hire find less work due to scaled-back Christmas party budgets and report rising...

Ditch the Bells, It's Time for a New Jingle
Ditch the Bells, It's Time
for a New Jingle
HOLIDAY MUSIC GUIDE
Dec 7, 2008 7:46 PM CST

Ditch the Bells, It's Time for a New Jingle

Chronicle compiles list of reworked holiday faves

(Newser) - Chestnuts may still be roasting on an open fire, but that doesn’t mean you can’t refresh your Christmas playlist. The San Francisco Chronicle compiles a list of new twists on old favorites to help you give the jingle bells a rest:
  • Sufjan Stevens, "That Was the Worst
...

Stories 321 - 340 | << Prev   Next >>
Most Read on Newser