Christmas

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

Stories 361 - 380 | << Prev   Next >>

Retailers Await Last-Minute Gift From Shoppers

Procrastinators find big sales, long lines

(Newser) - Last-minute shoppers navigated long lines over the final pre-Christmas weekend, nudging retailers toward the modest growth in sales they’d expected. Deep discounts cut into profits, but retailers like Macy's and Kmart stayed open around the clock to accommodate shoppers, the Wall Street Journal reports. “The procrastinators finally got...

Rampaging Bad Santas Shut Down Movie Theater

It's Santa anarchy as drunken vandals trash cinema & trip fire alarm

(Newser) - What the ho? Moviegoing New Zealanders were forced out of a theater when some 50 drunken hooligans dressed as Santa invaded a cineplex, trashing posters and other property, shouting "Ho f---ing ho!" and setting off a fire alarm before running off. Police think the troublemakers were college students,...

Docs Try to Diagnose Tiny Tim
Docs Try to Diagnose Tiny Tim
Dec 23, 2007 3:39 PM CST

Docs Try to Diagnose Tiny Tim

Dickens gave scant evidence, but the web is full of theories

(Newser) - Armchair physicians across the web are trying to solve one of literature’s greatest mysteries: what the heck was wrong with Tiny Tim? All we know is that Dickens’ wretch was a small, sick, crutch-wielder, who was prone to weakness and doomed unless ol’ Ebeneezer loosened his purse strings. It’...

Queen of YouTube
Queen of YouTube
Dec 23, 2007 8:24 AM CST

Queen of YouTube

Christmas message to be broadcast on new Internet 'Royal Channel'

(Newser) - Look who's using YouTube. The British Royals have just joined the ranks of YouTube users with the launch of a "Royal Channel" on the video-sharing Internet site that showcases recent and historical clips of the queen and her family. On Tuesday the queen will broadcast her 50th anniversary Christmas...

Fateful 1963 Xmas Card Missing on Tour

Greeting never sent out after JFK assassination

(Newser) - Visitors on a White House Christmas tour have noticed something missing—a rare 1963 greeting card that John F. Kennedy signed before his fateful trip to Dallas, Reuters reports. President and Jacquelyn Kennedy signed fewer than 30 of the cards, which were never sent out. "They are the most...

McCanns Make Christmas Plea for Maddy

Parents release video appealing for their daughter's return

(Newser) - The parents of Madeleine McCann issued a video message today telling their daughter that "our only Christmas wish is for you to be back with us again" and pleading that anyone with information about her disappearance come forward. The video includes footage of the toddler unwrapping presents last year,...

Tree That Survived A-Bomb Sees 70th Christmas

Japanese family kept tree through calamities

(Newser) - A Japanese soldier's Christmas tree has stayed with his family through dark times, and even survived the atomic bomb that killed his brother in Nagasaki. This year marks the 70th Christmas that Warren Nobuaki Iwatake has put up the fragile, three-foot tree, which he calls "a shining light, because...

Starbucks Patrons Spread the Cheer
Starbucks Patrons Spread the Cheer
Dec 21, 2007 5:02 PM CST

Starbucks Patrons Spread the Cheer

Pay-it-forward treat proves contagious at Washington store

(Newser) - In what's being hailed as a true display of holiday goodwill, customers at a Starbucks in Marysville, Wash., have been "paying ahead"—paying for the next car in the drive-through order—in a “chain of cheer” more than 800 lattes long. The Seattle Times reports that the...

Calif. Rescue Was a 'Miracle'
Calif. Rescue Was a 'Miracle'
Dec 20, 2007 1:03 PM CST

Calif. Rescue Was a 'Miracle'

A few seconds made the difference between life and death

(Newser) - When he heard the helicopter, Frederick Dominguez went running—and not a moment too soon. The helicopter was seconds from leaving the area when it spotted the barefoot running man, whose Christmas tree hunt had resulted in his family being stranded for three days on a snow-covered California mountain. ...

Mountain Rescue for Dad, Kids
Mountain Rescue for Dad, Kids
Dec 19, 2007 7:44 PM CST

Mountain Rescue for Dad, Kids

They were stranded in snowstorms for three days

(Newser) - A father and his three children are safe and sound after surviving three days of snowstorms and subfreezing temperatures on a mountain in northern California, the AP reports. The four, who went up the mountain Sunday to cut down a Christmas tree, were rescued by helicopter. They took shelter in...

Video Spoofs Jews on Christmas
Video Spoofs Jews on Christmas
Dec 18, 2007 11:20 AM CST

Video Spoofs Jews on Christmas

Baltimore teacher strikes a chord with song about Chinese food

(Newser) - A band teacher at a Baltimore yeshiva is the latest YouTube celebrity thanks to his holiday spoof on the Jewish dilemma of what to do on Christmas. His video, "Chinese Food on Christmas," in which a rock band of faux Hasidic Jews jams for fellow members of the...

Christmas Opens in Bethlehem
Christmas Opens in Bethlehem
Dec 16, 2007 5:07 PM CST

Christmas Opens in Bethlehem

Resumed peace talks give holiday tourism a bump to 65K tourists

(Newser) - The lighting of a four-story tree yesterday in Bethlehem kicked off a joyous season of increased tourism, reports the AP, amid a backdrop of resumed Mideast peace talks. Some 65,000 foreigners are expected to visit the West Bank town this season, the AP reports; only 16,000 visited the...

Go Green on Christmas, Tree Huggers Say

Greenies call real trees more eco-friendly than plastic variety

(Newser) - You can be eco-friendly this holiday season without turning into Scrooge, the Smithsonian reports. For those considering Christmas trees, environmentalists claim real trees are actually better for the environment than the plastic variety, which emit harmful dioxins when created or when on fire.

Overlooked Christmas Movies
Overlooked Christmas Movies
Dec 15, 2007 10:28 AM CST

Overlooked Christmas Movies

Slate has a list you better watch out for

(Newser) - Slate has come up with a list of overlooked Christmas movies to watch out for. Remember, the Christmas party at Nakatomi Plaza is more naughty than nice.
  1. Die Hard (1988)
  2. Yogi's First Christmas (1984)
  3. All That Heaven Allows (1954)
  4. The Ice Harvest (2005)

Hey, Before You Hit Your Office Holiday Party, Click Here!

Plenty of causes, few cures for hangovers

(Newser) - If the dangers of drunkenness don’t deter you from revelry this holiday season, maybe the agony of a hangover should, Newsweek reports. Some experts call the morning-after malaise “a mini-withdrawal” similar to a recovering alcoholic’s; others say it’s the work of chemicals left over from the...

Hopefuls Pause for St. Nick
Hopefuls Pause for
St. Nick
Dec 11, 2007 8:08 PM CST

Hopefuls Pause for St. Nick

Campaign trail detours for Christmas; candidates plan friendly reminders

(Newser) - Is the spirit of St. Nick in sync with political stumping? Presidential hopefuls are wondering that in Iowa, where the January 3 caucus date is adding pressure to campaign during Christmas week—an act that some voters may find offensive. "We are in uncharted territory here," says the...

Pope Rips Christmas Materialism
Pope Rips Christmas Materialism
Dec 9, 2007 12:36 PM CST

Pope Rips Christmas Materialism

Continues Vatican battle against rampant consumerism

(Newser) - Continuing the Vatican's battle against rampant consumerism on the occasion of Jesus' birthday, Pope Benedict XVI today blasted a pervasive "materialistic mentality" in "the way of living out and perceiving Christmas." The pontiff urged pilgrims gathered below his window on St. Peter's Square instead to "fill...

Leno Ponies Up to Pay Staffers
Leno Ponies Up to Pay Staffers
Dec 3, 2007 7:03 AM CST

Leno Ponies Up to Pay Staffers

Criticized comic finally joins colleagues to help workers

(Newser) - Talk-show host Jay Leno stepped up to the plate this weekend, saying he will use his own money to pay, for at least this week, the 80 non-writing employees of "The Tonight Show"  who were laid off by NBC Friday. Staffers blasted Leno when they were pink-slipped for...

Cold Calls to Loved Ones: 'Buy This!'

More stores bug buyers with calls; etiquette experts cringe

(Newser) - Tired of dropping hints and still getting the "wrong" gift? Now more stores notify potential buyers about what their loved ones want, the Wall Street Journal reports. Chains like Searle call up about that $300 scarf and onliner retailer Net-a-Porter sends video emails—along with the warning, "Let's...

Lead Toys Get Charities Grinchy
Lead Toys Get Charities Grinchy
Nov 21, 2007 2:04 PM CST

Lead Toys Get Charities Grinchy

Checking endless recall lists saps limited resources for many

(Newser) - Rampant toy recalls are putting a real cramp in the holiday spirit at many charities, MSNBC reports. Toy drives must devote so much manpower to checking donations against lists of lead-contaminated recalls that many have stopped the Santa act entirely. “You don’t know what you’re getting, you...

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