Christmas

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In Restive Bethlehem, an Uneasy Christmas

Fighting casts a pall on West Bank town as it celebrates signature holiday

(Newser) - Christian faithful from around the world on Thursday descended on the biblical city of Bethlehem for Christmas Eve celebrations at the traditional birthplace of Jesus, trying to lift spirits on a holiday dampened by months of Israeli-Palestinian violence. The fighting cast a pall. Crowds were thin and hotel rooms were...

Feds Open US Border —to Santa's Reindeer

'USDA wants to do everything in its power to help Santa'

(Newser) - If you wake up Christmas morning and don't find any gifts from Santa under the tree, don't blame the federal government. On Wednesday, the USDA issued permits to Santa's reindeer to come and go through any of the country's northern border ports beginning Christmas Eve and...

After Viewing Xmas Lights, a Family's Double Tragedy

Texas brother and sister killed after their car is rear-ended

(Newser) - A Texas family's ride to view a Christmas lights display ended in tragedy Monday night when their car was rear-ended, killing the two oldest kids, WFAA reports. The Haltom City mom and dad and their three children had just completed a drive-through of the Christmas lights extravaganza at Texas...

Our Xmas Lights Use More Power Than Some Countries

And they only account for 0.2% of US consumption

(Newser) - America's Christmas lights, even those that don't rival the Griswolds' , guzzle a staggering amount of electricity when compared to power use overall in other countries, according to researchers at the Center for Global Development . The festive lights use around 6.6 billion kilowatt-hours a year, according to the...

'Panicking' Girl Calls 911 Over Elf on the Shelf

Isabelle LaPeruta thought she had ruined Christmas

(Newser) - 'Tis the season for adorable emergencies. NBC New York reports a 7-year-old New Jersey girl called 911 after unintentionally disturbing her family's Elf on the Shelf. And as any Elf on the Shelf owner knows, Elves on the Shelf only have one rule: "Please do not touch...

Science Explains Importance of Rudolph's Red Nose

Blue light cannot cut through the fog

(Newser) - They may not have sorted out how Santa's reindeer can fly, but scientists say there is an optical explanation for just how beneficial it is that Rudolph's nose burns red and bright. Reporting in the journal Frontiers for Young Minds , a Dartmouth anthropology professor says that Arctic reindeer...

Man Opens Fireplace, Finds Century-Old Letters to Santa

Missives in NYC apartment belonged to turn-of-the-century Irish immigrant family

(Newser) - When Peter Mattaliano decided to redo the fireplace in his NYC apartment, he called his construction-savvy brother to help him bust open the sealed unit. "We were joking that we might find Al Capone's money," Mattaliano tells the New York Times . "Then my brother yelled to...

How a Grinch Sultan Stole Christmas
How a Grinch Sultan Stole Christmas
Dec 22, 2015 8:05 AM CST

How a Grinch Sultan Stole Christmas

By threatening those celebrating publicly with 5 years in prison

(Newser) - Don't be caught wearing a Santa hat in Brunei unless you want to spend the next five years in prison. Hassanal Bolkiah, the sultan of the Muslim country on Borneo, has banned "the act of celebrating Christmas excessively and openly" for fear it could lead to "tasyabbuh...

Unloved Single Men Take to Streets to Protest Christmas

'Losers With Women' call the holiday a 'capitalist ploy'

(Newser) - About 20 men took to the streets of Tokyo on Saturday to protest Christmas for discriminating against single men, AFP reports. "Unpopular men, who don't have a girlfriend or are not married, are overly discriminated," says the group's leader, going by the fake name Mark Waters....

Forecasters Are Dreaming of a Warm Christmas

Eastern US could have warmest Christmas in a lifetime

(Newser) - Bad news, Bing Crosby. It's unlikely anyone east of the Rocky Mountains will be getting a white Christmas this year, the Weather Channel reports. In fact, forecasts show many people will be having the warmest Christmas in their lifetime. "Warm as a lovely spring day," is the...

Kindergarten Parent Accused of Ruining Christmas

Talia complained about a field trip to meet Santa, which was canceled

(Newser) - Every year for a decade, kindergarten students at Sartorette Elementary School in San Jose have been writing letters to Santa then delivering them to the man himself on a school-sponsored outing. Not this year. The Cambrian School District says this month's field trip to meet Santa Claus at a...

Man Sends Christmas Cards to Queen, Gets Noticed

He sent them to Elizabeth II for 60 years

(Newser) - If you're a commoner who wants to get Queen Elizabeth II's attention, apparently it is possible, but it will take decades of work. In a touching Facebook post pointed out by Mashable , Andrew Simes writes that his grandfather had always made it a point to send a Christmas...

Most-Played Holiday Song in Retail? No Longer Mariah

Carey is dethroned by The Shins

(Newser) - Everywhere you go this holiday shopping season, Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" will be played. There's no escaping it—but, for the first time in decades, there's another song you might hear more often. That's right: For the first year since...

Obama Proves He's No Scrooge

The president is giving federal employees a half-day on Christmas Eve

(Newser) - Presumably after being visited by three spirits who managed to do it all in one night, President Obama signed an executive order on Friday giving all federal employees a half-day on Christmas Eve, the Hill reports. And government employees will still be paid for those four hours off, to boot....

Mom Takes Flak for Buying Kids 300 Christmas Gifts

Emma Tapping gets grilled online over holiday photo

(Newser) - What's wrong with giving your family hundreds of Christmas gifts? Quite a bit, according to reaction one mom received on social media. Emma Tapping, a married mother of three, posted a photo of her family Christmas tree nearly buried under more than 300 gifts. She then saw the image...

Something Special Will Happen to the Moon on Christmas Day

It'll be full during the holiday for the first time since 1977

(Newser) - The last time there was a full moon on Christmas, Jimmy Carter was president and a gallon of gas cost 65 cents. But this year we get to party like it's 1977 when the moon is shown in its full glory on Dec. 25, the Weather Channel reports. It'...

City Councilwoman Quits Over the Word 'Christmas'

Charlene Storey walks out on Roselle Park's city council

(Newser) - A city councilwoman quit her job on Thursday over the word "Christmas"—then made an apparent deal to return to work, the Star-Ledger reports. Charlene Storey, a councilwoman in Roselle Park, NJ, resigned after council voted 4-2 to change the name of its tree-lighting ceremony from "A...

Target Is Getting Loads of Criticism for This Sweater

OCD isn't something to joke about, critics say

(Newser) - Target is selling a Christmas sweater that many are complaining about for trivializing mental illness. The sweater reads "OCD: Obsessive Christmas Disorder," and USA Today reports that people have been tweeting their unhappiness. "Thank you @Target for helping to perpetuate the idea that OCD is some sort...

Why Starbucks' New Cup Is Sparking Outrage

Snowmen? Snowflakes? Ice skates? Not this year

(Newser) - 'Tis the season to be jolly? Not all Starbucks customers would agree after seeing the company's latest holiday-themed cup, Refinery 29 reports. The serving cup—which Starbucks rolls out with a new design every November—boasts two shades of red rather than the usual Christmas imagery, such as...

Town Comes Together to Give Boy With Cancer One More Christmas

St. George, Canada, will be celebrating Christmas on Saturday

(Newser) - A small Canadian town is providing a real-life Christmas miracle to a 7-year-old boy with a brain tumor, bumping up the holiday by two months to make sure he can experience one last Christmas, WPTZ reports. According to ABC News , Evan Leversage has been fighting cancer for five years and...

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