Christmas Eve

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Pope Scolds Greedy and Power-Hungry
Pope Scolds Greedy
and Power-Hungry
Dec 24, 2022 5:20 PM CST

Pope Scolds Greedy and Power-Hungry

Christmas Eve homily expresses concern for the vulnerable, including children

(Newser) - Recalling Jesus' birth in a stable, Pope Francis rebuked those "ravenous" for wealth and power at the expense of the vulnerable, including children, in a Christmas Eve homily decrying war, poverty, and greedy consumerism. In the splendor of St. Peter's Basilica, Francis presided over the evening Mass attended...

Driver Going to Holiday Dinner Slain in Front of His Children

Vehicle pulled alongside victim's in shooting that police say might have been road rage

(Newser) - A Maryland man on his way to Christmas Eve dinner was shot to death in front of his three children and girlfriend in what police said might have been a case of road rage. Daniel Kelly Jr., 30, of Clinton was behind the wheel when he was shot multiple times...

Christmas Eve Celebrations Around the World
Christmas Eve Celebrations
Around the World
photos
Dec 25, 2021 5:46 AM CST

Christmas Eve Celebrations Around the World

They're more muted than usual because of omicron

(Newser) - From Bethlehem and Frankfurt to London and Boston, the surging coronavirus put a damper on Christmas Eve for a second year, forcing churches to cancel or scale back services and disrupting travel plans and family gatherings. Details, per the AP :
  • Drummers and bagpipers marched through Bethlehem to smaller than usual
...

Pope Francis: Grandeur Isn't the Key

Larger crowd than last year's attends Midnight Mass in St. Peter's Basilica

(Newser) - Pope Francis celebrated Christmas Eve Mass before an estimated 2,000 people in St. Peter’s Basilica on Friday, going ahead with the service despite the resurgence in COVID-19 cases that has prompted a new vaccine mandate for Vatican employees. A maskless Francis processed down the central aisle as the...

In Little Town of Bethlehem, a Muted Christmas Begins

Biblical city celebrates under the shadow of COVID for the second year in a row

(Newser) - The biblical town of Bethlehem marked its second straight Christmas Eve under the shadow of the coronavirus—with small crowds and gray, gloomy weather dampening celebrations Friday in the traditional birthplace of Jesus. A ban on nearly all incoming air traffic by Israel— the main entry point for foreign visitors...

Yes, There Is a Santa Claus. No, COVID Won't Stop Him

NORAD is tracking St. Nick for the 66th year

(Newser) - Rest assured, kids of all ages: Santa’s coming this Christmas Eve, and a second holiday with COVID-19 won’t stop him. That’s the word from the joint US-Canadian military operation that for 66 years has been tracking Jolly Old St. Nicholas on his global mission and has assured...

Fauci's 80th Birthday Party Was Very Fauci

Wife threw him a surprise 80th party via Zoom

(Newser) - Dr. Anthony Fauci got an early birthday gift in the form of a vaccination from the virus he's battling , but for the good doctor's actual 80th birthday on Christmas Eve, his wife threw him a surprise party—via Zoom, because we currently live in 2020. Fauci's wife...

Trumps Issue Christmas Message
Trumps Issue
Christmas Message
Dec 25, 2020 7:02 AM CST

Trumps Issue Christmas Message

COVID vaccine is 'truly a Christmas miracle'

(Newser) - After what the AP calls "tossing a grenade" on a bipartisan COVID relief bill in a "final raised middle finger to Republicans," the outgoing president of the United States is safely ensconced in his Mar-a-Lago resort for the Christmas holiday. Trump spent Christmas Eve golfing at his...

Kevin Spacey's Christmas Eve Message: 'It Gets Better'

Actor speaks to everyone feeling despondent amid the holidays

(Newser) - Kevin Spacey, apparently like the pope , has delivered his annual Christmas Eve message, but this year the controversial actor struck a less-weird , more somber tone geared at those to whom the holiday season brings utter desolation and hopelessness instead of peace and joy. Spacey posted a 2.5-minute video, dressed...

Bank Worker's Christmas Eve Kindness Gets Her Canned

Emily James fired from US Bank after giving broke customer $20

(Newser) - One of US Bank's core tenets is "We put people first," but when one of its own senior bankers tried to do just that, she was fired. Emily James tells the Oregonian that on Dec. 23, she was working at the bank's call center in Gresham,...

NYC Man Killed in $1 Christmas Eve Robbery

60-year-old man was defending husband against 6 men

(Newser) - Juan Fresnada was walking in the Bronx with his husband, Bayron Caceras, on Christmas Eve when six men approached and demanded money. When the pair refused, ABC News reports that the men attacked, knocking Fresnada to the ground and beating him badly before making off with all of one dollar....

In Bethlehem, No Room at the Inns, Again

As Christmas descends, pilgrims crowd West Bank town where they believe Jesus Christ was born

(Newser) - "All hotels in the city are full today," says Palestinian Tourism Minister Rula Maaya as thousands of Christian pilgrims descended on the West Bank town of Bethlehem, the traditional birthplace of Jesus, ahead of Tuesday's annual Christmas Eve celebrations. The Church of the Nativity, where Christians believe...

Want to Stalk Santa? Here's Where He's at Right Now

Fire up NORAD's Santa Tracker to keep tabs on the bearded one

(Newser) - "He's on his way" can sound ominous without context, but for millions of kids around the world on Christmas Eve, those words are gold. CNN reports that the North American Aerospace Defense Command's Santa Tracker is officially up and running, keeping tabs on where jolly old St....

Cops: Fight Leads to Fiery Feces
Cops: Fight
Leads to Fiery Feces
Dec 27, 2018 10:30 AM CST

Cops: Fight Leads to Fiery Feces

Dylan Printz, 18, charged with arson after police say he left burning bag of dog poop on Pa. porch

(Newser) - It may have been Christmas Eve, but those weren't reindeer droppings left at a home in Shippensburg, Pa. The Smoking Gun reports on a "crappy" prank that now has 18-year-old Dylan Printz charged with arson and risking catastrophe. Cops responded around 3am Monday to a report of a...

Political Power Couple Killed in Christmas Eve Helicopter Crash

Martha Erika Alonso had been sworn in as Puebla's first female governor just 10 days ago

(Newser) - On Dec. 14, Martha Erika Alonso was sworn in as the first female governor of the Mexican state of Puebla, a job previously held by her husband, Rafael Moreno Valle. Just 10 days later, the political power couple were dead, killed in a Christmas Eve helicopter crash just minutes after...

Husband-Wife Heroes Have 'Chaotic' Christmas Eve

2 separate rescues: Crystal Travis helped family escape fire, Roger Travis aided non-breathing baby

(Newser) - They were driving to meet up with each other on Christmas Eve, but first, a husband and wife made two separate pit stops to help save a few lives. In a Good Samaritan play in two acts, KFOR reports that Crystal Travis kicked things off Sunday in Cleveland County, NC,...

Priest Suspended Over Christmas Eve Hoverboard Stunt

'That was wrong'

(Newser) - A priest rolling around his church on a "hoverboard" while singing May the Good Lord Bless and Keep You on Christmas Eve earned a round of applause from his congregation and a quick suspension from his diocese, NBC News reports. It's unknown how the birthday boy felt about...

Sock-Clad Girl, 3, Sneaks Off on Xmas Eve Adventure

Precocious American kid wandered away from family in Austria

(Newser) - Perhaps she was out looking for Santa. A 3-year-old American girl wandered away from her family's hotel in Salzburg, Austria, around midnight Christmas Eve and investigated the city streets on her own, wearing only a nightshirt and socks. A receptionist at another hotel brought her inside. Police guessed she...

The Surprising Traditions of Jewish Christmas Eve

Toilet paper, abstinence, and persecution

(Newser) - For many people—religious and non-religious alike—Christmas Eve means hot cocoa with family, watching Love Actually, or furiously wrapping last-minute gifts. But for centuries of Jews, Christmas Eve was all about abstinence, tearing toilet paper, and the occasional poker game. Slate has a fascinating look at the little-known—even...

As Christians Celebrate, Pope Laments 'Culture of Indifference'

Francis' Christmas Eve homily calls for simplicity, balance in face of excess

(Newser) - In his Christmas Eve homily Thursday, Pope Francis noted the simplicity of Jesus' birth as he rebuked what he called societies' intoxication with consumerism, pleasure, abundance, and wealth. Christians around the world joyfully prepared to recall the birth of Jesus. But in his only public Christmas Mass, in the splendor...

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