Christmas lights

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The Holy Land Cans Christmas Festivities

With a war raging, church leaders in Jerusalem, Bethlehem say it's no time to celebrate

(Newser) - Each year around Christmas, a tree is set up, lights are strung, and a nativity scene is arranged in Bethlehem's Manger Square, home of the 6th-century Church of the Nativity, which is said to mark the spot where Jesus Christ was born. There will be none of that this...

Electric Eel Keeps This Aquarium's Christmas Tree Lit

Miguel Wattson is providing the juice for seasonal lights at the Tennessee Aquarium

(Newser) - Visitors to the Tennessee Aquarium may be shocked to learn that an electric eel named Miguel Wattson is lighting up a Christmas tree, per the AP . A special system connected to Miguel's tank enables his shocks to power strands of lights on a nearby tree, according to a news...

He Was Hanging Christmas Lights. Then, 'Help Me, Help Me'

$50K raised following Texas father's fatal fall

(Newser) - Nearly $50,000 has been raised for a Texas family who will be missing a beloved member this Christmas. Felipe Gallegos of Rhome was hanging Christmas lights from the roof of a home in Argyle with his 17-year-old son when he fell Saturday. His wife, Alisha Flick, heard a noise...

He Started Putting Up Xmas Lights in October. One Problem

Old Bridge, NJ, wants Tom Apruzzi to pay $2K per night for security

(Newser) - Tom Apruzzi does Christmas BIG. Per the Bridgewater Courier News , the Old Bridge, New Jersey, man's holiday display contains 300,000 lights, synchronized music, and starts going up in October. The scene can draw as many as 1,000 people a night from as far away as New York...

Owner of Famed Christmas Display Dies Trying to Fix It

Doug Musson 'touched the lives of so many'

(Newser) - Doug Musson's home has become a spectacle each December for more than three decades, decorated top to bottom in Christmas lights. But this year, visitors aren't just flocking to the home in Ontario, Canada, to take in the sights. They're also paying tribute to the man who...

Glitch in Christmas Tree Lights Sets Fire That Kills Couple

Elderly couple's home filled with smoke

(Newser) - Authorities say a Utah couple has died after malfunctioning Christmas tree lights sparked a fire at their house, the AP reports. South Davis Metro Fire spokesperson Jeff Bassett says the fire ignited Thursday night in a front room of the home about 10 miles north of Salt Lake City. Bassett...

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...

Man's 'Pro-ISIS' Christmas Lights Weren't That at All

 Man's 'Pro-ISIS' 
 Christmas Lights 
 Weren't That at All 
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Dec 19, 2015 9:01 AM CST

Man's 'Pro-ISIS' Christmas Lights Weren't That at All

Look up, folks

(Newser) - Residents of Limerick, Maine, were disturbed when they saw "ISIS" spelled out in Christmas lights on a local's home, and one of them contacted the York County Sheriff's Office to report a possible terrorist sympathizer. Deputies went to investigate and found that the holiday decor did, in...

Lots of Christmas Lights? Your WiFi Signal May Suffer

But plenty of other devices cause interference, too

(Newser) - All those Christmas lights strung about might make your holidays bright, but they might also hamper your ability to binge-watch Netflix vis-a-vis a weakened WiFi signal. So warns British telecom watchdog Ofcom , which describes a decent Internet connection as the fourth essential service, ranking right up there with gas, electricity,...

Your Christmas Lights Are Visible From Space

US cities grow up to 50% brighter around the holidays

(Newser) - You're helping make the world a brighter place just by switching on your Christmas lights. New data shows many US cities brighten by 20% to 50% between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day, and it's all visible from space, Wired reports. A research team used a NASA-NOAA satellite...

Grinchy County to Neighborhood: Take Down Your Xmas Lights

Strung across the street, they pose fire hazard: officials

(Newser) - A neighborhood in Orange County, Calif., is brightly decorated with Christmas lights strung across the street—and that hasn't exactly put county officials in the holiday spirit. The lights pose a fire hazard and could prevent emergency vehicles from getting through, officials say, calling the decorations an "unpermitted...

Family Nabs Cheery Record: Most Christmas Lights

Aussies strung up 31 miles of wire to reclaim Guinness World Record

(Newser) - An Australian family has reclaimed their Guinness World Record by stringing up more than half a million Christmas lights around their suburban home. A Guinness World Records rep confirmed today that the Richards family of Canberra set the record for Christmas lights on a residential property with 502,165 twinkling...

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