#santa-claus

#santa-claus

When Jim Vinicky attended a traditional Swedish Christmas Eve dinner at his high school girlfriend's house in Hinsdale, he brought a jar of giardiniera.It was an audacious move.The spiced and brined vegetables clashed with the family's admittedly bland homemade sausage, pickled herring and hunks of cheese.

On Christmas morning, as kids around New York City awoke to gifts and cookies left half-eaten by Santa Claus, a man in a red suit was driving a little tug boat through the New York Harbor, dropping off small gifts and treats to the crews of dozens of barges and tug boats working along the city's waterfront.

Santa Claus meets one of the families who visited Fielders Quarter at Barking Riverside for the Christmas event (Image: Bellway London) Santa Claus and his reindeer dropped in at a new housing development to "spread some Christmas cheer".Father Christmas gave out presents to children as he visited the Fielders Quarter development in Barking Riverside on December 11.A young visitor meets one of Santa's reindeer (Image: Bellway London) The event was hosted by Bellway London Partnerships, whose acting head of sales Dominic Griffiths said: "It was fantastic to have Santa and his reindeer join us at our sales office to meet residents at Fielders Quarter.

'Tis the season to spend lots of money on extravagant, largely useless gifts.At least that's what the latest figures from the National Retail Federation would suggest.This November and December, US shoppers will likely spend upward of a trillion dollars, with the bulk of the money going toward Christmas gifts.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's has used his New Year address to the nation to lash out at the West and Ukraine.
he conflict in Ukraine cast a long shadow as Russia entered 2023.Cities curtailed festivities and fireworks.Moscow announced special performances for soldiers' children featuring the Russian equivalent of Santa Claus.

KYIV, Ukraine  Hundreds of missiles and drones aimed at Ukraine's energy infrastructure have left millions of people without power  and dozens of cities without Christmas lights.It was no accident that the wave of attacks came before the holidays and in the darkest and coldest time of year, said Denys Shmyhal, Ukraine's prime minister.

PIEDMONT  It was a year of change in the Piedmont Unified School District with Superintendent Randy Booker departing for another job, principals leaving and students returning to school after the pandemic.Otherwise, the city was busy obtaining a contractor to build the new community pool complex, promoting green energy for residents and holding an election for City Council and school board officers.

Students of Brazil's School of Santa Claus celebrate their graduation ahead of the Christmas season outside the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro.Founded in 1993, the school prepares its students for a job acting like Santa Claus in malls or at private events.Limachem Cherem is the Director of the Brazil Santa Claus School and he said, "Our mission, the mission of Santa Claus is to bring peace, love, happiness, affection, tenderness, hugs, whatever government we have."

The Philadelphia Eagles were in a surprise dogfight with the Saints in Week 17 but the refs were doing them no favors with some ridiculous calls.The fans who once threw snowballs at Santa Claus weren't getting any Christmas gifts from the refs to start 2023.On Sunday in Week 17 with Gardner Minshew starting for the second straight game as the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback with Jalen Hurts injured, the club found itself in a surprisingly tough matchup with a struggling New Orleans Saints team.

So, all this time, we've been thinking that Santa's a big guy - big beard, big belly, big laugh, ho, ho, ho, etc.We tell our kids that he slides down chimneys, without any explanation for how this is possible.Granted, there are a lot of things about the Santa story that makes no sense, and we happily lie about all of them.

When the producers of decided to commemorate the seventh night of Hanukkah on December 3rd, 1994 by having Adam Sandler sing a sadistically infectious ditty about the Jewish holiday on "Weekend Update" they undoubtedly realized that they had a winner on their hands.The adorable man-child singing a silly song with an irresistible grin while accompanying himself on acoustic guitar was as close as Saturday Night Live had to a sure thing at the time.

The holiday season has officially started, and now that Halloween is behind us and we're looking ahead at our plans for Thanksgiving and Christmas, we have a date you'll want to mark down.The Thanksgiving Day Parade, hosted by Macy's, is coming up real soon, and this year, it's featuring one of our kids' favorite characters - Bluey! Here's everything you need to know.

A sequel to A Christmas Story, called Christmas Story Christmas is nearly upon us and based on the trailers, it seems like a movie version of that annoying cousin we all have who constantly quotes A Christmas Story.How did we get here?Back in 1983, when director Bob Clark decided to follow his back-to-back triumphs of Porky's and Porky's: The Next Day with a modestly budgeted adaptation of folksy humorist Jean Shepard's semi-autobiographical writings about his childhood, he never could have guessed what a remarkable and enduring legacy his over-achieving little Yuletide sleeper - A Christmas Story - would have.

Ostensibly, Peanuts is a funny comic strip about a charismatic, anthropomorphic dog and his sad owner for children and a powerful exploration of faith, belief, depression, yearning, and the intense and unavoidable pain of being human for adults that also has the benefit of being hilarious and relatable.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all!The staff at Dodgers Nation is in the true holiday spirit today as we're about to talk about things we're wishing for - you know, things and stuff that we want?Give us stuff!Kidding aside, much like our staff did at Thanksgiving time, I asked some folks here what might be on their holiday wish list as a Dodger fan.

The first and only time that Alex Edelman's family celebrated Christmas, their tree was topped not by a star, but a teddy bear wearing a yarmulke.Mr. Edelman, who was 7 or 8 at the time  he doesn't remember the exact year  was also wearing a yarmulke.All of his male family members were.Mr. Edelman, 33, grew up in an Orthodox Jewish home in Brookline, Mass., and he says his family's one-night fling with Christmas, which he chronicled with withering precision in his recent Off Broadway comedy show Just For Us, was a thoroughly Jewish endeavor.

LIVE MUSIC
Volunteer-run music organization PDX Pop Now! presents this free, all-ages show featuring performances from Portland-based multimedia artists including Letras, Sic Bloom, Joe Von Appen, and Spieee ⁠(AKA Sean Pierce).(Zero Wave, North Portland, free)
SHOPPING
Founded by genre-bending musical duo MadgesdiqCEG, this pop-up market and gathering space aims to represent the depth of Portland's diverse communities through art, culture, food, and music.

By Jan Wahl-
George Bailey finally realizes it's a wonderful life.The glamorous Mame Dennis knows she needs a little Christmas, right this very minute.Humble Tevye extols the virtues of traditions!Buddy the Elf finds the true meaning of the season.Dorothy discovers there is no place like home.Bing Crosby is dreaming of a white Christmas.

Margo Tipan fed a plate of beans and arepas to her 8-year-old daughter, Genesis, on Christmas Day, a respite after a long and challenging month.This is the first time we have celebrated anything since arriving in this country, Ms. Tipan said.They came to New York City just a few weeks ago from Ecuador.

Christmas is reminiscent of festive images of Santa Claus, Snowman, mangers and reindeer and activities like baking cookies and cakes alongside decorating the Christmas trees.The magic glow of the festival makes people merrier while Christians all over the world celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.Discover how some countries have unusual Christmas traditions and bring diversity into the Christmas festivities.

The US avant-folk trio began their musical career carol singing, which makes We Three Kings a kind of back-to-their-roots enterprise.Quite sparsely arranged, it allows the Roche sisters' harmonies to dazzle  the acappella Star of Wonder is magical  while their New York-accented Winter Wonderland is an absolute hoot.

Ukrainians in the UK face their first Christmas separated from loved ones as they are kept apart by Russia's war.Refugees who have fled Vladimir Putin's deadly invasion have shared their hopes for a more peaceful 2023 as the conflict heads toward its first anniversary in February.Despite usually celebrating Christmas on January 7  as determined by the Orthodox Church  Kateryna Chebizhak, 34, who works as a telephone interpreter, and her seven-year-old son Kolya, are planning on spending December 25 with friends who live near them in Enfield, North London.

Ukrainians celebrating their first Christmases in the UK have been busy writing letters to Santa Claus and planning out traditional dishes they plan to make on the big day, amid hopes for peace and being reunited with their loved ones back home in 2023.Despite usually celebrating Christmas on January 7  as determined by the Orthodox Church  Kateryna Chebizhak, 34, who works as a telephone interpreter, and her seven-year-old son Kolya, are planning on spending December 25 with friends who live near them in Enfield, North London.

England powered to their first World Cup 2022 win and Wales secured a valuable point as the home nations got their campaigns under way in Qatar.The Three Lions comfortably overcame Iran 6-2 to head straight to the top of group B before Wales battled back after a disappointing first half to draw 1-1 against the USA.

Ah, the holidays - a time to appreciate everything that has happened over the course of a particular year.We will do a little bit of that a whole lot of Bayern Munich talk on this episode, so why not get right to it.Let's take a look at what we have on tap for this episode:


     The latest on Bayern Munich's goalkeeper situation.

When composer Irving Berlin finished writing White Christmas in 1940, he reportedly told his musical secretary: Not only is it the best song I ever wrote, it's the best song anybody ever wrote.If musical greatness can be measured by record sales, he was correct.Recorded by Bing Crosby and released in 1942 on his compilation album Merry Christmas, White Christmas would go on to become the bestselling single of all time.

"Jingle Bells" is, whether you like it or not, one of the most recognizable songs in the English language.It was composed by hirsute Northeasterner James Lord Pierpont and first published with the title "The One Horse Open Sleigh" in the fall of 1857.Before you think, Wait, they were doing Christmas shit too early even in 1857?! you should know that the song originally had no relation to Christmas.

Last Wednesday, as locals sipped their drinks at Fort Hamilton Distillery in Industry City, a man stood up and, in a heavy Welsh accent, welcomed the crowd to the Mari Lwyd.He hoisted a horse skull shrouded in a white sheet over his head and issued a challenge: Who, there, was strong enough in verse to carry the mask?

The sun had yet to rise when Cesar Augusto Espinoza walked into Pershing Square just after 6 Sunday morning, but the plaza was already buzzing.Workers were getting ready for the big game.Tech staff did mic checks and tweaked the television settings on a big screen.Vendors set up booths to sell margaritas and coffee.

Every winter, scores upon scores of schmaltzy seasonal movies get spewed upon the public in an opportunistic deluge that rarely results in anything memorable.This year, there were at least 170 (!) and all of them - every single one - were aimed at the broadest (blandest?)possible audience.Meaning: They were boring.

David Harbour isn't the first actor most of us would cast as Santa Claus.Maybe it's because he prefers to roll in the muck with his characters  the police chief Jim Hopper in Stranger Things, the super-soldier Alexei Shostakov in Black Widow  rather than snuggle with them.But to the director Tommy Wirkola, Harbour was perfect.

Holiday parties are back.And many companies are ready to celebrate in person.According to a recent survey from Challenger, Gray, & Christmas, a global career transition firm, 56.9% of companies are planning on in-person holiday parties, up from 26.6% in 2021.Even with recession fears mounting, holiday parties remain an important investment.

A lot of people have gotten patents for things related to Christmas.Here are some of the most interesting ones I've found.There are a number of patents intended to help parents convince children that Santa has been there.One of these is U.S. patent no.5,523,741 for a "Santa Claus Detector."

David Harbour, left, and John Leguizamo in "Violent Night."(Allen Fraser/Universal Pictures) StarOutline (2.5 stars) Ordinarily, one wouldn't judge a Christmas movie by the quality of its on-screen kills.But as yet another volatile year draws to a close, you might find yourself taking a measure of vicarious satisfaction in the spectacle of a red-suited, hammer-swinging, skull-crushing hero smiting his enemies.

Seasonal sights, sounds and eats at National Harbor
If you've never been to National Harbor during the holiday season, first of all: you're missing out.Secondly, this winter is the perfect time to break the ice (pun intended).Between updates to seasonal attractions like their impressive RGB-lit tree and accompanying music/light show to the long- awaited return of ICE! at Gaylord National Resort, National Harbor continues its standing as a staple for the holidays.

Aside from tinsel, trees, twinkling lights and Santa...mince pies are a staple part of Christmas, without which the holiday season would just be sad, empty and falling apart (rather like our attempt at homemade mince pies come to think of it...) Therefore, knowing where to find the best mince pies in London is an absolute necessity.

Sleep with the lions, meet some nocturnal animals and hang out with Santa Claus at London Zoo this Christmas as they roll out a series of festive sleepovers.For just one week this December, animal lovers will get the chance to stay at the zoo after hours, enjoy a two-course dinner and sleep overnight in one of the zoo's lodges - just round the corner from the lions.

By Donna Sachet-
Rockefeller Center in New York has a legendary Christmas tree that brightens the city every year.The White House in our Capitol has a tree each year that reflects the current administration.And the Castro of San Francisco has a holiday tree that has appeared every December for as long as most of us can remember.

The iconic Dancing Pig sign was unveiled with significant fanfare last Saturday at San Jose's History Park - the temporary vacation home for the restored neon beauty while Google begins construction on its Downtown West project.The hastily organized festivities were a true celebration of all things signs, with artists Tom Colla, Eddie Ramirez, Jorge "J Duh" Camacho, Ben Henderson and Suhita Shirodkar showing off their work.

Jeff Hughes | November 23rd, 2022
With today being a massive travel day, DBB will take a brief two-day movie sabbatical and return Friday with the game preview and prediction for Bears at Jets. (There's no preview to write before we have an injury status update.)I don't think what follows required much of a preamble.