Christmas

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

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Trump Includes 'Scum' in Christmas Message

President talks border, economy as past presidents strike a different tone

(Newser) - President Trump used his Christmas greeting this year to again attack his political opponents, delivering a message that was heavier on his customary political talking points than it was peace on Earth. In a post Wednesday on X, the president wrote, "Merry Christmas to all, including the Radical Left...

Here's a 40-Minute Way to Improve Christmas
Here's a 40-Minute Way
to Improve Christmas
OPINION
Dec 25, 2025 9:43 AM CST

Here's a 40-Minute Way to Improve Christmas

Essayist suggests families read aloud the short Thornton Wilder play The Long Christmas Dinner

(Newser) - People like to groan about big family gatherings on Christmas, but an op-ed in the New York Times suggests that they instead lean into it with a unique suggestion. Jeremy McCarter writes that families should read aloud the short Thornton Wilder play The Long Christmas Dinner, with family members taking...

3 Palestinians Busted in Christmas Tree Arson

Catholic Church in West Bank gets a quick replacement

(Newser) - Three Palestinians have been arrested on suspicion of setting fire to a Christmas tree and damaging part of a Nativity scene at a Catholic Church in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Jenin, Palestinian Authority police said. Police said late Wednesday that the arrests were made after reviewing surveillance footage....

Faithful Converge on Bethlehem After 2 Years of Chaos in Gaza

Holiday spirit s in full force on Christmas Eve in West Bank city of Jesus' birth

(Newser) - Thousands of people flocked to Bethlehem's Manger Square on Christmas Eve as families heralded a much-needed boost of holiday spirit. The city where Christians believe Jesus was born canceled Christmas celebrations for the past two years, with Manger Square instead featuring a Nativity scene of baby Jesus surrounded by...

Santa Claus Is an ICE Agent in Ad Pushing Self-Deportation

AI-generated ad notes self-deportation bonus has been tripled for the holiday season

(Newser) - Santa Claus in tactical gear is the unlikely star of a new US Immigration and Customs Enforcement holiday campaign, the Independent reports. In an AI-generated video released by ICE, a muscular, bulletproof vest-wearing Santa Claus—complete with red suit, white beard, and weapons—is shown working alongside officers to detain...

No Christmas Pause in Migrant Arrests, Says White House

Trump team's reply to Florida Catholic bishops' request: President is keeping his deportation vows

(Newser) - Florida's Catholic bishops appealed to President Trump on Monday to pause immigration enforcement activities during the Christmas holidays. The White House, in response, said it would be business as usual. The appeal was issued by Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski, and signed by seven other members of the Florida Conference...

One Flavor Is Dominating Christmas Cookie Searches

Google Trends detects a lot of peanut butter hunts

(Newser) - What is America's favorite Christmas cookie? Good luck with that. All kinds of surveys have all kinds of answers, but a look at Google Trends suggests that cookies with peanut butter are surging in popularity this year, reports Axios . Searches for Peanut Butter Blossoms (usually with a Hershey's...

Santa's Cookies Cost 31% More This Year Than in 2020

That outpaces the annual inflation rate

(Newser) - Santa's sweet tooth is getting pricier. The cost of ingredients for a basic batch of Christmas sugar cookies is up 31% since 2020, outpacing the overall five-year inflation rate of 25%, according to a new analysis from FinanceBuzz . Add in the traditional glass of milk and carrots for the...

How We Really Feel About Giving Cash as a Holiday Gift

A new AP-NORC poll digs in on all things holiday-related

(Newser) - Welcome to exhausted America 2025: Most adults are more than a little fine with doling out cash as gifts, and many plan to be asleep before midnight on New Year's Eve, a new poll finds. About 6 in 10 Americans say cash or gift cards are "very" acceptable...

McDonald's Scraps 'Creepy' AI Christmas Ad
A McDonald's Holiday Ad
Is Creeping People Out
in case you missed it
Dec 14, 2025 2:10 PM CST

A McDonald's Holiday Ad Is Creeping People Out

Dutch holiday spot removed after backlash over AI-generated visuals

(Newser) - McDonald's latest holiday ad tried to skewer Christmas stress, but it ended up being pulled after viewers panned it as AI junk. The 45-second spot, produced for McDonald's Netherlands, used artificial intelligence to depict a chaotic "most terrible time of the year," with rapid-fire scenes of...

This Woman Really, Really Loves Christmas Ornaments

Christel Dauwe's Belgian shop houses 18K holiday trinkets; her personal collection boasts 64K more

(Newser) - Getting ready for the holiday season has never been stressful for Christel Dauwe—after all, her holiday period lasts all year long in her Christmas ornament shop in the Belgian city of Antwerp. Her collecting began in her teenage years, and she now has more than 64,000 ornaments in...

Santa's Little Spy, Elf on the Shelf, Turns 20
Santa's Little Spy Turns 20
Dec 6, 2025 1:45 PM CST

Santa's Little Spy Turns 20

That's a lot of spying for Elf on the Shelf

(Newser) - A few years ago, Kurt Neesley of Redondo Beach, California, was brainstorming where to put his family's Elf on the Shelf for his three kids to find the next morning. He decided to make it look like the doll, named Elfie, had painted on their kitchen wall. Neesley used...

Pavarotti Statue Encased in Ice Rink Prompts an Apology

Skaters invited to 'high-five' the opera legend, angering widow

(Newser) - A mayor in Italy has issued an apology after a bronze statue honoring Luciano Pavarotti, the celebrated tenor, ended up encased in the middle of a temporary Christmas ice rink, with skaters encouraged to "give [him] a high-five"—a move that his widow says "ridiculed" the opera...

Melania Trump Unveils White House Holiday Decor

First lady's theme is 'Home Is Where the Heart Is'

(Newser) - A week after welcoming the official White House Christmas tree , Melania Trump on Monday unveiled the White House holiday decorations with a theme of "Home Is Where the Heart Is." Her decor also nods to next year's 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence...

Air Force Base Families Told to Take Down the Christmas Decor

Directive comes from the private housing contractor for homes near Tyndall Air Force Base

(Newser) - 'Tis the season ... to hold your horses. The AP reports military families who live in a community of homes near Florida's Tyndall Air Force Base and put up Christmas decorations already were told they jumped the gun by their landlords. The Guardian reports a "tersely-worded memo" sent...

In Venezuela, It's Christmas in October

Nicolas Maduro moves up the holiday to Oct. 1, citing the need to boost his country's need for 'joy'

(Newser) - Nicolas Maduro is bringing good tidings to Venezuelans early this year, with Christmas festivities kicking off on Oct. 1—months ahead of the traditional December date. Maduro says the early kickoff is meant to inject some "joy" into a country facing mounting tensions with the United States, reports...

Santa Claus Has Neighbors and They Aren't Feeling Jolly

Santa's alleged home in Finland isn't hard for tourists to find, but it probably is hard to find parking

(Newser) - In a once-quiet town on the edge of the Arctic Circle, a whimsical marketing campaign has snowballed into a full-blown identity crisis, and it's all due to one very merry resident and lots and lots of tourists. The New York Times reports that the Finnish town of Rovaniemi has...

Trade War Could Already Be Affecting Christmas

Chinese producers of decorations say they're not getting the usual orders from US clients

(Newser) - April generally isn't peak season for Grinchy activity, but President Trump's tariffs may have already ruined Christmas for some Chinese exporters and their American customers. Producers of Christmas decorations in China say US buyers are normally finalizing their orders at this time of year, but with the trade...

Aussie Family Receives a 'Real Christmas Day Surprise'

Venomous tiger snake is safely removed from home after being found hiding under baby bouncer

(Newser) - One of the "most notorious" venomous snakes Down Under popped up where a parent would least want to find one—inside the house, on Christmas night. Per Yahoo News Australia , reptile catcher Mark Pelley got a call shortly before midnight on Wednesday after a family in the Melbourne suburb...

Cops: 4 Hurt in Family's Christmas Dispute at Airport

3 people were injured by gunfire, another by a stabbing at Phoenix's Sky Harbor Airport, per police

(Newser) - Police are investigating a Christmas shooting at Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix that left three people injured by gunfire and another person stabbed. Phoenix police said the evening shooting happened around 9:45pm local time at an airport restaurant outside the security checkpoints in Terminal Four. An adult female and...

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