Results released in girlโs request for DNA evidence of Santa
The Rhode Island Department of Health says it was not able to definitively confirm or refute the presence of Santa in a young girlโs home after she requested to have a partially eaten cookie and a couple of gnawed-on carrot sticks tested for DNA to see if Santa Claus is real.
Asia Today: Beijing tells residents to stay put for holidays
Visitors to a mall with a monster themed festival wears masks to protect from the coronavirus in Beijing Saturday, Dec. 26, 2020. Beijing is conducting testing on a limited scale in the neighborhoods and workplaces where the cases were found. Japan had 3,823 new cases Friday for a national total of 213,547, with 3,155 deaths, the health ministry said. โ South Korea has reported another 1,132 coronavirus cases as the resurgence worsened over the Christmas week, putting pressure on the government to enforce stricter social distancing controls. On Saturday morning, 110 new coronavirus cases were reported, bringing Thailandโs total to 6,020.
Liberty University professor featuring in upcoming Santa history documentary
LYNCHBURG, Va. โ A Liberty University history professor is giving a lesson, not on topics like war or democracy, but on Santa Claus. Dr. Carey Roberts is appearing in a new documentary titled โThe True Saint Nicholas.โItโs about how the man with the long white beard and the red suit has changed with Americaโs cultural shifts. Roberts said the jolly old man we know him as today was created in the 1920s and 30s when Coca-Cola hired a Swedish artist for a national campaign. โHe drew on this New York image of Santa Claus and really produced the modern Santa Claus we have today, so itโs a Southern beverage company, itโs a Swedish immigrant and itโs a New York tradition,โ said Roberts. He said before that time, most Americas wouldโve been visited by โFather Christmasโ or โSaint Nicholas.โ
Christmas in Florida: Chilly forecast, falling iguanas
The National Weather Service earlier this week warned that South Florida could experience the coldest Christmas Day in 21 years. Morning lows on Saturday could drop into the low 30s and 40s degrees Fahrenheit, the weather service said. Much colder temps expected for Christmas," the National Weather Service in Miami tweeted earlier this week. A squall line with severe storms and fast-moving winds also was headed for north Florida on Christmas Eve. The pandemic also was impacting a Space Coast tradition โ Surfing Santa Day, which takes place the day before Christmas.
Follow Santaโs Christmas journey with NORADโs Santa Tracker
Thursday marks Christmas Eve and you know what that means... Santa Claus is coming to town! CLICK HERE TO TRACK SANTAโS JOURNEYEvery Christmas Eve, there are men and women in the military who have the best job of all. They get to follow along as Jolly Saint Nick treks around the world to deliver presents to everyone on the nice list. The North American Aerospace Defense Command created the Santa Tracker, which allows you to see where Santa is in the world and just how close he is to delivering your presents. You can follow along with NORADโs interactive map or on Twitter where officials are updating where Santa is.
Man dressed as Santa rescued from power lines in California
In this photo provided by the California Highway Patrol, a man dressed as Santa Claus who was flying on a powered parachute on his way to deliver candy canes to children is seen stuck on power lines in Rio Linda, Calif., on Sunday, Dec. 20, 2020. The incident happened shortly after the man took off near a school in Rio Linda and then hit and became suspended in power lines, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman told KCRA-TV. (California Highway Patrol via AP)RIO LINDA, Calif. โ Santa found himself a little more tied up than usual this time of year. A Northern California man impersonating Santa Claus and flying on a powered parachute was rescued Sunday after he became entangled in power lines, authorities said. He flew into a maze of power lines and wound up suspended in them, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman told KCRA-TV.
When you can see Santa in Christiansburg this holiday season
CHRISTIANSBURG, VA. โ While the CDC said Santa Claus is immune from COVID-19, heโs still doing what he can to keep others safe. That means this year heโs getting a special tour of the Christiansburg area thanks to the local fire department. If you see the Christiansburg Fire Department with its lights on and sirens blaring down the road, make sure to do a double-take. The department is giving Santa a special escort this year on top of a fire truck. Seeing Santa roll down their street was the highlight for many kids bundled up braving the flurries Monday night.
In Greece, political spat over lockdown turns personal
A spat has erupted over competing claims that the prime minister and his main rival broke the spirit of pandemic restrictions that have renewed financial hardship for many voters. Conservative Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was photographed last weekend posing with his mountain bike, without a mask, alongside five motocross riders on a hillside trail outside Athens. Greece's lockdown rules exempt people who've gone outdoors for exercise, including cycling, from the obligation to wear a mask. Greeceโs pandemic death toll reached close to 3,100 on Monday, with most deaths occurring after Nov. 1. The current lockdown was launched on Nov. 7 and initially planned to last for three weeks.
The Latest: Washington state sees record hospitalizations
(AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)SEATTLE โ Health officials in Washington state said the number of people who were hospitalized to receive treatment for the coronavirus has reached a record high. The director of the state health department urged residents to cancel indoor Thanksgiving plans and those that involve large groups of family and friends. Authorities are strictly enforcing a lockdown and nightly curfew after a recent surge in COVID-19 cases. Health authorities announced 1,498 new coronavirus cases Sunday, along with 103 deaths, five less than the daily record set Saturday. Italy added 28,337 confirmed cases, raising to 1,408,868, the countryโs total in the pandemic.
Donโt worry, kids: Fauci said Santa has โinnate immunityโ from COVID-19, wonโt be spreading it
Santa Claus is coming to town and the only thing heโs spreading is lots of Christmas cheer. According to the nationโs leading infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the Man in Red is COVID-19 free. Fauci wants to assure those kids that Santa isnโt going to be spreading the infection to anyone. So, get the milk and cookies ready, kids! COVID-19 isnโt stopping Santa from visiting your home this Christmas.
Sorry, Grinch. Virus won't stop NORAD from tracking Santa
FILE - In this Dec. 23, 2019, file photo a playbook sits next to a telephone set up in the NORAD Tracks Santa center at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colo. The North American Aerospace Defense Command has announced that NORAD will track Santa on December 24, just as it has done for 65 years. The global pandemic won't stop them from tracking Santa Claus' progress as he delivers gifts around the globe on Christmas Eve. The North American Aerospace Defense Command has announced that NORAD will track Santa on Dec. 24, just as it has done for 65 years. Besides the call center, the NORAD Tracks Santa website โ noradsanta.org โ as well as social media pages, Amazon Alexa, Onstar and a new mobile app will still be available with up-to-the-minute details on Santa's location.
Rudolph, Santa figures soar to sale of $368,000 at auction
A buyer shouted out with glee that they would pay $368,000 for the Rudolph and Santa Claus figures used in the perennially beloved Christmas special โRudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.โBidding for the figures soared past the projected sale price of between $150,000 and $200,000 on Friday at the Icons & Legends of Hollywood Auction held in Los Angeles by Profiles in History. The 6-inch-tall Rudolph and 11-inch-tall Santa were made in Tokyo of wood, wire, cloth and leather, and are still malleable. Other highlights from the two-day auction include Marilyn Monroe's tiger-striped gown from โThe Seven Year Itch,โ which sold for a whopping $593,750. Another Monroe gown that she wore when she met Queen Elizabeth II at a London film premiere went for $294,400. A Scarlett OโHara dress that Vivien Leigh wore in โGone With the Windโ and Gene Kellyโs rain suit from โSingin' in the Rainโ sold for $150,000 apiece.
Here comes Santa Claus - with face masks and plexiglass
Santa Claus is coming to the mall just don't try to sit on his lap. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)NEW YORK โ Santa Claus is coming to the mall โ just donโt try to sit on his lap. Kids will instead tell Santa what they want for Christmas from six feet away, and sometimes from behind a sheet of plexiglass. Santa and his visitors may need to wear a face mask, even while posing for photos. And Brookfield teamed up with virtual Santa company JingleRing, giving people a way to chat with Santa from home.
Busch Gardens to hold new limited-capacity Christmas event
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. โ With Halloween behind us, many people are looking ahead to the holidays. If youโre feeling festive, Busch Gardens has introduced a brand new Christmas event โ theyโre calling it "Christmas Celebrationโ. The festivities will include sparkling lights, decorations, festive food and live seasonal music. Santa Claus will be there to greet kids from a distance and there will also be a gingerbread scavenger hunt throughout the park. The event starts Nov. 13 and runs through Jan. 3.
Santa Claus won't be coming to Macy's this year
FILE - Santa Claus waves during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Nov. 28, 2019, in New York. Macy's said Santa Claus won't be greeting kids at its flagship New York store this year due to the coronavirus, interrupting a holiday tradition started nearly 160 years ago. However, Macy's said the jolly old man will still appear at the end of the televised Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. But he will still appear at the end of the televised Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, the company said. Macy's has been using Santa Claus to draw crowds to its New York store since the early 1860s, calling itself โThe Home of Santa Claus" for decades.
Coronavirus halts The Santa Train, but St. Nick still delivering
KINGSPORT, Tenn. โ Santa Claus is not coming to town like he normally would this year. The Santa Train announced on Facebook today that it will reimagine the 78th annual holiday event to โprovide a safe alternativeโ during the coronavirus pandemic. Usually on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, The Santa Train travels a 110-mile route through the mountains of Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee to deliver gifts to those in passing towns. Instead of the traditional celebration, the train will be delivering gifts on Saturday, November 21, at select Food City locations along the route. More details about where gifts can be picked up will be announced on The Santa Trainโs social media accounts in the coming months.
โBlue Santaโ spends day after Christmas spreading cheer at Carilion Childrenโs Hospital
ROANOKE, Va. โ Chritsmas may be over, but Santa Claus still had one last stop to make in Roanoke. The Roanoke Police Department accompanied Santa as he visited families at the Carilion Childrenโs Hospital. That included 7-year-old Declan Nichols and his family. โWhat we thought was a stomach bug turned out to be a ruptured appendix,โ said Christopher Nichols, Declanโs father. โItโs been wonderful, itโs been great," Christopher Nichols said.
Santa Claus brings holiday cheer to Illuminights
ROANOKE COUNTY, Va. โ What makes 500,000 lights shine even brighter? A visit from Santa Claus, of course! Santa Claus visited the popular Roanoke County holiday lights attraction at Explore Park on Monday night. Santa is available for stories and photos at Illuminights on the following dates: Dec. 16-19 and 23. For more ticket prices, other dates and information, click here.