Santa Claus

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Dear Santa, Send Me a Mom (Not Clothes)

Kids' letters to St. Nick go way beyond toys, and often skip 'please'

(Newser) - Some are funny, some are sad; some ask for a microscope, some to be transformed into an elf; but the one thing kids writing letters to Santa agree on is: no clothes. So says a professor who analyzed more than 1,200 letters sent to Santa, from one child's heart-wrenching...

SANTA BABY, DID U GET MY TXT?

AT&T rolls out new way to contact the man in red

(Newser) - After last year’s pedophile scare, the Postal Service has cracked down on adults who want to reply to kids’ letters to Santa—and AT&T is stepping in to keep the lines of communication open. Naughty and nice correspondents of all ages who want a speedy reply from jolly...

Post Office Drops North Pole Letter Program

Cancellation infuriates Santa's helpers in Alaska town

(Newser) - Furious North Pole residents are accusing the Postal Service of playing Grinch by ending its letters to Santa program—because it attracted a sex offender. Since 1954, the Postal Service has happily sent letters to Santa to North Pole, Alaska, where volunteers respond and mail them back with a North...

'Santa Shooter' Had Coke in His System

(Newser) - The California man who murdered his ex-wife and eight members of her family on Christmas Eve while dressed as Santa Claus had cocaine in his system, the Los Angeles Times reports. The coroner’s office said the cocaine was present in trace amounts and was only a contributing factor to...

Killer 'Santa' Was Out to Get His Mom

13 kids were orphaned by Pardo's rampage on Christmas Eve

(Newser) - The man who carried out a Christmas Eve killing spree dressed as Santa Claus had planned to kill his own mother, the Los Angeles Times reports. Bruce Jeffrey Pardo was furious with his mom for siding with his ex-wife in their bitter marital dispute and knew she was invited to...

Melting Santa Suit Burned Killer, Foiled Getaway

Gunman found with costume fused to skin

(Newser) - The California Santa killer, who committed suicide after massacring his ex-wife’s family, had planned an escape by plane—but he was foiled by third-degree burns as his Santa Claus suit melted onto his body, the Los Angeles Times reports. The explosion as he set fire to his ex-wife’s...

'Santa' Gunman Hid Son From Ex-Wife: Cops

Revelation of child from previous relationship stressed the Pardo's marriage

(Newser) - Bruce Jeffrey Pardo, who police say killed nine others in a Christmas Eve rampage in California, kept a child from a previous relationship secret from his ex-wife, the Los Angeles Times reports. Pardo did not support his physically handicapped 9-year-old son financially, but claimed him as a dependent for 7...

'Santa' Shooter Had Bomb, Plane Ticket, Cash: Police

Death toll at 9 after another body is found in ashes of Calif. home

(Newser) - The discovery of another body in the charred wreckage of a California home brings the death toll in the Christmas Eve shooting rampage to nine, ABC News reports. Police say Bruce Jeffrey Pardo, 45, suspected of shooting his former in-laws while disguised as Santa, had $10,000 in cash and...

Death Toll Hits 8 in 'Santa' Slayings

Engineer carried firestarting device disguised as a gift

(Newser) - The death toll in the Christmas Eve massacre by a California man dressed as Santa Claus has now risen to at least eight as more details of the rampage emerge,  the Los Angeles Times reports. Bruce Jeffrey Pardo first shot in the face an 8-year-old girl who answered the...

Police Find More Santa Shooting Victims in Ashes
Police Find More Santa Shooting Victims in Ashes
UPDATED
Dec 25, 2008 12:58 PM CST

Police Find More Santa Shooting Victims in Ashes

Charred bodies at suburban LA home where 3 already confirmed dead

(Newser) - Several more bodies are in the ashes of a suburban Los Angeles home that was the scene of a Christmas Eve massacre, police tell the AP. Authorities would not say how many bodies there were; three people were already declared dead after a man dressed as Santa Claus opened fire...

Santa Shooting Suspect Commits Suicide
Santa Shooting Suspect Commits Suicide
UPDATED
Dec 25, 2008 11:35 AM CST

Santa Shooting Suspect Commits Suicide

'Person of interest' in SoCal deaths found dead: cops

(Newser) - Police say the man suspected of opening fire last night at a Christmas party in suburban Los Angeles while dressed as Santa Claus has killed himself, the AP reports. The body of 45-year-old Bruce Jeffrey Pardo was found at the home of his brother early today. Police would not say...

3 Dead in LA 'Santa' Shooting
 3 Dead in LA 'Santa' Shooting 
Dec 25, 2008 9:39 AM CST

3 Dead in LA 'Santa' Shooting

Man opened fire at Christmas Eve party

(Newser) - Three people are dead and as many injured after a man dressed as Santa Claus opened fire at a Christmas Eve party, CNN reports. The suburban Los Angeles house was engulfed in a fire when police arrived, the AP adds, and Santa walked off in street clothes. Police are looking...

Santa Gets Help From Cousin Pancho

Barrio folk hero sports a lowrider, elf entourage

(Newser) - Santa's been getting a little help from his South Pole cousin, Pancho Claus, the lowrider-driving barrio folk hero who doles out gifts on both sides of the Texas border. Pancho takes different forms—sporting a red zoot suit in Houston and a sombrero and black beard in San Antonio—but...

Under the Tree: Medical Myths
 Under the Tree: Medical Myths 
Dec 21, 2008 6:21 PM CST

Under the Tree: Medical Myths

Recent study debunks seasonal misconceptions

(Newser) - Bending and breaking under holiday stress? Relax! The British Medical Journal has bah-humbugged six holiday health myths, the New York Times reports:
  • Night eating makes you fat: Calories are calories. When you eat doesn't matter; it's what you eat.
  • Poinsettias are perilous: Reported cases of human poinsettia consumption: 22,
...

The Kids Are All Right: Let's Drop the 'Santa Debate'

Parents sharply divided on whether to pretend for sake of kids

(Newser) - As if shopping for the last Malibu Barbie weren’t hard enough, Christmas is testing parents' psyches in more insidious ways, Carl Honoré writes in the Washington Post. “The Great Santa Debate,” about whether to keep up the St. Nick myth for children, “feeds into a broader...

They Used to Laugh and Call Her Names

Rudolph and Santa's other sleigh-pullers may be ladies

(Newser) - Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer very likely is a girl, or so say wildlife experts who’ve turned their attention to Santa’s lead sleigh-puller. Male reindeer typically shed their horns before Christmas, so popular images of Rudolph’s team with big, branched antlers would mean they might actually be female,...

Physics Fuels Santa's Magic
 Physics Fuels Santa's Magic 
Dec 15, 2008 4:15 PM CST

Physics Fuels Santa's Magic

Nanotechnology, space-time distortions enable Christmas miracles

(Newser) - New research has shed light on the amazing ability of Santa Claus to deliver presents to children around the world in a single night, Reuters reports. Santa is able to distort the space-time continuum, says a North Carolina State expert: "He understands that you can stretch time, compress space...

Suri Pans Dad's Santa Act
 Suri Pans Dad's Santa Act 
Dec 15, 2008 10:08 AM CST

Suri Pans Dad's Santa Act

Cruise isn't fooling youngest child with Christmas getup, promises improvement

(Newser) - Tom Cruise’s acting skills got a thumbs-down from a very important fan—his daughter, E! Online reports. Cruise, who always plays the role of Santa during family Christmas celebrations, said astute tot Suri recognized him immediately last year: “I did my best Santa impression. She looked at me...

Downturn Naughty, Not Nice to Seasonal Santas

Recession killing to holiday cheer

(Newser) - If you dress up as Santa Claus for extra holiday holly, you may need a miracle on 34th Street to make it through Christmas. The recession has spread to the North Pole, reports the Boston Globe, as Santas-for-hire find less work due to scaled-back Christmas party budgets and report rising...

Even Santa's Getting the Old Heave-Ho-Ho-Ho

Gigs cut, pay slashed, big elf not so jolly

(Newser) - St. Nick is already doing some serious belt-tightening in New York City as cash-strapped stores and malls head into the not-so-jolly season, thanks to the economy. Far fewer jobs and slashed pay rates are leaving wanna-be Santas with little clause to celebrate.

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