holiday season

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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...

Ditch the Bells, It's Time for a New Jingle
Ditch the Bells, It's Time
for a New Jingle
HOLIDAY MUSIC GUIDE

Ditch the Bells, It's Time for a New Jingle

Chronicle compiles list of reworked holiday faves

(Newser) - Chestnuts may still be roasting on an open fire, but that doesn’t mean you can’t refresh your Christmas playlist. The San Francisco Chronicle compiles a list of new twists on old favorites to help you give the jingle bells a rest:
  • Sufjan Stevens, "That Was the Worst
...

Xmas Cards Reflect Country's Somber Mood

Glitzy cards picturing holiday excess are out; simple and traditional is in

(Newser) - Greeting card companies have noticed a big shift in what Americans want from their season’s greetings this year, the Wall Street Journal reports. As economic worries mount, glitzy holiday cards have fallen out of favor fast. Designers have made this year's cards more traditional, deepening reds and greens and...

Strapped Budgets Make for Better Gifts


 Strapped Budgets 
 Make for Better Gifts 
opinion

Strapped Budgets Make for Better Gifts

Use a signature gift to cut costs, give meaningfully

(Newser) - Tight budgets are forcing Americans to skirt the season's traditional buying frenzy and make gifts that put "emphasis on people, not stuff," Melissa Magsaysay writes in the Los Angeles Times. She's creating "a creative signature gift" of Ugandan beads that she's turning into bracelets: The...

Secrets of A Christmas Story
 Secrets of A Christmas Story 

Secrets of A Christmas Story

(Newser) - A Christmas Story is beloved by all, as evidenced by the enduring Christmas Eve marathons on TBS. But there are probably some things you don’t know about the timeless flick. The Cleveland Plain-Dealer runs down 25 of them.
  • The Cleveland house used for exterior shots is now a museum
...

Zoo Makes Gifts from Reindeer Poo

(Newser) - Reindeer have found yet another way to give of themselves for our holiday benefit. An Illinois zoo is selling Christmas tree ornaments fashioned from the creatures' droppings, the Bloomington-Normal Pantagraph reports. The small droppings are dried, painted, and incorporated into whimsical designs. The $5 gifts have been dubbed “magical...

Planned Parenthood Offers Gift Certificates

Patients can use money toward health exams—and abortion

(Newser) - Planned Parenthood of Indiana is making gift certificates available for the holiday season, infuriating right-to-life groups, WISH-TV reports. Though the certificates can be used for abortion, a Planned Parenthood representative said “they really are intended for preventative health care,” like breast exams and STD tests. The hope is...

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.

Oprah's Newest Favorite Thing: Thrift

Talk-show host's holiday goodie bag will be unusually downscale this year

(Newser) - Oprah’s favorite things this year are cheap, cheap, cheap, Us Magazine reports. The TV host, who usually gives away pricey items on an annual holiday show, will bow to the economy and push affordable stocking-stuffers instead. The Nov. 26 airing also includes DIY tips, with viewers meeting “a...

Stories 41 - 49 | << Prev