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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: Santa Claus

Santa Claus stories: 24 news summaries

1 - 20 of 24 Stories | 1 2 Next >>

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 Post Office  
 Drops North Pole 
 Letter Program 

Cancellation infuriates Santa's helpers in Alaska town

Nov 19, 09 12:18 PM CST
(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... More »

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Alaska • North Pole • sex offenders • Santa Claus • post office • US Postal Service • North Pole, Alaska • letters to Santa

(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... More »

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California • suicide • cocaine • murder • Los Angeles • Christmas • Santa Claus • Bruce Jeffrey Pardo

Killer 'Santa' Was Out to
Get His Mom

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

Dec 30, 08 2:40 AM CST
(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... More »

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California • murder-suicide • explosion • arson • Santa Claus • shooting • divorce attorney • Bruce Jeffrey Pardo

Melting Santa Suit Burned Killer, Foiled Getaway

Gunman found with costume fused to skin

Dec 27, 08 9:30 AM CST
(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... More »

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California • crime • murder-suicide • explosion • burns • getaway • arson • Santa Claus • shooting • costume • Bruce Jeffrey Pardo

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

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

Dec 26, 08 5:32 PM CST
(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... More »

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California • murder • massacre • Christmas • shooting rampage • Santa Claus • guns • Bruce Jeffrey Pardo

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

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

Dec 26, 08 2:03 PM CST
(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... More »

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crime • murder • bomb • Christmas • shooting rampage • Santa Claus • shooting • shooters • Bruce Jeffrey Pardo

 Death Toll Hits 8 
 in 'Santa' Slayings 

Engineer carried firestarting device disguised as a gift

Dec 26, 08 3:01 AM CST
(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... More »

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Los Angeles • arson • Christmas • Santa Claus • shooting • Bruce Jeffrey Pardo

UPDATED

Police Find More Santa Shooting Victims in Ashes

Charred bodies at suburban LA home where 3 already confirmed dead

Dec 25, 08 12:58 PM CST
(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... More »

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Los Angeles • Christmas • Santa Claus • shooting • house fire • Bruce Jeffrey Pardo

UPDATED

Santa Shooting Suspect Commits Suicide

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

Dec 25, 08 11:35 AM CST
(AP) - 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... More »

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Los Angeles • Christmas • Santa Claus • shooting • house fire • fire • Bruce Jeffrey Pardo

 3 Dead in LA 'Santa' Shooting 

Man opened fire at Christmas Eve party

Dec 25, 08 9:39 AM CST
(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... More »

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crime • marriage • Christmas • party • Santa Claus • shooting • fire

 Santa Gets 
 Help From 
 Cousin 
 Pancho 

Barrio folk hero sports a lowrider, elf entourage

Dec 24, 08 3:02 PM CST
(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... More »

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Texas • Mexico • Houston • San Antonio • Christmas • Santa Claus • Mexican-Americans • Pancho Claus

 Under the Tree: Medical Myths 

Recent study debunks seasonal misconceptions

Dec 21, 08 6:21 PM CST
(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
... More »

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health • list • Santa Claus • health risks • suicide rate • toxic plants • poinsettias

OPINION

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

Parents sharply divided on whether to pretend for sake of kids

Dec 21, 08 1:32 PM CST
(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... More »

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parenting • children • parents • Christmas • Santa Claus

They Used to Laugh and Call Her Names

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

Dec 19, 08 1:07 PM CST
(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,... More »

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wildlife • Christmas • Santa Claus • reindeer • Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

 Physics Fuels Santa's Magic 

Nanotechnology, space-time distortions enable Christmas miracles

Dec 15, 08 4:15 PM CST
(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... More »

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humor • physics • holiday • Christmas • gift • Santa Claus • nanotechnolgy

 Suri Pans Dad's Santa Act 

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

Dec 15, 08 10:08 AM CST
(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... More »

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Tom Cruise • Katie Holmes • celebrity • Christmas • Santa Claus • Suri Cruise • celebrity parents • celebrity baby

Downturn Naughty, Not Nice
to Seasonal Santas

Recession killing to holiday cheer

Dec 10, 08 1:23 PM CST
(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... More »

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recession • Christmas • Santa Claus • financial crisis • holiday season • St. Nicholas • Kris Kringle

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

Gigs cut, pay slashed, big elf not so jolly

Nov 23, 08 7:00 AM CST
(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. More »

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holiday • Christmas • Santa Claus • This Christmas • financial crisis • holiday season • Christmas shopping

When Good
Santas
Turn Bad

Father Christmas 'union' erupts in naughty bickering

Jul 10, 08 4:04 AM CDT
(Newser) - It may be summertime but things are still pretty frosty within one of the country's biggest organizations of Santa Clauses, the Wall Street Journal reports. Members of the Amalgamated Order of Real-Bearded Santas are accusing each other of profiteering and other naughty behavior. St. Nicks have been departing by the... More »

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rivalry • Christmas • Santa Claus • organization

Santa Claus Nailed to Cross

Xmas protest angers neighbors

Dec 24, 07 8:52 AM CST
(Newser) - A Washington state man's personal protest against the commercialism of Christmas is upsetting his new neighbors, and it's not too hard to understand why. A headless Santa Claus sings Christmas carols on Art Conrad's front porch, and another life-size Santa hangs crucified on a 15-foot cross in his yard. More »

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protests • Seattle • Santa Claus • commercialism • Bremerton • crucified Santa • headless Santa • Art Conrad

1 - 20 of 24 Stories | 1 2 Next >>


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