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July 2008
- When Good Santas Turn Bad
  
  Wall Street Journal | 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 sleighful to sign up for splinter Santa groups. More »
May 2008
- NYT 's Friedman: Call Your Mother
  
  New York Times | May 11, 08 10:19 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman has a piece of policy-free advice for readers today: “Call your mom.” His own died last month, and on his first Mother’s Day without her, he recalls her influence on his own optimism, which can be found “between the lines of virtually every column.” Without being naive, “she was the most uncynical person in the world.” More »
April 2008
- Matzo Shortage Plagues Passover in Calif.
  
  San Francisco Chronicle | Apr 22, 08 1:38 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - With Passover in full swing, Jews in the San Francisco area are enduring a shortage of matzo, the Chronicle reports. Most grocers were cleaned out Friday or Saturday, the first day of the observance, and with the holiday stretching to the weekend, the observant wonder how they'll manage without the staple food. More »
March 2008
- Easter Defies Madison Avenue
  
  Slate | Mar 23, 08 8:00 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Christmas’ religious meaning is lost in a sea of advertising, parties, and major retail dollars, but Easter has resisted becoming a “consumerist nightmare”—and that’s because its Christian origins demand serious thought, writes James Martin in Slate . While “the Christmas story is easily reduced to pablum,” Easter’s story of crucifixion and resurrection is “relentlessly disconcerting,” Martin observes. More »
- Peeps Fans Sweet on Easter
  
  Palm Beach Post | Mar 23, 08 7:30 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Brightly colored, sticky-sweet marshmallow Peeps have spawned a cult following unparalleled in the candy world. Aficionados of the line of Easter treats—ranging from sun-yellow chicks to bunnies and tulips—have created bizarre videos, Internet fan sites, diorama contests, and a microwave jousting game, the Palm Beach Post reports. More »
- Irked Irish Bar Bans 'Danny Boy'
  
  ABC News | Mar 17, 08 6:31 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - That annual Guinness-fueled serenade led by green-hat-and-bead-clad Yanks wearing "Kiss me, I'm Irish" pins won't be heard at Foley's Pub in New York today; barkeep Shaun Clancy has banned the maudlin lyrics of "Danny Boy" during the month of March, and especially on St. Patrick's Day. "Everybody thinks that after three pints, you're entitled to get up there and butcher the song," says Clancy. More »
February 2008
- St. Patty's, Holy Week Collide
  
  Boston Globe | Feb 21, 08 4:14 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - This year’s calendar sees St. Patrick’s Day (March 17) falling during the week preceding Easter, which has caused most organizers to move parades forward to avoid forcing Irish Catholics to choose between heritage and the church's Holy Week, the Boston Globe reports. South Boston planners, however, refused to reschedule the parade, which is still set for March 16, or Palm Sunday. More »
January 2008
- States, Sellers Drooling Over Gift Card Sales
  
  BusinessWeek | Jan 27, 08 2:19 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - After enduring tepid holiday sales, retailers are happily awaiting $8 billion from shoppers with unused gift cards—because only then can sellers claim the added revenue, BusinessWeek reports. But some US states say that their unclaimed-property laws enable them to extract a piece of the left-over card pie. What's really up for grabs is revenue from millions of cards that are lost or forgotten and go unspent. More »
December 2007
- '08's Ball Brightest in 100 Years
  
  New York Times | Dec 31, 07 2:41 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - The ball you watch drop in Times Square at midnight will be twice as bright as any of its predecessors, the New York Times reports, to celebrate its 100th anniversary. The first ball rang in 1908 with 216 light bulbs stuck to its 5-foot iron frame. Tonight, 1,200 pounds of crystal, aluminum, and LEDs will shine 30,000 watts across the crossroads of the world. More »
- Masses Wish Upon NYC Confetti
  
  CNN | Dec 30, 07 1:52 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Your wishes for world peace, greater height, smarter bosses, and healthy children will float down on Times Square tomorrow night among more than a ton of confetti, reports the AP. For the first time, Times Square is collecting messages to be printed and mixed in with the 1 ton-plus of confetti that will be dropped on revelers. More »
- Priests Brawl With Brooms at Church of the Nativity
  
  Times (UK) | Dec 29, 07 6:58 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - A holiday cleanup at the church built over the grotto in Bethlehem where Christians believe Jesus was born turned ugly Thursday, as Greek Orthodox and Armenian priests came to blows, the Times of London reports. Robed priests pummeled each other with brooms and stones in the Church of the Nativity for an hour before police broke up the melee. More »
- 'Christmas Punch-up' Rocks South Pole
  
  Guardian (UK) | Dec 27, 07 5:28 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - The North Pole is usually abuzz with activity this time of year, but the South Pole was rocked by a "drunken Christmas punch-up," between two men in a remote research station at the bottom of the world. The Guardian reports both men—one with a broken jaw—were airlifted out when US Antarctic headquarters found out about the booze-fueled brawl. More »
- Joker Sends Holiday Cards From Afterlife
  
  Associated Press | Dec 25, 07 1:37 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Chet Fitch got the last laugh on family and friends again, this time from beyond the grave. The 88-year-old, who died in the fall, arranged to have 34 Christmas cards sent this year, all marked with a return address of Heaven. "I asked Big Guy if I could sneak back and send some cards," Fitch wrote. "At first he said no; but at my insistence he finally said, 'Oh well, what the heaven, go ahead but don't (dawdle) there.'" More »
- Late Shoppers Spread Some Holiday Cheer
  
  Los Angeles Times | Dec 25, 07 7:30 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Shoppers swarmed in a last-minute buying binge that will help most, but not all, retailers make the season’s sales projections. For the week ended Saturday sales rose 33% over a year ago and for the final weekend of the season were up 18.7%, reports the Los Angeles Times . Still, “a lot of retailers are going to be disappointed,” said one analyst. More »
- E-Cards Spread Holiday Cheer, Viruses
  
  USA Today | Dec 24, 07 7:44 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Online greeting cards are all the rage this holiday season. They're mostly free, and can feature funny, interactive subjects ranging from elf tossing to reindeer arm wrestling. E-cards are also delivered instantly, an advantage for the forgetful around Christmas. But traditional cards are still the preferred way to spread holiday cheer, with 20 paper cards sent out for every e-card, claims the Greeting Card Association. More »
- Online Buyers Want Blenders, Not Diamonds
  
  New York Times | Dec 24, 07 3:03 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - With a shaky economy causing consumers angst this holiday season, online e-tailers say shoppers are opting for functional over frivolous. E-sales of furniture and appliances have spiked more than 70%, while sales of jewelry, watches, and flowers have dropped, reports the New York Times . “It’s certainly counter to our expectations,” said the CEO of Furniture.com. More »
- Retailers Await Last-Minute Gift From Shoppers
  
  Wall Street Journal | Dec 24, 07 9:17 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Last-minute shoppers navigated long lines over the final pre-Christmas weekend, nudging retailers toward the modest growth in sales they’d expected. Deep discounts cut into profits, but retailers like Macy's and Kmart stayed open around the clock to accommodate shoppers, the Wall Street Journal reports. “The procrastinators finally got out there,” one consultant said. More »
- Americans Falling Behind on Credit Cards
  
  Associated Press | Dec 23, 07 10:35 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - It’s already looking like an iffy New Year for many credit-card holders: the number of Americans falling behind on their payments spiked sharply this year and analysts don’t expect 2008 to be much brighter. The value of credit card accounts at least 30 days late surged 26% in October to $17.3 million, the AP found. Defaults—when lenders give up and write off the debt—jumped 18% to almost $961million. More »
- Docs Try to Diagnose Tiny Tim
  
  LiveScience | Dec 23, 07 3:39 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Armchair physicians across the web are trying to solve one of literature’s greatest mysteries: what the heck was wrong with Tiny Tim? All we know is that Dickens’ wretch was a small, sick, crutch-wielder, who was prone to weakness and doomed unless ol’ Ebeneezer loosened his purse strings. It’s not much to go on, but LiveScience has found some credible theories. More »
- Holiday Cheer Visits the Dead
  
  New York Times | Dec 23, 07 2:12 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Across the country, cemeteries are starting to look a lot like front lawns, the New York Times reports. Christmas trees, lights, garlands, and even free-standing Santas surround the dead. “The shopping, the dinners, the parties—you escape all that,” said one decorator. “It’s comforting.” But cemetery honchos are trying to crack down on the memorials, posting restrictions on gravesite adornments. More »