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Christmas

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Listen to Bob Dylan Read ‘’Twas the Night Before Christmas’

A favorite voice interprets a classic

The entrance to the Pavilion Kuala Lumpur mall is covered with sparkling archways.

Giant Christmas Displays Are Taking Over Malls Throughout Asia

These malls know how to get into the holiday spirit

A pile of letters wait to be loaded in a sorting machine at a USPS processing and distribution center.

Have Bad Handwriting? The U.S. Postal Service Has Your Back

Don’t worry, your Christmas gifts and cards will make it to their destination, even if your writing looks like chicken scratch

Coast Redwood trees are one of the more than 200 species threatened by extinction around the world.

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Meet the World’s Most Threatened Christmas Trees

Some conifers’ survival is endangered by disease, deforestation and competition

The Catalan Nativity character known as Caganer in the Santa Llucia Christmas Market, Barcelona, Spain.

Catalonia

Catalonian Nativity Scenes Feature a Man Pooping in the Manger Scene’s Corner

Kids also celebrate Christmas by beating a log until it poops out treats

Cool Finds

A Brief History of Figgy Pudding

The dense, spicy dish has been giving good cheer for centuries

Jon Lovitch stands in front of the 2013 incarnation of GingerBread Lane. The village becomes larger and more elaborate each year.

Behold: The World’s Largest (Three-Ton) Gingerbread Village

Experience the glory of GingerBread Lane

Part of the Capitol Christmas Tree's splendor comes from marine debris collected along the Alaska coast.

Cool Finds

The Capitol’s Christmas Tree Is (Partially) Made of Trash

Marine debris bedecks a 74-foot tree from Alaska

The young researchers noted a sharp increase in silly science published during the British Medical Journal's Christmas issue.

New Research

Scientists Increasingly Describe Their Research As “Astounding”

The eyebrow-raising finding is just one of several papers published in the British Medical Journal’s traditionally lighthearted Christmas issue

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Test Your Smarts With the British Spy Agency’s Christmas Card Puzzle

Can you solve this head-scratcher?

The first Christmas Card

The History of the Christmas Card

Borne out of having too little time, the holiday greeting has boomed into a major industry

None

The ‘Charlie Brown Christmas’ Special Was the Flop That Wasn’t

In 1965, CBS gambled big on an animated spectacular that’s now become a holiday tradition

The 14-foot holiday tree at The Corning Museum of Glass contains 2,000 glass ornaments made by a team of glassmakers.

This One-of-a-Kind Christmas Tree Is Made of 2,000 Handmade Glass Ornaments

The Corning Museum in New York has a glittering holiday tradition of its own

Trending Today

It Can Take More Than 10 Years of Work to Get a Christmas Tree Ready for Market

Helicopters can speed along the harvest, however

A man dressed in a traditional Perchten costume and mask performs during a Perchten festival in the western Austrian village of Kappl, November 13, 2015. Each year in November and January, people in the western Austria regions dress up in Perchten (also known in some regions as Krampus or Tuifl) costumes and parade through the streets to perform a 1,500 year-old pagan ritual to disperse the ghosts of winter.

Austria

The Origin of Krampus, Europe’s Evil Twist on Santa

The mythical holiday beast is once again on the prowl, but beware, he’s making his way across the Atlantic

A Brief History of Sending a Letter to Santa

Dating back more than 150 years, the practice of writing to St. Nick tells a broader history of America itself

Best Gifts of 2015 for Museum Lovers

A host of gifts inspired by the Smithsonian collections, its scientists, curators, historians, photographers and gardeners

The Stockholm Guild, which runs the market, was founded in 1914 to bring the tradition of a Christmas market back to Stockholm (there was a Christmas market here as early as 1523).

Europe

Christmas Markets Might Be the Best Reason to Spend the Holidays in Europe

From mulled wine to intricate ornaments, Europe’s Christmas markets are a mix of food, goods and holiday cheer

That's it. Next year, everyone's getting coal.

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Americans ‘Returned’ Around $3.6 Billion Worth of Stolen Goods This Holiday Season

Billions of dollars worth of “gift returns” are actually stolen goods

Knott's Merry Farm Snoopy's Merriest Tree Lighting held at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, CA.

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CBS Executives Thought ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ Would Fail

There wasn’t much CBS executives liked about the Christmas special

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