Latest Christmas News

Russia comes in from the cold, with flowers blooming around Moscow in January

Jan. 30, 2025 00:08 AM EST

January in Russia conjures up images of Muscovites crunching through the snow in bulky coats -- not bunches of delicate snowdrops blooming in grassy areas around still-standing Christmas trees. Instead of ice choking the Moscow River and the biting cold of the “moroz” – the...

Scottie Scheffler ready to play and commits to Pebble Beach

Jan. 24, 2025 15:50 PM EST

Scottie Scheffler has committed to play the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am next week, his first competition in about six weeks while recovering from a puncture wound to his right hand while preparing Christmas dinner. Scheffler had said at the start of the week the recovery was...

Schauffele withdraws from The American Express for medical reasons

Jan. 13, 2025 21:20 PM EST

LA QUINTA, Calif. (AP) — PGA and British Open champion Xander Schauffele withdrew from The American Express on Monday for medical reasons, the second highly-ranked player who had to pull out of the third PGA Tour event of the season. Scottie Scheffler withdrew last week, which was...

Pope Francis baptizes 21 babies in an annual ceremony at the Sistine Chapel

Jan. 12, 2025 19:24 PM EST

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis baptised 21 babies in the Sistine Chapel on Sunday under the ceiling frescoed by Michelangelo, in what has become an annual tradition that marks the end of the Christmas holiday period at the Vatican. Francis celebrated the Lord’s gift of faith to...

Pope asks aide to deliver his annual foreign policy address, tells ambassadors he's battling a cold

Jan. 09, 2025 04:49 AM EST

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis told ambassadors accredited to the Holy See on Thursday that he wasn’t up to delivering his annual foreign policy speech and asked an aide to deliver it instead. A congested-sounding Francis began the speech, greeting the ambassadors gathered in the Hall...

Ethiopians celebrate Christmas as natural calamities and conflict take their toll

Jan. 07, 2025 21:41 PM EST

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — Ethiopia’s Orthodox Christians are celebrating Christmas with prayers for peace in the Horn of Africa nation that has faced persistent conflict in recent years. Ethiopians follow the Julian calendar, which runs 13 days later than the Gregorian...

PHOTO COLLECTION: Orthodox Christmas

Jan. 07, 2025 06:40 AM EST
This is a collection of photos chosen by AP photo editors.

Scottie Scheffler withdraws from another tournament, hopes to play at Pebble Beach

Jan. 07, 2025 00:29 AM EST

DALLAS (AP) — Scottie Scheffler withdrew from The American Express on Monday, saying his right hand has not fully recovered from minor surgery to repair a glass puncture over Christmas. Scheffler, the world's No. 1 player, injured his hand preparing Christmas dinner, forcing him to...

Pope wraps up busy Christmas season by calling for culture of welcome in Christian communities

Jan. 06, 2025 05:23 AM EST

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis wrapped up a busy Christmas season on Monday by calling for the faithful to promote a culture of welcome and integration in their communities and reject discrimination. Francis presided over Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica to mark Epiphany. According to the...

Stock market today: S&P 500 rallies to its first gain since Christmas

Jan. 03, 2025 17:48 PM EST

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street snapped out of its holiday-season funk on Friday. The S&P 500 rallied 1.3% for its first gain since Christmas and its best day in nearly two months. Strength for Big Tech stocks helped it break a five-day losing streak, its longest since April, and...