World Celebrations
Millions gather worldwide to ring in new year
Multicolored starbursts and gigantic sparklers lit the midnight sky over Sydney Harbour in a dazzling fireworks display that was witnessed by 1.5 million enthusiastic spectators.
Christmas Eve on streets in Ho Chi Minh City
Christmas Eve on the streets of Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, people come out to celebrate the unofficial holiday in their thousands, Dec 24, 2010.
Obama eases into Hawaiian holiday
US President Barack Obama eased into the first day of his Hawaiian vacation, opting for privacy over publicity after wrapping up a frenzied lame-duck legislative session.
Festive cheer, Afghan-style, for US troops on the frontline
There will be no Christmas turkey and trimmings for US marines at Patrol Base Talibjan this year - a chemically heated meal of preserved meat is all the infantry men expect.
Iceland's 13 Santas give naughty kids potatoes
They don't wear red, and they're not jolly: the 13 Santas who usher in Christmas in Iceland are "descendants" of trolls and ogres who revel in terrifying young children.
Peak of X'mas experience a true winter wonderland
Canada on Wednesday reaffirmed Santa Claus as a Canadian citizen at a special citizenship ceremony in Calgary, Alberta, where 100 new citizens from 32 countries were sworn in.
Spanish Christmas lottery hands out $3 billion
Spain's beloved Christmas lottery sprinkled 2.3 billion euros ($3 billion) in holiday cheer across the country Wednesday, handing out winnings eagerly welcomed by a nation facing 20 percent unemployment.
Secret Santa spreads Christmas cheer with $100 bills
The Secret Santa Claus of St. Louis had no beard, no pot belly and no reindeer. She was a diminutive business woman, smartly dressed in a red beret jacket, blue jeans and a black scarf to fight the icy winds off the Mississippi River.
Christmas Eve work shutdown to spell mobbed malls
Stores are rolling out deals and expect to be swimming in shoppers on Christmas Eve as stragglers take advantage of a day off work. For retailers, the last-minute rush caps the best year since 2007, and possibly ever.
Greeks prepare to celebrate Christmas in austerity
Greeks are prepared to celebrate Christmas with tightened belts amidst a severe debt crisis and waves of protests over government austerity measures that seem to have dinted the spirit of consumerism, local businessmen say.
New Year's Eve in Beijing