From department stores to grocers, many companies across the U.S. close early on Christmas Eve and shut their doors entirely on Christmas Day — while others opt to cut back hours

From twinkling Christmas markets across Europe to vibrant displays of poinsettia in Mexico City, the Christmas spirit takes many forms. John Yang takes a look at how Christians around the world are celebrating the season.

Fast solar wind and a possible glancing blow from a coronal mass ejection could spark auroras over Christmas. Stargazers may get an extra gift this Christmas, as the northern lights could put on a subtle show thanks to ongoing unsettled space weather activity from the sun.

Protestant churches align holiday celebrations with regular Wednesday night schedules, offering more candlelight services than usual across Birmingham.

To skirt the now-grating classics and AI slop, we’ve compiled a playlist of tunes spanning folk, R&B, and alt-rock, all from 2000 and onwards.

Chase branches will be closed on Christmas Day, with many closing early afternoon on Christmas Eve. Truist locations will be closed on Christmas Day, with the bank’s website saying that banking offices will close at 2 p.m. local time on Christmas Eve.

IF some of the stronger wind forecasts are correct, this will be a devastating wind storm in the Willamette Valley and at least parts of Portland metro area. We’ll hope that’s not the case

Here’s a rundown of the holiday hours for stores and services during the holiday stretch in Tampa Bay and around Florida: Publix: Open until 7 p.m. Christmas Eve. Closed Christmas Day. Winn-Dixie: Open until 9 p.m. Christmas Eve. Closed Christmas Day. Aldi: Open until 4 p.m. Christmas Eve. Closed Christmas Day.