Pilgrims, clergy come to Bethlehem for Christmas

Thousands of tourists, pilgrims and clergy converged on Bethlehem on Friday as the town of Jesus' birth prepared to celebrate Christmas Eve.

Boy Scout marching bands played in Manger Square, just outside the Church of the Nativity, which Christian tradition identifies as the site of Jesus' birth in a stable two millennia ago. Pilgrims lit candles inside, and Palestinian policemen deployed around the town to keep the peace.

"This is where Jesus Christ was born and walked the earth. So I just want to walk the same earth," said Mary Healy, a tourist from Independence, Missouri, who said she was in Bethlehem for the fourth time.

The Roman Catholic Church's top clergyman in the Holy Land arrived in Bethlehem in a traditional procession from Jerusalem just past midday. Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal was to celebrate Midnight Mass later at the church, the peak of the holiday's events in the town.

As he entered Bethlehem, Twal expressed his traditional wishes for "peace, love and unity among us."

But on an unseasonably warm winter day, when temperatures approached 70 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Celsius), he added another wish to his list, "which is to ask God to send us rain and winter besides peace and justice and dignity for all."

The normally rainy autumn and winter season in the Holy Land has been warm and dry — raising fears that the water shortage plaguing the parched region could worsen next year.

The Kardashians Celebrate Christmas Eve

It’s no secret the Kardashians love to have a good time and we have the pics to prove it! Khloe Kardashian put up photos from her mom’s Christmas eve parties through the years and everyone looks so happy and festive, we wish we were invited!

“Every year my mom hosts a huge Christmas Eve party and all of our family and friends attend — it’s one of my favorite holiday traditions,” Khloe, 26, wrote on her blog Dec. 23.

Simon's Xmas Sun Fun

Life must be tough for Simon Cowell.

While we're braving the UK chill, he's jetting about in Barbados.

But how are the other stars getting into the festive mood?

From Paris Hilton to La Toya Jackson, we've got it covered.

Find out here.

Top 10 Christmas songs of the decade

Top 10 Christmas songs of the decade

Christmas music boosts sales, it's been proven. Here are some seasonal favourites you'll be hearing on the high street


Christmas shopping

Love them or hate them, there's no chance high street stores are going to desist from the Christmas tunes. The likes of Mariah Carey and Slade singing about Christmas trees and Santa are good for business, making people much more likely to splash out on gifts, according to research from the music licensing organisations.

One in four people claim to be more generous when buying gifts if Christmas music is played, according to PPL and PRS for Music, the royalty collectors for songwriters and musicians.

Over the last decade they have seen a rise in Christmas-themed music played in stores and have analysed data from shops, radio airplay, television and live events to reveal Carey's All I want for Christmas is You as the most played from the last 10 years.

The Pogues' Fairytale of New York featuring Kirsty MacColl takes second place and Slade's Merry Xmas Everybody is third.

The licensing bodies have enjoyed rising revenues in recent years as they collect money from a wide range of businesses that use music from synchronised swimming teachers to internet video sharer YouTube. In an attempt to offer more support to a music industry battered by online piracy and changing consumer habits, PPL and PRS have been running a MusicWorks campaign to emphasise the financial benefits to retailers, pubs and others of playing music.

"Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without the music we all know and love. Not only does it make us feel good when we hear it, it also has a direct benefit for those businesses that use it to set an atmosphere and mood and so encourage us to purchase. There is no doubt from the extensive research we have done at MusicWorks that the power of music is such that its use by businesses in public can considerably affect consumer behaviour," says spokesman for the licensing organisations.

Their research, carried out with consultants Entertainment Media Research, claims 95% of people say they prefer shopping in stores that play music. But half of shoppers say Christmas music should only begin in stores in December.
The top 10 most played Christmas songs of the noughties:

1. ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU Mariah Carey (1994)

2. FAIRYTALE OF NEW YORK The Pogues (1987)

3. MERRY XMAS EVERYBODY Slade (1973)

4. STOP THE CAVALRY Jona Lewie (1980)

5. DO THEY KNOW IT'S CHRISTMAS? Band Aid (1984)

6. DRIVING HOME FOR CHRISTMAS Chris Rea (1988)

7. LAST CHRISTMAS Wham (1984)

8. I BELIEVE IN FATHER CHRISTMAS Greg Lake (1975)

9. STEP INTO CHRISTMAS Elton John (1973)

10. WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS TIME Paul McCartney (1979)

a christmas story

SOMETHING THE WHOLE FAMILY CAN PARTICIPATE IN!

Follow the story of little Davy who wants nothing more than a full line Carter electric train set for Christmas. The plan is in place, but will it pan out the way he intended? Read the story and see. However YOU'LL have to figure out the actual ending to the story by solving all 34 clues buried in the movie! Our movie adventure goes far beyond trivia. See A Christmas Story like you've never seen it before!

Plan something fun and different!

Gather the family together and enjoy each other's company playing a game that EVERYONE can enjoy. The young ones will have fun looking for the visuals while the adults will have a great time trying to figure out the minute details of the movie!

What do actual customers have to say about our Movie Adventures?

"Thank you, Joe. You've always had excellent customer service. We actually might play it this summer (A Christmas Story Movie Adventure), we love that movie year round. I was so glad that you wrote one for it. What about Pirates of the Caribbean or Harry Potter? We would buy those in a minute!" Thanks - Laura

"I used the Chronicles of Narnia movie adventure at my youngest daughter's 12th birthday party and it was a fabulous hit!" - Merida M.