Free Republic

PASADENA, Calif. (KABC) -- There's perhaps no better feeling than paying it forward during the holidays. Especially when the recipients are those who serve to protect our freedom; and when the gift is a little Christmas cheer. For the last 10 years, La Salle College Preparatory High School in Pasadena has hosted an annual Christmas tree sale and fundraiser. Those who purchase a tree of their own can also purchase one for a military family. "This year we are fortunate we donated over 160 trees to these families. And we're just really fortunate and blessed to have this opportunity to...

1997: Last Time 400 Mark Reached (AP) PHILADELPHIA -- Four murders on the day before Christmas pushed the city's 2006 homicide total to 400 for the first time in nearly a decade. The last time the city reached the 400 mark was 1997, when the year ended with 418 murders. That marked the last of eight years in the 1990s in which there were at least 400 killings, including a record 500 in 1990, according to police statistics. The spate of overnight violence started when pizza delivery man Michael Orlando, 43, was shot while trying to make a delivery...

The shiny new car, topped with a big red bow and parked in the driveway on Christmas morning, isn't just commercial fantasy or every 15?-year-old's dream. Luxury auto dealerships in the Washington area say about 20 percent to 30 percent of their December sales are purchases made as holiday gifts, prompting them to keep a hefty supply of oversized red bows. About 20 percent of customers buying cars at the Rosenthal Jaguar in Vienna, Va., this month are buying holiday presents, sales manager Ogun Yilmazer said. The dealership is usually in on the plan, dropping the car off at friends'...