Why You Make Christmas The Most Wonderful Time Of Year

ACROSS AMERICA — Good morning, and Merry Christmas to all who celebrate it! It's Dec. 25, and we hope you enjoy a magical day filled with love, laughter and the joy brought from celebrating with family or friends. We also hope you take a moment to check out a few inspiring stories of Christmas cheer and a few other headlines we're following this holiday:

• A telescope 30 years in the making will launch into space on Christmas Day.
• A delivery driver wished a new mom well. Strangers repaid his kindness tenfold.
• Embrace the holiday season with a Christmas movie marathon.
• An Annapolis home for sale channels the designs of Frank Lloyd Wright.

In so many ways, the holidays really are "the most wonderful time of the year." It's a time when neighbors help neighbors, and you don't have to look far to see heartwarming acts of kindness.

Take the selfless act of an Alpharetta, Georgia, teen who set aside his own "I want" list and asked for toys for kids who don't have homes — or much at all, for that matter. Or a New York father and son who has collected $15,000 for Make-A-Wish Foundation in the past five years.

Meanwhile, don't tell John Dyson that Santa isn't real. The Massachusetts man merrily carries on a family tradition started by his father: delivering gifts to homes and giving children a reason to believe in the season's magic.

In other words, Santa incarnate is everywhere, and you need not look far to find him. »11 Stories Of The Magic Of Christmas To Warm Your Heart, via Across America Patch

Telescope Launch: How To Watch

After 30 years and $10 million, the James Webb Space Telescope will say goodbye to Earth on Christmas Day when it launches into space, transcending telescopes before it and providing a stunning look into the early days of the universe.

The telescope — a joint project of NASA, the European Space Agency and Canada's space agency — will be the most powerful observatory ever sent into space. »Webb Space Telescope Set For Christmas Launch: How To Watch, via Across America Patch

Strangers Spread Kindness

A Georgia UPS driver just wanted to congratulate and check on a new mother while delivering a package. "If this is the 'It's a Boy' house … I hope all is going well with your newborn," Dallen Harrell said on Jessica Kitchel's home security camera. "I had a child at around the same time you guys did, and I just hope everything is going good. God bless and happy holidays."

Kitchel, touched by the gesture, posted the message to Instagram. Now Harrell and his family — including a new baby — have received gifts from strangers thanking him for his kindness. »UPS Driver Receives Baby Gifts From Strangers After Congratulating New Mom, via Roswell, Georgia, Patch

A Christmas Movie Marathon

Relax, get comfy on the couch, and embrace the Yuletide season with these holiday films featuring George Bailey, Ebenezer Scrooge, Buddy the Elf, Ralphie Parker, the Muppets, Grinch, jolly old Saint Nick and more. These gems are sure to spread holiday cheer — and, after all, you and your loved ones deserve a break after buying all those holiday gifts. »The 17 Best Christmas Movies To Watch This Holiday Weekend, via Hollywood Patch

More national headlines on Patch, other news websites:

• U.S. To Lift Omicron-Linked Travel Ban On Southern Africa
• Airlines Cancel Christmas Flights Due To Virus Staffing Shortages
• U.S. Children's Hospitals Filling Fast As Omicron Spreads: Report
• 'Unabomber' Moved From Colorado Supermax To NC Prison
• Photos: Most Memorable Pop Culture Moments of 2021
• FDA Authorizes Second Pill To Treat COVID-19 In Adults
• Joan Didion, Revered Author And Essayist, Dies At 87
• To Grandmother's House Or No? Omicron Disrupts Holiday Plans
• Holiday Movie Guide: 'The Matrix 4,' 'The King's Man' And More
• Biden, First Lady Make Christmas Eve Visit To Children's National Hospital, via The Hill
• Russia fines Google, Meta millions over 'failure to remove banned content', via The Washington Post

Around 'The Patch'

• Girl Likely Killed By Officer's Stray Bullet In LA Mall Shooting, via Los Angeles
• 3 Bystanders Shot In Illinois Shootout, 1 Man Still At Large, via Oak Brook, Illinois, Patch
• Staff Shakeups At TV News Stations Dominate CT Airwaves, via Across Connecticut Patch
• Office Cat Found In Rubble 9 Days After Deadly Kentucky Tornadoes, via Across Kentucky Patch
• 'We Are Empty': 3 Siblings Killed In Crash With Wrong-Way Driver, via Shreveport, Louisiana, Patch
• Amazon Driver Fights Off Dog Attack, Delivers Heroic Rescue, via Las Vegas Patch

House Hunting

Everything about this Annapolis, Maryland, home for sale is glamorous. With a design inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright, buyers can enjoy the view from their in-ground pool or the private dock. They can also cook dinner in the chef's-grade kitchen or relax on the screened-in porch.

This Day In History

In 1776, General George Washington crossed the Delaware River during the American Revolution and surprised the British at Trenton, New Jersey.

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