Santa Claus will be dropping gifts down chimney’s in Houston within the next few hours, but some of our neighbor’s still need to put theirs under the tree.

It’s feeling a little magical outside.

Beloved cartoon characters like Snoopy and SpongeBob SquarePants are taking to the skies above New York City in the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

This year, skip the annual pilgrimage to meet Santa Claus at the local mall and try a festive breakfast and meet-and-greet instead. You can swap the claustrophobic crowds and long wait times for a custom experience, more time with the big man in red, and might fine meal to boot.

As the temperature drops (in many places), the holiday TV calendar is heating up with a variety of festive options.

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Santa pictures, Holiday lights, hot cocoa stations and so much more!

A bunch of Santa lookalikes have taken to the ski slopes once again to spread some holiday cheer.

Santa Claus is coming to town!

Overall World Cup champion Mikaela Shiffrin of the United States claimed a slalom event for a sweep of the two season-opening races.

Spain will end a mandate to wear masks outdoors next week, reversing a late December order against an unprecedented surge of coronavirus infections fueled by a highly contagious mutation.

The generosity of Houstonians was on full display on Christmas Day with all the giveaways taking place around the area.

Houstonians who either waited until the last minute or forgot something on their list making their last trip to the store.

Marines on snowmobiles helped Santa this month while delivering toys to boys and girls in Alaska’s Arctic.

Rest assured, kids of all ages: Santa’s coming this Christmas Eve, and a second holiday with COVID-19 won’t stop him.

It all began with an elf named Fisbee.

Pancho Claus is a rich tradition of giving that spreads throughout the Lone Star state. Pancho Claus is known as Santa Claus’ cousin from the South Pole. Richard Reyes, also known as Houston’s Pancho Claus, has dressed up in a zoot suit and made appearances in his low rider sleigh for Christmas for more than 40 years.

A Roman Catholic diocese in Sicily has apologized to outraged parents after its bishop told a group of children that Santa Claus doesn’t exist.

We’re used to seeing Santa at the mall, or better yet, on his sleigh delivering toys to children around the world, but you don’t see Santa (let alone hundreds of him) skiing or snowboarding down a mountain.

Britain’s government has tightened travel restrictions amid concerns about the spread of the omicron coronavirus variant.

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will return to its pre-pandemic form this year, with its route restored through Manhattan, high-flying helium balloons once again pulled by handlers and crowds welcomed back to cheer them on.

Visitors to a mall with a monster themed festival wears masks to protect from the coronavirus in Beijing Saturday, Dec. 26, 2020. Beijing is conducting testing on a limited scale in the neighborhoods and workplaces where the cases were found. Japan had 3,823 new cases Friday for a national total of 213,547, with 3,155 deaths, the health ministry said. — South Korea has reported another 1,132 coronavirus cases as the resurgence worsened over the Christmas week, putting pressure on the government to enforce stricter social distancing controls. On Saturday morning, 110 new coronavirus cases were reported, bringing Thailand’s total to 6,020.

Kids eager for the arrival of Santa Claus tonight can follow his journey across the globe using NORAD’s official tracker.

The National Weather Service earlier this week warned that South Florida could experience the coldest Christmas Day in 21 years. Morning lows on Saturday could drop into the low 30s and 40s degrees Fahrenheit, the weather service said. Much colder temps expected for Christmas," the National Weather Service in Miami tweeted earlier this week. A squall line with severe storms and fast-moving winds also was headed for north Florida on Christmas Eve. The pandemic also was impacting a Space Coast tradition — Surfing Santa Day, which takes place the day before Christmas.

In this photo provided by the California Highway Patrol, a man dressed as Santa Claus who was flying on a powered parachute on his way to deliver candy canes to children is seen stuck on power lines in Rio Linda, Calif., on Sunday, Dec. 20, 2020. The incident happened shortly after the man took off near a school in Rio Linda and then hit and became suspended in power lines, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman told KCRA-TV. (California Highway Patrol via AP)RIO LINDA, Calif. – Santa found himself a little more tied up than usual this time of year. A Northern California man impersonating Santa Claus and flying on a powered parachute was rescued Sunday after he became entangled in power lines, authorities said. He flew into a maze of power lines and wound up suspended in them, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman told KCRA-TV.

A couple dressed as Santa and Mrs. Claus were pulled over by Freeport PD Officer Willard in bodycam footageFREEPORT, Texas – Santa and Mrs. Claus’ jolly joyride on their “convertible sleigh” caught the attention of a police officer in Freeport, Texas. In a video from Freeport PD’s Facebook page, Officer Willard pulled over the “convertible sleigh” and greeted them with a “Ho Ho Ho.”Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus get stopped in their convertible sleigh for having a taillight out. Officer Willard is so excited to see the big red guy, he let's them go with a warning! 🎅🏼 Posted by Freeport Police Department - Texas on Friday, December 11, 2020The convertible they were riding on had a broken taillight, according to Officer Willard. “You can’t fit too many presents in it, though,” Officer Willard told Santa and Mrs. Claus, pointing out the convertible’s trunk.

Jessica Kuhns with husband Robert dressed as Santa and Mrs. Claus (left) hope to bring smiles to kids during this holiday season. While husband Robert was Santa, Jessica joined in becoming the “Mrs. Claus” beside him in hopes to bring smiles to children this year. “Parents aren’t going to want to take their kids to a crowded mall just to see Santa,” Kuhns told KPRC 2. Posted by Jessica Kuhns on Saturday, December 12, 2020“We told her we would be honored to be their Santa this year,” Jessica told KPRC 2.

We all know it’s better to stay home than go out. Before you decide whether to stay or go, first step: evaluate your needs and risks. What are the ages of the family members traveling and where are you heading? Older members have higher risk while younger members are more likely to carry COVID asymptomatically. And when it’s finally time to celebrate, be sure to stay outside or in well ventilated areas.

A spat has erupted over competing claims that the prime minister and his main rival broke the spirit of pandemic restrictions that have renewed financial hardship for many voters. Conservative Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was photographed last weekend posing with his mountain bike, without a mask, alongside five motocross riders on a hillside trail outside Athens. Greece's lockdown rules exempt people who've gone outdoors for exercise, including cycling, from the obligation to wear a mask. Greece’s pandemic death toll reached close to 3,100 on Monday, with most deaths occurring after Nov. 1. The current lockdown was launched on Nov. 7 and initially planned to last for three weeks.

Putting hundreds of kids daily onto Santa's lap to talk into his face — that's not happening for most. Santas conducting in-person visits are using some combination of masks, the outdoors, barriers and distance for safety. The virus has many Santas and parents turning to virtual visits, which are booked through each Santa's personal website or agencies like Allen's. “You get a different energy,” Saunders said of the virtual visits. That's gone, so he's doing virtual visits and five days with a historic railroad in Pennsylvania.

“This year, Santa Claus decided to give his reindeer a rest, and asked his pals at the Lone Star Flight Museum if he could borrow their PT-17 Stearman for a Houston visit,” the museum said on its website. Visitors will get a chance to snap some socially-distanced photos with Santa in the Stearman. “Watch Santa arrive on our ramp and taxi to our museum,” the museum said on its website. “Guests will be able to take photos with Santa and our Stearman, make ornaments and coloring pages!”The holiday experience at Lone Star Flight Museum, 11551 Aerospace Avenue in Houston, will operate Saturdays Dec. 5 through Dec. 19. Searching for festive things to do around Houston this holiday season?

(AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)SEATTLE — Health officials in Washington state said the number of people who were hospitalized to receive treatment for the coronavirus has reached a record high. The director of the state health department urged residents to cancel indoor Thanksgiving plans and those that involve large groups of family and friends. Authorities are strictly enforcing a lockdown and nightly curfew after a recent surge in COVID-19 cases. Health authorities announced 1,498 new coronavirus cases Sunday, along with 103 deaths, five less than the daily record set Saturday. Italy added 28,337 confirmed cases, raising to 1,408,868, the country’s total in the pandemic.

FILE - In this Dec. 23, 2019, file photo a playbook sits next to a telephone set up in the NORAD Tracks Santa center at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colo. The North American Aerospace Defense Command has announced that NORAD will track Santa on December 24, just as it has done for 65 years. The global pandemic won't stop them from tracking Santa Claus' progress as he delivers gifts around the globe on Christmas Eve. The North American Aerospace Defense Command has announced that NORAD will track Santa on Dec. 24, just as it has done for 65 years. Besides the call center, the NORAD Tracks Santa website — noradsanta.org — as well as social media pages, Amazon Alexa, Onstar and a new mobile app will still be available with up-to-the-minute details on Santa's location.

A buyer shouted out with glee that they would pay $368,000 for the Rudolph and Santa Claus figures used in the perennially beloved Christmas special “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.”Bidding for the figures soared past the projected sale price of between $150,000 and $200,000 on Friday at the Icons & Legends of Hollywood Auction held in Los Angeles by Profiles in History. The 6-inch-tall Rudolph and 11-inch-tall Santa were made in Tokyo of wood, wire, cloth and leather, and are still malleable. Other highlights from the two-day auction include Marilyn Monroe's tiger-striped gown from “The Seven Year Itch,” which sold for a whopping $593,750. Another Monroe gown that she wore when she met Queen Elizabeth II at a London film premiere went for $294,400. A Scarlett O'Hara dress that Vivien Leigh wore in “Gone With the Wind” and Gene Kelly's rain suit from “Singin' in the Rain” sold for $150,000 apiece.

Santa Claus is coming to the mall just don't try to sit on his lap. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)NEW YORK – Santa Claus is coming to the mall — just don’t try to sit on his lap. Kids will instead tell Santa what they want for Christmas from six feet away, and sometimes from behind a sheet of plexiglass. Santa and his visitors may need to wear a face mask, even while posing for photos. And Brookfield teamed up with virtual Santa company JingleRing, giving people a way to chat with Santa from home.

Santa Claus is coming to town!

FILE - Santa Claus waves during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Nov. 28, 2019, in New York. Macy's said Santa Claus won't be greeting kids at its flagship New York store this year due to the coronavirus, interrupting a holiday tradition started nearly 160 years ago. However, Macy's said the jolly old man will still appear at the end of the televised Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. But he will still appear at the end of the televised Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, the company said. Macy's has been using Santa Claus to draw crowds to its New York store since the early 1860s, calling itself “The Home of Santa Claus" for decades.

If you’re dreaming of a white (and orange) Christmas, Whataburger has the decoration for you. On Tuesday morning, Whataburger put out an inflatable Santa Claus decoration coming out of a Whataburger cup. The inflatable spans 7-and-a-half feet, according to the San Antonio-based restaurant chainThe decoration is ideal for holiday yard art and can complement Whataburger’s orange beanie and scarf set. That’s not the only Christmas gift Whataburger has planned, though. The restaurant teased to another “big holiday announcement” coming next week in a news release.