Christmas Eve

This already figured to be one of the biggest calorie-consuming weeks of the year for me, so maybe the idea of a tamale tasting tour yesterday wasn't the smartest idea I've ever had. But I can tell you as I sit here, plump, satisfied and ready for a nap, that I have no regrets. It's Los Angeles, after all, and for many folks, tamales are part of the Christmas tradition. I figured that in the interest of public service, someone had to step up and do the difficult work of sampling some of the best.

Probably the defining moment over our holidays was when the little guy accidentally ker-plunked his Silly Putty in his sister's bowl of chili, causing a minor international incident. You might've heard her shrieks at your house, no matter where you live. This shrieking was followed by his mother's stern admonition that the little guy wash the Silly Putty thoroughly, lest the dog think it an hors d'oeuvre and we wind up spending Christmas night and $1,200 at the emergency pet clinic, waiting for it to clear his colon.

"We always go to your mother's for Christmas. For once, why don't we stay here?" laments a husband to his wife. Growing teary, she responds, "it won't seem like Christmas unless we're home." "But honey," he says in a weak voice. "This is home." Come Dec. 24th, where will you be? You may be an adult, perhaps parent to a couple of kids, but chances are good that you'll be packing up and combatting crowds at the airport to be at the home of your childhood on Christmas Eve.

A Claremont church's nativity display that showed gay couples holding hands was vandalized in an incident discovered Christmas Day that authorities are investigating as a hate crime. Claremont United Methodist Church has a Christmas tradition of unusual nativity scene installations that are intended to carry a social or political message. Despite some of the controversial topics, the installations had never been defaced, according to church officials and John Zachary, the artist who created them.

So you didn't make it out of town for the holidays this year, and the family didn't come to you, either; this is your golden opportunity to take advantage of that grandest of traditions, the Christmas Eve drink. Just about everything except bars will be closed, but you'll find plenty of company there, making merry, maybe even caroling. At the very least, you can give yourself the present of a good stiff drink. The Tap Room at the Langham Huntington Just because you're drinking alone on Christmas Eve doesn't mean you can't do it with class.

Probably the defining moment over our holidays was when the little guy accidentally ker-plunked his Silly Putty in his sister's bowl of chili, causing a minor international incident. You might've heard her shrieks at your house, no matter where you live. This shrieking was followed by his mother's stern admonition that the little guy wash the Silly Putty thoroughly, lest the dog think it an hors d'oeuvre and we wind up spending Christmas night and $1,200 at the emergency pet clinic, waiting for it to clear his colon.

For six hours on Christmas Eve, more than 40 musical groups representing the diversity of Los Angeles will host a free (even parking!) alfresco performance at the Music Center downtown. That should warm the cold, tuneless heart of any Grinch. Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., L.A. 3-6 p.m. Fri. Free. lacountyarts.org .

A six-hour-old baby girl was nicknamed "Noel" by Los Angeles firefighters after she was handed to them by her mother on Christmas Eve. The baby's mother brought the child to Los Angeles Fire Department Station 46 near the Coliseum about 3 p.m. Friday under a state law that allows new mothers to relinquish babies without facing abandonment charges, according to department spokesman Erik Scott. The baby and mother were examined at the station and found to be in good health, he said.

Today is Christmas Eve. Among the agencies affected: Mail: Most post offices will be open until noon and mail will be delivered. Banks: Most banks and savings and loan institutions will be open. Courts: All courts will be closed. Schools: Most public schools in Los Angeles County--including those in the Los Angeles Unified School District--will be closed until Jan. 4. Government: All federal, state, county and municipal offices--except those providing emergency services--will be closed.

The Obama family settled into their Hawaiian vacation this weekend, with the president making a late arrival thanks to the kerfuffle back in Washington over the payroll tax cut renewal. President Obama spent part of Christmas Eve playing golf with old friends from the islands and White House staff, while the first lady spoke with children who had called into NORAD's special Santa-tracking phone line. The White House released a transcript of the conversations, which show a first lady in classic Christmas story-telling mode.

Except for Jacob Fullmer, a 27-year-old staffer from a small town in Idaho, Mitt Romney headquarters here was empty on Christmas Eve. A former Blockbuster, with angled anti-theft mirrors lining the ceiling perimeter, the place had the feel of a hastily evacuated showroom. Staffers and volunteers had fled home for a short respite before this week's brutal lead-up to the first voting of the 2012 presidential campaign on Jan. 3. Fullmer, a paid field staffer who works 15-hour days and says the thing he loves most about Des Moines is his bed, was trying to stay upbeat.

SUNDAY Owners and players were naughty, but hoops fans must have been awfully nice, because "NBA Basketball" is finally back, baby. And that includes the Lakers battling the Bulls and the Clippers facing the Warriors. (ABC, 2 p.m.; ESPN, FS Prime, 7:30 p.m.) Fa-la-la-la-la la-la-la-la! Yuletide carols ancient and otherwise will be trolled at the "52nd Annual L.A. County Holiday Celebration," a reprise of the homegrown Christmas Eve event held at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

Christmas Eve Vy,11 Travis Ranch Middle School Yorba Linda In the village of Snowy Lake, cottages look like Christmas trees, strung with long colorful lights. Children sleep peacefully dreaming about beribboned boxes hiding presents. A faint sound of bells echoes across the sky and a merry laugh choruses through Snowy Lake. With a brown sack slung over his shoulder, a jolly man in red slides down chimneys, his warm amber eyes glimmering with joy. He reaches in the bag and pulls out small presents wrapped with beautiful red paper that says, 'Merry Christmas, from Santa to Snowy Lake.' With a snap of his fingers the man vanishes in a flash of sparks, and all that's left of him is his joyful laugh and the jingling of the bells on the reindeer.

"The Lucky Lottery" Ron Roy Has anything ever been stolen from you? If so, then maybe you should read this book. A grandfather sends a $-million winning lottery ticket to his grandson. Before he can cash it, someone steals into the house and steals it! Now, Dink, Ruth Rose and Josh try to track the thief. Will the stolen ticket ever be found? Read the book! Reviewed by Jesika, 9 R.D. White Elementary Glendale "The Nutcracker Ballet" Deborah Hautzig It is Christmas Eve, Marie and her brother are waiting for the party in the living room to begin.

"I can't! I'm not old enough, and I'm a girl!" "Never say 'can't', Chelsea. And girls can do everything boys can do. Who says girls can't be elves? I need your help. " My dad is never home early on Christmas Eve. He comes in late dressed in a Santa suit, carrying the cold inside, sometimes brushed with snow. He brings home other Santas and elves for cookies and hot cider. They all belong to CAP (Christmas Aid Program), which surprises needy families at Christmas. They laugh and say, "We've already had our Christmas!"

In the wake of "My Week With Marilyn," we now give you "My Christmas Eve With Marilyn," on the night a stranger suddenly showed up, unannounced, in Marilyn Monroe's Hollywood bungalow. The date: Christmas Eve, 1953. I met Marilyn the way I meet a lot of amazing women, at 2 in the morning Christmas Eve, the men folk long retired. They would be up late wrapping the last presents and polishing off a bottle of Champagne. When I land in the fireplace like 300 pounds of wet cement, they jump with surprise, then run to hug me. Santa baby!

More than 1,500 mourners turned out Friday for the funeral of nine family members killed during a shooting rampage on Christmas Eve. Cardinal Roger Mahony and Covina Police Chief Kim Raney were among those who attended the 10 a.m. Mass at Holy Name of Mary Catholic Church in San Dimas. A private funeral service followed at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Covina.

Immanuel Presbyterian Church presents its 26th anniversary season of Music at Immanuel concerts that includes the traditional performance of part one of Handel's "Messiah" on Christmas Eve at 10:30 p.m. The church is located at 3300 Wilshire Blvd. Information: (213) 389-3191, Ext. 103.

The Obama family settled into their Hawaiian vacation this weekend, with the president making a late arrival thanks to the kerfuffle back in Washington over the payroll tax cut renewal. President Obama spent part of Christmas Eve playing golf with old friends from the islands and White House staff, while the first lady spoke with children who had called into NORAD's special Santa-tracking phone line. The White House released a transcript of the conversations, which show a first lady in classic Christmas story-telling mode.

This already figured to be one of the biggest calorie-consuming weeks of the year for me, so maybe the idea of a tamale tasting tour yesterday wasn't the smartest idea I've ever had. But I can tell you as I sit here, plump, satisfied and ready for a nap, that I have no regrets. It's Los Angeles, after all, and for many folks, tamales are part of the Christmas tradition. I figured that in the interest of public service, someone had to step up and do the difficult work of sampling some of the best.