Santa Claus

The Boston Celtics clearly reside on the "naughty list" as far as the NBA scheduling czar is concerned. "They told me we were playing on Christmas Day and I didn't really look at it, I just assumed it was at home," Coach Doc Rivers told reporters Tuesday. The Celtics have never played a home game on Christmas Day -- but have gone 19-15 on the road and at neutral sites.

All he wants for Christmas is a good defense attorney. A man ordered by a civil court judge not to associate with members of his street gang was charged with violating that injunction by flashing gang signs in a photo taken with Santa Claus at an Orange shopping center.

The Santa Claus of this bleak desert outpost wears a polo shirt with a pack of Camel Lights in the pocket and a pair of suspenders stretched tight over his stomach.

Like their authors, each letter is unique. Some writers get straight to the point, like 10-year-old Neida, who wrote in black and red marker: "Dear, Santa Claws, I want a Nentendo D.

It's that special holiday time, that holiday special time. Every Christmas adds at least a few new films or cartoons to the canon, most of which, like Santa's own reindeer and sleigh, will fly off the radar.

Snuggle up and board one of the North Pole Express Trains at the Fillmore & Western Railway Co. for a pretend journey to the Arctic Circle. Kids can listen to storytellers while munching on cookies and milk, and word is that Santa and his elves will be in the house, er, rail car as well.

More than 150 bearded Santas -- looking relaxed, some clad in Hawaiian shirts, others in red suits -- gathered at a Buena Park hotel Sunday to reminisce about the busy holiday season and network over their next merry career move.

A famous Hollywood location had a seasonally appropriate visitor Sunday night. But when the man got out of his car in front of Grauman's Chinese Theater, it was clear this was anything but a standard visit from Santa Claus.