Wiccan to sit out two Christmas songs
Fifteen-year-old Katarina Keen won’t sing along to “Silent Night” or “Listen to the Stars,” two Christian songs planned for her choir’s upcoming Christmas concert at Borger High School. But she will sing “Jingle Bells” and “A Carol in Winter.” Read full story from amarillo.com

Glitzy, fun – but soulful too
I grew up singing “Deck the halls with boughs of holly” but never actually stopped to think why we were decking the halls at all. Each year we take the time to decorate our homes during the festive season, hanging baubles on the Christmas tree and placing holly and ivy around the house but how many of us stop to wonder why we participate in such traditions? Read full story from ft.com

‘Druid’ ruse lured Island County girl to be raped
A 53-year-old carnival worker is being held in Alabama on a $500,000 warrant out of Island County for allegedly raping a girl numerous times after convincing her that the sex acts were part of a Druid religion, court documents indicate. Read full story from pnwlocalnews.com

Christopher Hitchens: Merry Christmas. Now, about that public display …
A reported scheme for a “nonreligious” celebration of Christmas in the Obama White House was over before it began, long before it could become part of that old seasonal favorite, “the war on Christmas.” I never believed the original reports anyway: The president has no need to incite those who already think that he is a closet Communist or stealth Muslim. Read full story from startribune.com