Christmas News

MSN has announced its list of top tourist destinations for New Year’s Eve 

1. Las Vegas, USA

Las Vegas bills itself as the world’s party capital and on New Year’s it hold back no stops. With The Strip filled with revelers, fireworks explode over the hotels and the casinos are packed. The showrooms are filled with entertainers including magician David Copperfield and The Doobie Brothers while nightclubs are hosting a list of celebrities such as Paris and Nicky Hilton and Britney Spears’ ex-husband Kevin Federline.

2. New York, USA

On New Year’s Eve, hundreds of thousands of revelers crowd Times Square for the famous ball drop from the top of one of the neon-lit buildings which has been a tradition dating back to 1906. Get there early — and don’t expect to be able to leave until the party really is over.

3. Boston, USA

First Night 2008 offers a list of events with New Year’s Eve activities taking place from 1pm to midnight on Monday, Dec 31 at over 40 indoor and outdoor venues. Popular attractions include a Family Festival at the Hynes Convention Center, gigantic ice sculptures, a fireworks display, and a Mardi-Gras style procession that sweeps through the streets of Boston.

4. Orlando, USA

Trust Walt Disney not to miss a party. The Walt Disney World Resort rings in 2008 with street parties, longer hours and fireworks galore.

5. Paris, France

Pack a bottle of champagne and some plastic champagne flutes to join the crowds along the Champs Elysees from where you can get a good view of the Eiffel Tower as it explodes in light at the stroke of midnight while other fireworks explode around the city.

6. Cancun, Mexico

For people who love sun, dancing and a lively crowd, Cancun is billed as a top destination for New Year’s Eve.

7. Miami, USA

As Miami grows in popularity as a vacation destination, it is becoming a party city at all times of year. A major benefit is the weather outside can be as warm as the party inside.

8. Honolulu, Hawaii

Enjoy a warm celebration in Honolulu where most hotels host big parties.

9. Manila, Philippines

Manila ushers in the New Year with a bang, quite literally, and with parties everywhere. Firecrackers and fireworks begin on New Year’s Eve and continue over midnight with the noise, based on Chinese belief, supposed to drive off evil spirits and bring in good luck.

10. Sydney, Australia

New Year’s Eve on Sydney Harbour is a spectacular event with boats galore out on the water and crowds holding picnics around the water waiting for the 12 minutes of intense fireworks at midnight. This year audiences will get a display involving 30,000 effects, six barges located across the harbour, eight City buildings and, of course, the famous arches and roadways of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Happy new year!

Christmas Eve will bring us the best look at Mars we’ve had in a couple of years — the brightest, in fact, that we’ll see the red planet until 2016.
On Christmas Eve, Mars will shine brighter than any star in the sky. Only the moon, which will be nearly full that night, and Venus are brighter. It will be visible in the evening but brighter late at night.

 Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after Mars, the Roman god of war. It is also referred to as the “Red Planet” because of its reddish appearance as seen from Earth.

Of all the planets, Mars’s seasons are the most Earth-like, due to the similar tilts of the two planets’ rotational axes. However, the lengths of the Martian seasons are about twice those of Earth’s

You don’t really need to watch on that one particular night. Mars is bright now and will remain bright for weeks afterward. But Dec. 24 it will be the brightest.