WISHING you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas from all of us at the Herald Sun.
Christmas, New Year's survival guide
CLOSURES and altered timetables will mean it's not business as usual for services over the Christmas and New Year period.
Families pack the park for carols
THOUSANDS of families have gathered in Melbourne to watch one of Australia's most famous Carols by Candlelight.
Boxing Day sales start early
SHOPPERS can take advantage of the early start to Boxing Day sales, with the bonanza to begin online with David Jones having started its sales at 6pm.
Apple ad delivers sad message
APPLE'S latest ad "Misunderstood" is leaving viewers with impassioned and conflicting interpretations.
Sports quotes of the year
FROM Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath to Mike Tyson and Lance Arsmtrong, the best sports quotes of 2013.
Banned for flying flag upside down
SRI Lanka has barred the Australian owner of an exclusive hotel from returning to his adopted homeland after he flew the national flag upside down.
Police buy armoured tank for city
MANY complain about the lawlessness in cities, particularly at night, yet do you want police to buy an armoured tank? One department has.
Lost dog found after five years
A LOST dog belonging to the daughter of American Gridiron football great Joe Namath has been found after five years from a home, 320 kilometres away.
WANT to send your stuff toys on a tour of Tokyo? Ever thought about stealing the COUCH from a hotel?
IT'S not hard to warm to what the new Disney animated fantasy Frozen has in store for all ages.
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WE'VE toured the country for the brightest displays. Are Victoria's the best? Vote now. | Melbourne map
Read MoreSusie O'Brien Santa symbol of children's innocence
SUSIE O'BRIEN FOR all its commercialism, Christmas is a magical time, especially for children - and Santa is central to that whether the killjoys like it or not.
Baz Blakeney Life's a beach when you're coasting
BAZ BLAKENEY OUR coastline defines Australia in many ways, both in our eyes and the eyes of the world. Being creatures of the ocean is just our natural state.
Paul Ronalds Do help those who live in need
PAUL RONALDS AUSTRALIANS have a reputation for generosity and this year, from Syria and Jordan to the Philippines, children and their families need help.
Nuclear threat No tolerance for Iran's monkey tricks
ALAN HOWE IRAN may have sent a monkey into space but that doesn't alter the fact that it is a backward nation ruled by dangerous extremists.
Wendy Tuohy Wendy Tuohy at The Perch
Wendy Tuohy Read Wendy’s latest blog post and have your say on the topics that matter.
From around the site
My 'orgy' with Leonardo DiCaprio
FROM extras hitting on Leo to the 'intimidating' audition process, here's what really happened on The Wolf of Wall Street.
Stir over Bingle's latest topless pic
SAM Worthington is one lucky man and he wants the world to know. The actor took a picture of his new girlfriend in bed wearing nothing but a G-string.
Is it time for 'Fat Barbie'?
A PLUS-SIZE Barbie doll has sparked a heated debate about the doll's impact on body image.
CelebCon: Christmas is here!
Christmas is here and we take a look at how your favourite celebs are celebrating the holiday season. Featuring Beyonce, Rihanna and Miley C...
Nat Geo's best travel photos of 2013
TAKE a look at 10 amazing images from National Geographic Travel's daily photo feature, Travel 365.
Victoria
Bad drivers nabbed for 15,000 offences
Alex White POLICE have nabbed hundreds of dodgy drivers committing more than 15,000 offences during the summer crackdown on Victorian roads.
Car vandals break Christmas cheer
POLICE have warned of a wave of car break-ins after vandals broke into eight vehicles in Melbourne's north east overnight.
Victoria
We're shopping until we drop
EXPECT a lot of presents and lots of food over Christmas as we've spent a staggering $29.6 billion, with another $13.1 billion to go on the sales.
Villawood Asylum seeker gets Christmas reprieve
A 21-YEAR-OLD asylum seeker who was to be deported to Iraq where he says he could face a firing squad has won a temporary reprieve.
Fatal car bomb at Egypt police HQ
A CAR bomb tore through an Egyptian police headquarters, killing at least 14 people, in another attack on the military-installed authorities.
Banned for flying flag upside down
SRI Lanka has barred the Australian owner of an exclusive hotel from returning to his adopted homeland after he flew the national flag upside down.
Amelia back on a high note
Laura Jolly FOR the first time in three years, Amelia Ahlstroem is able to sing Christmas carols after life-changing surgery fixed her throat.
Baa-d Christmas present for Ho
Julian Kennedy SPRINGVALE'S Vu Ho is prepared to go to jail after his appeal to save his beloved pet sheep Baa was rejected by the High Court.
Dog rescued after falling through ice
Police officers don cold water survival suits to rescue a dog that fell through ice in Massachusetts. Courtesy: Wellesley Police
1:59Don't suck at new year's resolutions
Learn five simple ways to be the best next year and stay on track with your life goals.
3:15Worst Christmas gifts
Sports personalities from across Australia have recalled some of the worst christmas gifts they have every been given.
0:52Phonecrashing at the airport
Greg Benson takes revenge on people talking loudly on their mobile phones at the airport.Courtesy: Greg Benson
3:10
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Staff payouts cost Dees, Saints
MELBOURNE'S purge of senior staff cost the club more than $1.8 million, with the Dees racking up $3.1 million in losses.
Police slam silly Billie over car selfie
UPDATE: POLICE have slammed Geelong Cats footballer Billie Smedts for taking a "selfie" while behind the wheel.
League backs Demon pokies
THE Demons took $11.2m in gaming and social club revenue in 2013, with the AFL partly guaranteeing Melbourne's loan.
MCG ton to cap big year for Warner
AUSTRALIANS having to work hard to conceal shock at how England's campaign fell apart in this Ashes series.
Poms put in hard yards
ENGLAND players train ahead of the Boxing Day Test, enjoying the Melbourne weather on Christmas Eve.
Beat the bookie on Boxing Day
PUSH the Christmas pudding aside, grab the form guide, it's time to find decent-priced winner on one of the biggest racing days on the calendar on Thursday.
Lisicki says Christmas can wait
SABINE Lisicki is keeping her Christmas festivities to a minimum as she prepares for her assault at the Brisbane International.
Pietersen rebuffs retirement talk
ENGLAND batsman Kevin Pietersen says he still has the desire to play for his country despite being disappointed with his form.
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Cops to wear cameras in $25k trial
POLICE expect video cameras worn by officers in Melbourne's southeast will curb idiot behaviour over the summer.
Beauty bashed to death with hockey stick
A VIOLENT predator has been sentenced for killing his girlfriend days after he was released from prison in a sickening attack with a hockey stick.
Aussies spending Christmas in jail
THESE are some of the faces of the more than 500 Australians who will spend their Christmas arrested or in prisons overseas.
Aussie navy raid nails pirates
IT reads like the script of Tom Hanks' blockbuster Captain Phillips - except this time it was the good guys hunting and boarding the bad guys in the Arabian Sea.
Four guns stolen in Carrum Downs
POLICE are hunting four guns stolen from a locked cabinet at a Carrum Downs home.
Kevin Bacon's 12 degrees of Xmas
FORGET turkey, it's all about Bacon this Christmas ... Kevin Bacon. The Footloose star has released a hilarious festive video.
Lid lifted on Saatchi's strange habits
CHARLES Saatchi is a creature of habit, according to his former housekeepers, wearing one of his 12 identical $1900 suits everyday.
My 'orgy' with Leonardo DiCaprio
FROM extras hitting on Leo to the 'intimidating' audition process, here's what really happened on The Wolf of Wall Street.
Weddings and babies of 2013
IF it wasn't wedding bells that had everyone gushy in 2013, it was the babies that held our attention during the year.
Escape Claus: Santa's Outback journey
SANTA made sure he made it to of Australia's remotest places early this year, travelling and carolling with Ricki-Lee Coulter.
Backpackers flock to Jesus' home town
NAZARETH, the childhood home of Christ, has become a bourgeoning backpacker destination, offering hiking, history and hommus.
How to become a career traveller
PACK your bags! Here are 10 top jobs that will have you travelling the world - and some of them might surprise you.
Weirdest silly season travel tales
TRAVELLING toys, hotel guests sampling the chandeliers and fart-stopping cushions ... the silly season of travel has started.
Get active: Jump rope splash challenge
Summer is a great time for water games. Play the Jump rope splash challenge to get the kids active at your next kids party or weekend gathering.
Kidspot.com.auThree new hearts for family
THE triple-transplant Kremises are a rarity even in the world of advanced cardiac specialty medicine.
Saputo lifts Warrnambool Cheese stake
CANADIAN dairy firm Saputo has increased its stake in Warrnambool Cheese and Butter to almost 18 per cent.
Rio eyes dumping Alaskan mine stake
RIO Tinto could dump its 19.1 per cent stake in a proposed copper and gold mine in Alaska that has been opposed by the local community.
Big banks face dividend rethink
AUSTRALIA'S main banks will come under pressure to review dividends after the regulator announced they would be forced to bolster their books.
Retailer's man for all seasons
WHILE other retailers have their price guns poised to mark down stock for the opening minutes of Boxing Day, for Kmart it will be business as usual.
Nation of big spenders for Christmas
AUSTRALIANS have been spending more than a billion dollars a day in the final shopping rush before Christmas.
Watpac wins $80m St Kilda contract
CONSTRUCTION firm and property developer Watpac has won a contract worth more than $80 million to build the STK Apartments residential tower.
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Agents 'caught having sex in listed home'
TWO real estate agents are being sued for allegedly using a home they were supposed to be selling for late-night sex sessions.
Marina moorings become prime real estate
A NEW class of real estate has emerged that has buyers paying up to $410,000 for a muddy patch of dirt no more than 15m in length.
Inside King Henry's love nest
AN 800-year-old house which was once the home of two of Henry VIII's wives has been put up for sale. Check out the photographs inside this historic home.
Holidays hot auction time
AUCTIONING your home just four days before Christmas may seem like a nightmare, but looming holidays, or not, hundreds of last-minute properties will be on the auction block this weekend.
Private school land grab
ELITE private schools are snapping up properties and turning themselves into Sydney's wealthiest landholders - despite still receiving government funding.
Snowden: My mission is accomplished
NSA leaker Edward Snowden said his "mission's already accomplished" after revealing secrets that have caused a reassessment of US policies.
NASA's dazzling new images of Saturn
A NASA spacecraft has released dazzling new images of the ringed planet Saturn and its moon as a Christmas greeting.
Man jailed for making fun of Dubai
AN AMERICAN has been jailed for a year for making a satirical video that pokes fun at the "gangsta" youth culture in Dubai.
Pirate: 'US stole my Bitcoins'
THE internet "pirate" accused of running the notorious illegal-drug-peddling website Silk Road claims that the feds are the real buccaneers.
Are you an iZombie?
APPLE's latest Christmas ad shows a teen becoming more connected with his family through technology. But is this message true? Or are we turning into a bunch of disconnected loners?
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Santa symbol of children's innocence
FOR all its commercialism, Christmas is a magical time, especially for children - and Santa is central to that whether the killjoys like it or not.
We're shopping until we drop
EXPECT a lot of presents and lots of food over Christmas as we've spent a staggering $29.6 billion, with another $13.1 billion to go on the sales.
Banned for flying flag upside down
SRI Lanka has barred the Australian owner of an exclusive hotel from returning to his adopted homeland after he flew the national flag upside down.
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BEST FAILS AND CRASHES OF 2013
Mega-wrap of the dumbest stunts, crashes and fails we saw in 2013.
Save up to 80% on unique Christmas gift ideas! Local experiences, fine dining and much more!
Since 2007, Hyundai Goals for Grassroots has donated almost $400,000 to 154 local grassroots football clubs across Australia.
