Sesame Street's Elmo and letter carrier Kelly, played by TV host Kelly Ripa, learn about Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa in the video "Elmo's World: Happy Holidays."

Photo by AP Photo

Janet Hubert, left, lawrence clayton and Lynda Gravatt rehearse a scene from "Crowns" at the Second Stage Theatre in New York. The play, which chronicles the lives of women who wear church hats, opens Monday. It was written by Regina Taylor.

Photo by AP Photo

Daniel Hoover looks at some of the photography of P.H. Polk included in the exhibit "Reflections in Black: Smithsonian African American Photography" at the Atlanta History Center. The Smithsonian's photography exhibit resembles a massive scrapbook chronicling the black experience. The Atlanta History Center is the fourth to host the traveling exhibit in its entirety, but the first in the South.

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Lawrence glassblower Bob Gent will be the featured artist at this year's Festival of Trees, which benefits The Shelter, Inc. This is the first year the festival has had a featured artist. Gent will have some of his glassblown Christmas ornaments sold at the annual auction, which begins at 8 p.m. Tuesday at Liberty Hall.

Photo by Mike Yoder/Journal-World Photo

Jerry Bottenfield, owner of Soap Momma, 735 Mass., stands next to his latest creations, purses made from cigar boxes. Bottenfield buys the boxes and puts hinges and handles on them, creating a nostalgic look. He calls them Saucy Sigar Box Purses. They're part of an emerging fashion trend that has women across the country hunting down cigar boxes to make their own purses. The nontraditional handbags sell in upscale boutiques for as much as $300.

Photo by Richard Gwin/Journal-World Photo

Cigar box purses like this one are selling for $50 to $75 at Soap Momma, 735 Mass. Owner Jerry Bottenfield often adds the covers of pulp fiction magazines to box fronts to dress them up.

Photo by Mike Yoder/Journal-World Photo

The Statue of Liberty stands sentinel over the skyline of lower Manhattan, where the twin towers of the World Trade Center once stood. The 9-11 terrorist attacks delivered a crushing blow to New York tourism, but the city is on the rebound.

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Back row, from left, Eric Pingleton, Mill Valley; Andrew Pyle, Eudora; Dustin Moyer, Eudora; Dan Squires, Santa Fe Trail; Shane Miles, Santa Fe Trail; Micah Mason, Baldwin. Middle row, from left, Joe Born, Eudora; Noah Rees, P-L; Luke McCarty, Tonganoxie; Brian Lauridsen, Baldwin. Front row, from left, Brandon Smith, Mill Valley; Gregg Webb, Eudora, Coach of year; Lee Baldwin, Ottawa.

Photo by Richard Gwin/Journal-World Photo

Master of the hunt Wes Sandness, mounted, confers with an unidentified observer as hounds await the resumption of the hunt during the inaugural fox hunt of the Coal Valley Hounds near McCune.

The field of hunters follows the prey during the inaugural fox hunt of the Coal Valley Hounds near McCune. The hunting club covered nearly 10,000 acres during the hunt Nov. 23.

Angie Johnson sets her 5-year-old daughter Hailey, who suffers from cerebral palsy, on top of a hyperbaric chamber in a trailer at her home in Joplin, Mo. One of a set of triplets, which include brother Devon and sister Dillon, Hailey is unable to walk, stand or use her arms or legs.

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Jose Tena, 26, left, originally from Madrid, Spain, and his wife, American Alicia Kalhammer, 31, of Tallahassee, Fla., stand outside police headquarters in Mombasa, Kenya. The couple was picked up by Kenyan police about 90 minutes after the attack Thursday on the Paradise Hotel. They were released Saturday.

Photo by AP Photo

United Nations weapons inspectors leave an Iraqi military base near the town of Balad that once was declared a "sensitive" area by Iraq and which earlier required advance notice for inspectors to visit. The visiting inspectors Saturday reported they received unrestricted access to the site.

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Rich Faucher turns on more than a million lights in his holiday lighting display in New Castle, Del.

Photo by AP Photo

Former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, center, watches as his fiancee Judith Nathan shakes hands with Spain's King Juan Carlos. The New Yorkers met with the king Monday in Madrid, Spain, a day after Giuliani and Nathan became engaged.

Photo by AP Photo

Julia Paganucci, 6, from New York City, brushes the hair of Mattel's Rapunzel Barbie. Rapunzel Barbie, popular since it reached stores in September, is expected to be this year's hottest toy overall, according to Play-Date Inc.

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Kevin and Julie Sigourney and their daughter Hannah, 3, trim loose branches on their Christmas tree and prepare to decorate it at their Lawrence home. The Sigourneys cut the tree Friday at Strawberry Hill Christmas Farm. Rich Barr, fire marshal with Lawrence-Douglas County Fire & Medical, warns, "Use of a live tree is always a concern, but it doesn't need to be as much of a concern if it is kept watered. A dry tree is extremely volatile."

Photo by Richard Gwin/Journal-World Photo

Tom Robinette walks in a mine shaft April 12, 2000, more than 2,000 feet below the surface in Jim Walter Resources No. 5 mine near Brookwood, Ala. An accident in the mine in September 2001 killed 13 miners.

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Bill Tuttle, a Kansas University professor of American studies, has not only had several of his own books published, but also has had five students publish books on various topics in U.S. history.

Photo by Richard Gwin/Journal-World Photo

Salina central coach Marvin Diener hoists the Class 5A championship trophy following the Mustangs' 14-6 victory against Topeka West on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

Photo by Aaron Lindberg/Journal-World Photo

Olathe North running back Jim Bouknight (22) shakes off a tackle by Derby's Mitch Wayman (44) while pursued by Josh Pinaire (72), Michael Rohr (87) and Doug Buchanan (77). Bouknight ran for three touchdowns as Olathe North won its third straight Class 6A title and sixth in seven years with a 41-12 victory on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

Photo by Aaron Lindberg/Journal-World Photo

Pittsburgh running back Jerome Bettis looks for running room in a game last season against Tennessee. Bettis needs 66 yards to move into 10th place on the NFL's career rushing list.

Photo by AP File Photo

Chicago's Marcus Fizer (21) looks to pass as Dallas' Raef LaFrentz defends. LaFrentz, a former Kansas University standout, had five points in 15 minutes in the Mavericks' 103-90 victory over the Bulls on Saturady in Dallas. It was LaFrentz' first game since suffering an ankle injury in the second game of the season.

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Duke's Dahntay Jones dunks over UCLA's T.J. Cummings during Saturday's game in Indianapolis

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Seton Hall's Andre Barrett passes the ball between Texas' Royal Ivey and Brandon Mouton (3) during Saturday's game in Houston. The Longhorns beat the Pirates, 78-61.

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Oklahoma running back Quentin Griffinn, center, is stopped by Oklahoma State defenders Terrence Robinson, bottom left, Greg Richmond, top left, and Paul Duren. The Cowboys stunned the third-ranked Sooners, 38-28, on Saturday in Stillwater, Okla.

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Southern California's Justin Fargas (25) jumps between Notre Dame's Courtney Watson, left, and Shane Walton. Southern Cal hammered Notre Dame, 44-13, on Saturday in Los Angeles.

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Colorado's Elizabeth Gower dives for the ball. Kansas defeated the Buffaloes in four games Saturday night at Horejsi Center.

Photo by Aaron Lindberg/Journal-World Photo

KU's Sarah Rome dives out of bounds after a tipped serve. The Jayhawks defeated Colorado in four games Saturday night at Horejsi Center. Josiane Lima is at right.

Photo by Aaron Lindberg/Journal-World Photo