Dozens of children with disability gathered on Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana beach on Tuesday to receive presents — and joy — from the white-bearded man, a joint effort by the city’s firefighters and nonprofit associations.

A special South Florida holiday tradition continued on Monday.

After a magical journey and a collaboration between Santa Claus and the Grinch, the community made sure that Toys for Tots had more than 13,000 unwrapped gifts. This will help hundreds of organizations in South Florida to make sure that children in need feel the loving spirit of Christmas.

Santa Claus now comes in a pink Miami soccer uniform, holding a six-pointed starred “piñata” and a “maraca,” or wearing a white “Guayabera” with a Cuban cigar in its pocket.

It was 11 days before Christmas Eve, a Friday on the Local 10 Big Bus Toy Express, and there was holiday cheer as we made our way north through the streets of South Florida.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will undergo a new procedure on Thursday following up on an unplanned surgery earlier this week for a brain bleed.

Since 1943, the people of Appalachian Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee have looked forward to Santa’s arrival.

A former Lauderdale-by-the-Sea town commissioner and “volunteer Santa Claus” pleaded guilty Wednesday to a charge of possessing child sexual abuse material, according to online federal court records.

Some deserving South Florida children received some hot new wheels to help them ride into the New Year.

Someone playing the part of a holiday Grinch is causing a nightmare before Christmas in South Florida.

Sandy Alcántara, a Dominican professional baseball pitcher, was helping Santa Claus on Monday in Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood.

The holiday season is here, and while you might expect Santa Claus to come to town, there’s another less cheery Christmas figure that has made his way to South Florida.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas on Las Olas.

Beloved cartoon characters like Snoopy and SpongeBob SquarePants are taking to the skies above New York City in the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

As the temperature drops (in many places), the holiday TV calendar is heating up with a variety of festive options.

A former Lauderdale-by-the-Sea commissioner, fire chief and “volunteer Santa Claus” bonded out of the Broward County Jail on 10 child pornography charges, but didn’t have much to say to Local 10 News as he walked out Friday evening.

Members of the Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue Technical Rescue Team helped patients get into the holiday spirit on Friday.

Santa Claus is working up a sweat this year, teaming up with fitness instructors and local organizations to pass out hundreds of pairs of shoes to young athletes in need.

Firefighters took on a new task Saturday, giving Santa Claus a lift to help bring smiles to children at Joe DiMaggio’s Children’s Hospital in Hollywood.

A bunch of Santa lookalikes have taken to the ski slopes once again to spread some holiday cheer.

The Grinch’s followers will be on the prowl as Santa Claus helpers take advantage of Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday online sales.

Overall World Cup champion Mikaela Shiffrin of the United States claimed a slalom event for a sweep of the two season-opening races.

Spain will end a mandate to wear masks outdoors next week, reversing a late December order against an unprecedented surge of coronavirus infections fueled by a highly contagious mutation.

Marines on snowmobiles helped Santa this month while delivering toys to boys and girls in Alaska’s Arctic.

Rest assured, kids of all ages: Santa’s coming this Christmas Eve, and a second holiday with COVID-19 won’t stop him.

South Africa's government says the country will donate just over 2 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to other African countries to boost the continent’s vaccine drive.

It all began with an elf named Fisbee.

A Roman Catholic diocese in Sicily has apologized to outraged parents after its bishop told a group of children that Santa Claus doesn’t exist.

Britain’s government has tightened travel restrictions amid concerns about the spread of the omicron coronavirus variant.

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will return to its pre-pandemic form this year, with its route restored through Manhattan, high-flying helium balloons once again pulled by handlers and crowds welcomed back to cheer them on.

Santa Claus will be back at Macy's stores to greet boys and girls this holiday season.

Visitors to a mall with a monster themed festival wears masks to protect from the coronavirus in Beijing Saturday, Dec. 26, 2020. Beijing is conducting testing on a limited scale in the neighborhoods and workplaces where the cases were found. Japan had 3,823 new cases Friday for a national total of 213,547, with 3,155 deaths, the health ministry said. — South Korea has reported another 1,132 coronavirus cases as the resurgence worsened over the Christmas week, putting pressure on the government to enforce stricter social distancing controls. On Saturday morning, 110 new coronavirus cases were reported, bringing Thailand’s total to 6,020.

Santa Claus and the Grinch were at the Strong Survivor's Christmas event in Homestead. HOMESTEAD, Fla. – More than a decade ago, a woman took Daniel Todaro’s measurements to make him a Santa Claus suit. Santa Claus interacts with children in Homestead during the recent Strong Survivor's gift giveaway event. But even Santa Claus, a police officer from the Homestead Police Department, was unable to help with the gift-giving activity and he was looking for a replacement. “Santa Claus was perfect.

VIRGINIA KEY, Fla. – A protest is underway at Miami Seaquarium in the latest call to free Lolita, the 20-foot-long, 7,000-pound orca who has lived at the Miami tourist attraction for 50 years. Activists say the tank in which the whale lives is not fit for her size. “She needs us to speak for her,” said Patty Leon, a protester with the group the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). The indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest said that under their inherent rights, the whale belongs to them. In October 2018, a federal appeals court rejected a petition to reopen a lawsuit over the Seaquarium’s treatment of the killer whale.

The National Weather Service earlier this week warned that South Florida could experience the coldest Christmas Day in 21 years. Morning lows on Saturday could drop into the low 30s and 40s degrees Fahrenheit, the weather service said. Much colder temps expected for Christmas," the National Weather Service in Miami tweeted earlier this week. A squall line with severe storms and fast-moving winds also was headed for north Florida on Christmas Eve. The pandemic also was impacting a Space Coast tradition — Surfing Santa Day, which takes place the day before Christmas.

In this photo provided by the California Highway Patrol, a man dressed as Santa Claus who was flying on a powered parachute on his way to deliver candy canes to children is seen stuck on power lines in Rio Linda, Calif., on Sunday, Dec. 20, 2020. The incident happened shortly after the man took off near a school in Rio Linda and then hit and became suspended in power lines, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman told KCRA-TV. (California Highway Patrol via AP)RIO LINDA, Calif. – Santa found himself a little more tied up than usual this time of year. A Northern California man impersonating Santa Claus and flying on a powered parachute was rescued Sunday after he became entangled in power lines, authorities said. He flew into a maze of power lines and wound up suspended in them, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman told KCRA-TV.

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. – Local 10 News’ Big Bus Toy Express ended the Toys for Tots mission with the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve on Friday night in Coral Springs. The double-decker bus and two 27-foot trucks were full of new toys for this holiday season. After nine stops in South Florida, four in Miami-Dade County and five in Broward County, the community donated more than 16,000 toys. Since 2014, Local 10 News viewers have contributed more than 100,000 toys to the Big Bus Toy Express’ team and countless smiles. On Friday night, the team was still at work.

A spat has erupted over competing claims that the prime minister and his main rival broke the spirit of pandemic restrictions that have renewed financial hardship for many voters. Conservative Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was photographed last weekend posing with his mountain bike, without a mask, alongside five motocross riders on a hillside trail outside Athens. Greece's lockdown rules exempt people who've gone outdoors for exercise, including cycling, from the obligation to wear a mask. Greece’s pandemic death toll reached close to 3,100 on Monday, with most deaths occurring after Nov. 1. The current lockdown was launched on Nov. 7 and initially planned to last for three weeks.

Being over 60 and chunky might make for a perfect Santa, but could also signal the kinds of underlying physical conditions that lead to serious complications from the virus. That has Santas this year wearing masks and face shields, sitting behind glass or visiting with children online. The pandemic is hurting many Santas — not only financially with reduced performances, but emotionally. The men who portray St. Nick say they like bringing joy to children. Those who visit Santa at any Bass Pro store will receive a free 4x6 studio-quality photo, as well as a free shareable video when you provide your email address.

MIAMI – It looks like Santa Claus may be leaving an extra special gift under the tree for Miami Heat fans this Christmas. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Heat will kick off the NBA’s five-game slate on Christmas Day. Miami will host Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans at noon, per the report. That will be followed by Warriors-Bucks at 2:30 p.m., Nets-Celtics at 5 p.m., Mavericks-Lakers at 8 p.m. and Clippers-Nuggets at 10:30 p.m.ESPN Sources: Tentative Christmas Day Schedule pic.twitter.com/MId025HKvB — Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 2, 2020Wipe your chin, basketball fans…it’s only a few weeks away. The Heat will open their 2020 Training Camp on Tuesday at American Airlines Arena.

(AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)SEATTLE — Health officials in Washington state said the number of people who were hospitalized to receive treatment for the coronavirus has reached a record high. The director of the state health department urged residents to cancel indoor Thanksgiving plans and those that involve large groups of family and friends. Authorities are strictly enforcing a lockdown and nightly curfew after a recent surge in COVID-19 cases. Health authorities announced 1,498 new coronavirus cases Sunday, along with 103 deaths, five less than the daily record set Saturday. Italy added 28,337 confirmed cases, raising to 1,408,868, the country’s total in the pandemic.

FILE - In this Dec. 23, 2019, file photo a playbook sits next to a telephone set up in the NORAD Tracks Santa center at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colo. The North American Aerospace Defense Command has announced that NORAD will track Santa on December 24, just as it has done for 65 years. The global pandemic won't stop them from tracking Santa Claus' progress as he delivers gifts around the globe on Christmas Eve. The North American Aerospace Defense Command has announced that NORAD will track Santa on Dec. 24, just as it has done for 65 years. Besides the call center, the NORAD Tracks Santa website — noradsanta.org — as well as social media pages, Amazon Alexa, Onstar and a new mobile app will still be available with up-to-the-minute details on Santa's location.

A buyer shouted out with glee that they would pay $368,000 for the Rudolph and Santa Claus figures used in the perennially beloved Christmas special “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.”Bidding for the figures soared past the projected sale price of between $150,000 and $200,000 on Friday at the Icons & Legends of Hollywood Auction held in Los Angeles by Profiles in History. The 6-inch-tall Rudolph and 11-inch-tall Santa were made in Tokyo of wood, wire, cloth and leather, and are still malleable. Other highlights from the two-day auction include Marilyn Monroe's tiger-striped gown from “The Seven Year Itch,” which sold for a whopping $593,750. Another Monroe gown that she wore when she met Queen Elizabeth II at a London film premiere went for $294,400. A Scarlett O'Hara dress that Vivien Leigh wore in “Gone With the Wind” and Gene Kelly's rain suit from “Singin' in the Rain” sold for $150,000 apiece.

Santa Claus is coming to the mall just don't try to sit on his lap. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)NEW YORK – Santa Claus is coming to the mall — just don’t try to sit on his lap. Kids will instead tell Santa what they want for Christmas from six feet away, and sometimes from behind a sheet of plexiglass. Santa and his visitors may need to wear a face mask, even while posing for photos. And Brookfield teamed up with virtual Santa company JingleRing, giving people a way to chat with Santa from home.

FILE - Santa Claus waves during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Nov. 28, 2019, in New York. Macy's said Santa Claus won't be greeting kids at its flagship New York store this year due to the coronavirus, interrupting a holiday tradition started nearly 160 years ago. However, Macy's said the jolly old man will still appear at the end of the televised Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. But he will still appear at the end of the televised Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, the company said. Macy's has been using Santa Claus to draw crowds to its New York store since the early 1860s, calling itself “The Home of Santa Claus" for decades.

PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – Santa Claus won't need Rudolph to light the way for him this year. For the first time since 1977, a full moon will appear on Christmas with peak size occurring at 6:11 a.m. EST on December 25. According to the Weather Channel, the U.S. will be the best place to view the holiday full moon, while the U.K. will see the peak moon on Christmas night. The last full moon of the year is nicknamed the Full Long Night's Moon, a nod to December's dark nights. If you miss this year's Christmas full moon, you'll have to wait until 2034 to see the next one.