Merry Christmas!
Santa's coming! Getty Images

Trump says North Korea might be sending us "a nice present" for Christmas: North Korea has given the U.S. an end-of-year deadline for scaling back economic sanctions. Otherwise, they will be sending us a "Christmas surprise." It's unclear what that surprise could be. NPR said it could be "a rocket with a payload into space," an "underground nuclear test," or "testing" out a missile that could reach the U.S. Conversely, today Trump mused to reporters that the gift could be "a nice present." Or "a beautiful vase." Here's hoping!

Holiday scheduling: We're off of Slog for the rest of the week. There will be a few posts, but no Slog AM/PM. Unstreamable will still publish Saturday morning. Most of the team will be back on Monday, 12/30, and then we're off again on Wednesday, 1/1, for New Year's Day. Then it's 2020 and our Regrets Issue comes out and we'll slog through another year with all of you lovely grinches.

The Puget Sound region is experiencing a lot of earthquakes: In addition to the five large earthquakes that were recorded in British Columbia yesterday, "158 small quakes have been reported over the past year in Fall City alone, 25 of which have occurred in the past 30 days," writes the Seattle Times. Officials don't think anyone needs to be alarmed, but they're also encouraging people to prepare their earthquake kits and make an earthquake plan. You know, just in case.

Here comes... FAKE NEWS.

Meet Seattle's black Santas: South Seattle Emerald published a photo essay of black Santas ho-ho-hoing around Central District and South Seattle. "Recent decades have brought diversity to Mr. Claus," notes South Seattle Emerald. "There are now even apps to help parents looking for racially diverse Santas including one called, Find Black Santa." The photos are really cute.

Can the Seahawks make it to the Super Bowl? "Stranger things have happened," writes Scott Sistek & Associated Press. "What were the odds last week Marshawn Lynch would be a Seahawk today?" They game out their chances here.

Meanwhile, the Seahawks are getting sued: For trying to “obtain a monopoly” on the number 12, according to the lawsuit. The plaintiff is PBTM LLC, a Nevada-based company that has "six 12-related trademarks for phrases like V12 and Volume 12," writes Geekwire. More:

The number 12 has a complicated history in football circles. Though the Seahawks have become known for using the number to refer to its fanbase, Texas A&M has held a trademark for the phrase since 1990.

Following a legal battle between the university and the NFL team, the Seahawks worked out a deal with Texas A&M in 2006 to use the 12th Man trademark. The Seahawks paid a $100,000 lump sum and an annual fee to the university. In 2016, the Seahawks agreed to pay Texas A&M $140,000 over five years to continue the arrangement.

No Christmas at Notre Dame: Notre Dame won't hold Christmas service for the first time since 1803. The 850-year-old cathedral stayed open throughout a tumultuous 200-year peroid, even during Nazi occupation in WWII, but the cathedral's devastating fire this past April left it in disrepair. It will be rebuilt in five years, according to plans from French President Emmanuel Macron. The cathedral's next religious service is planned for April 16, 2024, which will be the fifth anniversary of the blaze.

The New York Times Editorial Board published a piece on the cathedral's closing this afternoon: "Notre-Dame is more than a church, more than a masterpiece of medieval architecture, more even than a symbol of one of the great cities of the world," it reads. "Like many of the earth’s great cultural landmarks, it has a life of its own; it is a living character in art, literature, music and legend, and a place where a tired passer-by can drop in for some rest and quiet thought. It carries a message that every visitor can interpret in his or her own way."

Get your kids immunized, ya filthy animals: Starting January 8, Seattle Public Schools will send kids without complete vaccination records to "a designated room at their school" while their parents are called to retrieve their measel baby. "The district, with about 53,000 students, still doesn’t have immunization paperwork for 2,247 of them," writes the Seattle Times.

A Christmas miracle: Firefighters in Longview, Washington “aggressively resuscitated” four cats from a burning building yesterday afternoon. The cats are expected to survive. Turn this into a Lifetime movie, plz.

Speaking of cats... Cats, the movie, had one of the worst movie box office openings ever. It is currently the 19th worst opening of all time, according to Box Office Mojo. But only time will tell if it becomes a cult hit...



Don't die while binge-watching TV this Christmas: Binge-watching isn't good for you. "Every hour of TV viewed after the age of 25 reduces the viewer’s life expectancy by 21.8 minutes," concludes one researcher. To help viewers develop healthier watch habits, Vulture re-published a piece called "How Not to Die While Watching Too Much TV," and it's got helpful tips like: eat frozen grapes, try the “20-20-20” technique, create a plan, don't just watch The Mandelorian. Stay safe out there!