Luke Skywalker
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A woman shops at Macy's in the St. Louis, Mo., Galleria on Tuesday.(Photo: Robert Cohen, AP)
1. It's Christmas Eve...finish your shopping and go track Santa
Procrastinators, rejoice! Retailers are going to extremes to lure customers right up until Christmas Eve, and shoppers will be able to order gifts for same-day pickup as late as 5 p.m. Wednesday. Take THAT, free online shipping offer! Once the gifts are wrapped, choose between your NORAD or Google Santa trackers to find out exactly where St. Nick is headed.
You better watch out! Santa Claus is coming to town and it's easier than ever to find him. (USA NOW, USA TODAY)
2. Don't worry, it's a great day to travel
Auto-club giant AAA projects that nearly 99 million Americans will travel more than 50 miles by car or air, up 4% from 94.8 million a year ago and the highest since AAA began keeping records in 2001. The least busy days? Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. But that doesn't mean they are the cheapest to fly. If you're hitting the roads, enjoy gas-price lows we haven't seen in 5 years.
AAA is predciting that the holiday season will bring the busiest travel time on record.
3. Hanukkah ends with a toast and a revelation
The holiday of lights comes to an end Wednesday, as Jews across the nation light their final candles, and this year we learned a lot. For starters, He'Brew brand beer from Shmaltz Brewing Co. created a holiday beer. The Chanukah Beer is made with eight different hops, eight malts and carries a hefty 8% alcohol level — all a nod to the eight nights of the holiday. And Harry Potter fans got a little surprise of their own, as J.K. Rowling revealed the beloved book series did, in fact, have a Jewish character.
Photo of a four-pack of Shmaltz Brewing Co.'s Chanukah beer.(Photo: Shmaltz Brewing Co.)
4. Tristan Walker, Pharrell Williams wow us with their 'Smarter. Faster. More Colorful' approach to business and life
USA TODAY continues its recognition of smarter, faster and more colorful people in the news. Tech has chosen Walker and Brands founder and CEO Tristan Walker. Even in Silicon Valley, where outsized ambition gives the biggest overachievers pause, Walker, 30, is betting he can use his know-how to take on industry giants and transform the health and beauty market for people of color. Life's face may be a bit more recognizable: It's musician and producer Pharrell Williams.
Pharrell(Photo: Jeff Dionise, USA TODAY)
5. Wet and wild weather drenches the East, piles on the snow
On Wednesday, rain, thunderstorms and wind will envelop much of the East Coast, including the Interstate 95 corridor, the Weather Channel said. Despite the rain, record high temperatures in the 50s and 60s are possible from Boston to Washington. Major flight delays are likely throughout Northeast city hubs.
A storm developing in the Southeast and heading up the east coast is expected to hit just in time for Christmas. Be sure to have a backup plan if you're traveling this holiday season. VPC
And, the essentials:
Stocks: U.S. stock futures made gains Wednesday.
TV Tonight: Wondering what to watch tonight? TV critic Robert Bianco looks at the Christmas Eve television lineup.
If you missed Tuesday's news, we've got you covered here.
Need a break? Try playing some games.
You can also subscribe to get the day's top news each weekday in your inbox or find us on the Yo! app: justyo.co/usatoday.
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