Hospitality_Recreation

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People dressed as Zwarte Piet or Black Pete ride in a parade after St. Nicholas arrives by boat in Amsterdam. Foreigners visiting the Netherlands in winter are often surprised to see that the Dutch version of St. Nicholas’ helpers resemble a racist caricature of a black man. The Dutch, known for tolerance, are also starting to question the tradition. (Associated Press)

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A U.S. Marine plays "Taps" at the end of the National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day ceremony on Friday, Dec. 7, 2012 at the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. This marks the 71st anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)

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Harry Patch, who served in the Pacific with the U.S. Navy during World War II, is interviewed at the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. on Friday, Dec. 7, 2012 before a National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day ceremony. Vipul Tripathi with Reingold communications accompanied Mr. Patch, who was one of several veterans who came for the ceremony. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)

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**FILE** Emergency personnel investigate the scene of a bus crash on Interstate 95 in the Bronx borough of New York on March 12, 2011. The bus driver, Ophadell Williams, who was charged in the crash that killed 15 passengers, said a tractor-trailer cut him off and he lost control. The bus carrying gamblers coming from a Connecticut casino was sheared open like a sardine can when it struck a pole. (Associated Press)

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A Thai mahout's wife jokingly poses with a plastic basket containing coffee beans freshly cleaned from elephant dung below the tail of an elephant in the Chiang Rai province of northern Thailand on Dec. 4, 2012. A Canadian entrepreneur has teamed up with a herd of 20 elephants, gourmet roasters and one of the country's top hotels to produce Black Ivory Coffee, a new blend from the hills of northern Thailand and the excrement of elephants which ranks among the world's most expensive cups of coffee. (Associated Press)

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A Japanese dive bomber goes into its last dive as it heads toward the ground in flames after it was hit by Naval anti-aircraft fire during surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941. (AP Photo)

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A person fills out an application at the Fort Lauderdale Career Fair in Dania Beach, Fla., on Nov. 30, 2012. (Associated Press)

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A festive crowd is bundled against a chilly evening Thursday for the annual lighting of the National Christmas Tree just south of the White House. (Andrew Harnik/The Washington Times)

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Sweet-and-tangy barbecue brisket is a delicious filler for sliders and gives you time to enjoy the holiday. (Associated Press)

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Cross-country skiers pass by the Trapp Family Lodge near Stowe, Vt., in an undated photo. (Associated Press)

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Sonnenalp in Vail, Colo., is owned by Johannes Faessler, whose parents founded the resort in 1979 and named it after a resort of the same name that Mr. Faessler’s great-grandparents had founded in Germany’s Bavarian Alps in 1919. He grew up in the German resort. (Associated Press)

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This weekend, get a peek at a moment in time as the Heurich House on New Hampshire Ave. celebrates the holidays with candlelight tours accompanied by German carols and holiday treats.

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A television cameraman is silhouetted in between the Washington Monument and the Jefferson Memorial on Dec. 6, 2012, as he films the rehearsal for the lighting of the National Christmas tree on the Ellipse in downtown D.C. later that evening. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)