A person dressed up as Ded Moroz (Father Frost) salutes from a bus as he travels along Moscow’s Manezh Square, Monday, Dec. 24, 2012. The Kremlin is at the background. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)

HERE ARE THE things you need to know as we round off the day in three easy steps.

THINGS WE LEARNED

#SHOOTING: Two firefighters were shot dead and two others were wounded in New York state on Monday when at least one gunman opened fire as the emergency personnel responded to a blaze in Webster, a suburb of Rochester. The two wounded firefighters have been brought to a local hospital.

#QUINN: Former billionaire Seán Quinn has been temporarily released from prison today in order to spend time with his family over the Christmas period. Quinn is currently serving a nine-week jail sentence in Mountjoy Prison for contempt of court, having been sentenced on 2 November by the High Court.

#RIP: The funeral of the late Minister of State Shane McEntee took place in Co Meath earlier today, with thousands turning out to pay their respects to him. The father-of-four is survived by his wife, four children, and mother.

#ROBO CALLS: ‘Robo calls’ about abortion in Ireland have begun again, the Data Protection Commissioner has confirmed. The DPC told TheJournal.ie that the calls have recommenced, saying it has received a number of contacts in its complaints box about them.

#GUN CONTROL: Tens of thousands of people have signed a petition calling for British CNN host Piers Morgan to be deported from the US over his views to tighten gun control in the country.

In response, Morgan tweeted: “If I do get deported from America for wanting fewer gun murders, are there any other countries that will have me?”

A family sit on the beach as temperatures rise to 21 degrees Celsius (69 degrees Fahrenheit) in Biarritz, southwestern France, Monday, Dec. 24, 2012. (AP Photo/Bob Edme)

THINGS WE LOVED

• This Yorkie, who certainly has the best seat in the house. What a legend.
• Christmas is a time to eat, drink and be merry. Don’t let anything stop you from doing that – especially glossy magazines. The biggest Photoshop fails of 2012 will serve to remind you of the unrealistic physical ideals plastered across their pages. So enjoy the holidays, and an extra thick slice of cake, you deserve it.
• Life magazine’s photos of kids on the phone to Santa in 1947. They might be 65 years old, but they’ll still bring a tear to your eye.

THINGS WE SHARED

• Tonight, when Santa Claus is frantically trying to wrap all the presents in the world, he might be interested to hear that disguising gifts with decorative sheets of paper is – like so many other things – an accident of history. The Atlantic reveals the brothers who were behind the relatively modern phenomenon…
• Merry Christmas (Eve) everyone! It’s the most wonderful time of the year… or is it? There might be a touch of magic in the air, but there’s also a fair share of stress. The New York Times asks – why aren’t people happier during the holidays?
• It’s nearly time to wave goodbye to 2012 *sniff* and usher in January. So what are the films to watch out for in 2013? The Guardian has kicked off its 10 part list of important titles for the big, shiny new year.

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