Montrealer Daniel Lemay has been selling Christmas trees on the streets of Manhattan for the past nine years, cultivating a regular clientele in the process. However, the U.S. kept him out this year on the grounds that he's taking jobs away from Americans.

From the AP via IHT:

A man dressed as Santa Claus was knocked unconscious by a thrown object while he was riding in a parade on the back of a truck decorated as a sleigh.

"One second I was up there waving to people, and the next minute I wasn't," Kevin Smith said.

The blow Saturday broke his nose and gave him a concussion and two black eyes.

Other volunteers realized something was wrong after they had not heard from Smith for a few minutes. They stopped the truck and found him lying unconscious.

"It pretty much cold-cocked him," fire Lt. Scott Himelspach said.