A home for the holidays, business owners giving back and colder weather: Your Christmas roundup

Merry Christmas! Here is a look at the top headlines as we start the day. [Merry Christmas! Here is a look at the top headlines as we start the day.] December 25,  2017 By Nicholas Friedman Merry Christmas! Here is a look at the top headlines as we start the day. 🌥️ Weather: Partly cloudy and cold with a high of 47 degrees. 🔎 Prefer the online view? It's [here](. Willie Hodge is pictured in his apartment with his Christmas tree that he obtained when former tenants in the complex he maintains left a fully-decorated tree behind. (Louis DeLuca/The Dallas Morning News) uplifting A home for the holidays: After life on streets, Dallas man finds place of own with circle of support Willie Hodge doesn't wear a smile so much as a smile wears Willie Hodge. Now that the 53-year-old South Dallas native [is enjoying the most stable holiday season he's had in years,]( he can look back on the detours of his life — the lost job and lost apartments, the descent into homelessness, the things he left behind. If not for a circle of support that formed around Hodge through the efforts of The Human Impact, a homeless support agency, Hodge's story may not have unfolded the way it did. Individuals came through at pivotal times to help him bypass the potholes that appeared along his journey. "I feel thankful that they were able to help," Hodge said. "If not for them, I don't know where I'd be." And: A little boy, praying for his sick dad, [reminds us what Christmas is all about.]( Also: Puerto Rico kids get a toy delivery [thanks to a Dallas billionaire and the Marines.]( SPECIAL OFFER [special offer unlimited digital access]( Kei'veericky Simmons, 3, the son of slain Dollar General clerk Gabrielle Monique Simmons, rides in a full shopping basket during Target shopping spree on Friday, Dec. 22, 2017. (Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News) community For 6 kids whose mom was murdered, shopping carts full of toys for Christmas Gabrielle Simmons’ six children wandered the aisles of Target on Friday knowing they could put whatever they wanted in their carts. A PlayStation. Dolls. Paw Patrol toys. For an afternoon, every wish was granted. Nothing could take away the pain of being without their mother this Christmas, [but a community's generosity was a welcome distraction.]( Simmons, 27, was gunned down Nov. 6 at the southeast Oak Cliff Dollar General where she worked as a clerk. On Friday, Williams Chicken CEO and founder Hiawatha Williams and his wife, Doris, organized a shopping spree for Simmons' children at a Red Bird Target and urged them to fill their carts with gifts. And: Teenager [finally meets the McKinney caregivers who helped him]( after a deadly crash when he was a baby. A jolly inheritance: Dallas daughter [seeks adoptive family for 4,000 Santas.]( Shoppers bundle against a cold rain in the Wheatland Towne Crossing parking lot on Dec. 22 in Dallas. (Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News) weather Has all this rain ended North Texas' drought? And what does Christmas bring? The official numbers don't come out until next week. But it's possible North Texas [could enter 2018 drought-free.]( WFAA-TV (Channel 8) chief meteorologist Pete Delkus tweeted this week's rains and above average precipitation for the year might be enough to end the drought. As of Tuesday -- before Friday's buckets of rain -- most of Dallas County and all of Ellis County were in moderate drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. A sliver of the northwest corner of Dallas County was in severe drought, along with Collin, Denton and more than half of Tarrant counties. There's no glimmer of rain in the forecast until Tuesday -- and that's just a 20 percent chance -- dashing hopes for a white Christmas. Sales of Christmas past: How the Dallas shopping [scene has changed.]( And: Two years after deadly Christmas tornado, Rowlett [marks its comeback through artwork.]( Advertisement (Ashley Landis/The Dallas Morning News) Photo of the Morning Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott (21) runs the ball after a handoff from quarterback Dak Prescott (4) during the second quarter of a Christmas Eve game between the Cowboys and the Seattle Seahawks. Zeke returned after a six-week suspension, but the Cowboys fell to the Seahawks 21-12, [dashing the team's hopes of making this season's playoffs.Â]( more christmas cheer - For the rest of us: 5 questions for a 'Seinfeld' scriptwriter, [author who's forever linked to 'Festivus'.]( - Commentary: The first Christmas [was not as we imagine it.]( - For fun: Here are [some cool spots for holiday ice skating]( in Dallas-Fort Worth. - Oh wow: Look inside [the most decorated Christmas home]( we've ever seen in Dallas. - Christmas past: How the NorthPark Santa [rescued The Watchdog 24 years ago.]( - Commentary: Muslims and Christians, this season [remember your common love for Jesus.]( Rock the Border nationwide concert series with the bands Charley Crockett and Rise and Shine kicked off at On the Border Addison on Friday July 1,2016. (Jerry McClure/The Dallas Morning News) Finally... Still looking for New Year’s Eve plans? Well, have we got something for you. GuideLive’s music critic Kelly Dearmore [has collected a list of the five best New Year’s Eve concerts]( happening in Dallas this year. Are shows not your thing? Well, leave it to Tiney Ricciardi [to round up the 21 best ways to celebrate the last day of 2017]( in D-FW. Trust us, you’re gonna have fun. AdVERTISEMENT 👋 That's all for this morning! For up-to-the-minute news and analysis, check out [DallasNews.com](. 💖 Share the love! If you like this newsletter, please forward this email to a friend and [check out our other newsletters here](. 📧 Do you have feedback? Send your thoughts, questions, praise and corrections to [newsletter-feedback@dallasnews.com](mailto:newsletter-feedback@dallasnews.com?subject=). 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