FINAL | Patriots 27, Dolphins 24
Patriots rally to clinch playoff bye
The Patriots improved to 12-3 and clinched a first round playoff bye as they fought back from a 17-0 halftime deficit to defeat the Miami Dolphins.
Matthew J. Lee/Globe staff
Patriots receiver Wes Welker celebrated his fourth quarter touchdown reception that sealed the win for New England.
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Miami's Brandon Marshall hauled in a pass against Devin McCourty during the second quarter.
Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff
Dane Fletcher, right, tied up Matt Moore during the first quarter.
adam hunger/reuters
Marshall, left, fell into the end zone to score a touchdown after a hit by Sergio Brown, right, and Kyle Arrington during the second quarter.
Stephan Savoia/AP
Tom Brady was under pressure from Dolphins inside linebacker Kevin Burnett during the first quarter.
matthew j. lee/globe staff
Matt Moore and the Dolphins jumped out to a 17-0 lead at halftime.
matthew j. lee/globe staff
Shaun Ellis (left) and Brandon Deaderick sacked Miami quarterback Matt Moore for a 10-yard loss in the third quarter.
matthew j. lee/globe staff
Stevan Ridley broke past Miami defenders for a seven-yard gain in the third quarter.
matthew j. lee/globe staff
The Patriots' Vince Wilfork celebrated after recovering a Matt Moore fumble in the third quarter.
Elise Amendola/AP
Even Santa was excited for the Patriots-Dolphins matchup on Christmas Eve.
Last-minute shoppers desperately seeking anything
For those who waited, it will likely come down to this - scouring the aisles of a CVS, Walgreens, or gas station mini-mart in hopes of finding a gift. We surveyed stores to offer this last-minute selection.
Opinion
Shopping all the way (ha! ha! ha!)
As foolish as the holiday shopping season may be, we all should be happy it occurs, writes Tom Keane.
Peabody firefighter dies in blaze
James Rice, a veteran city firefighter and married father of three children, died yesterday from injuries sustained while battling a three-alarm fire.
Bus 19
En route to hope on Bus 19
Every day for the last two years, Debra James has ridden this route to her two jobs. She gets only a few hours of sleep each night, but won’t quit or cut back hours.
Exclusive Sunday Preview
A sampling of stories from this Sunday's Globe.
Ideas
The changing face of America’s Christmas cards
What 135 years of season’s greetings reveal about our vision of the holiday.
The Word
The last ‘mas’
The “mas” in Christmas is an etymological keyhole into a whole yearly system of festivals, writes Erin McKean.
“A third of the time, it’s really good skiing at Christmas; a third of the time, it’s marginal at Christmas; and a third of the time, it’s closed.”
Eric Friedman, spokesman of Mad River Glen
Inside The Boston Globe
Columnists
Metro
Calendar spotlights creative parking-space savers
A South Boston calendar shows off residents’ novel ways to protect their hard-earned parking spots.
Business
Amazon office in Mass. could mean tax on sales
If Amazon opens a Cambridge office next year, it may be compelled to collect taxes on purchases made in the state.
Politics
Political Notebook
Romney says Biden lives in 'fantasy land’
Mitt Romney responded to Vice President Joe Biden’s op-ed, in which he criticized the presidential candidate for trying to assume the role of protector of the middle class.
Nation & World
Protesters demand Putin’s exit
Tens of thousands of people rallied in Moscow today to demand free elections and an end to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s 12-year rule.
Sports
giants 29, jets 14
Giants shut down Jets
The New York Giants won bragging rights against their city rivals and kept their playoff hopes alive with tonight’s victory.
Arts
Opera Boston to close
With no advance warning, the city’s second-largest opera company said it will close on Jan. 1 because of an “insurmountable budget deficit.”
Celtics season preview
NBA preview 2011-12
Celtics season tips off with dream of 1 more title
A little late starting this year, the Celtics open their new season on Sunday. Rajon Rondo and the aging Big Three are out to re-create the championship ride they had in 2008.
Opinion
“UMass students now graduate, on average, with $24,000 in debt, up from $14,000 only four years ago.”
Robert L. Caret
Ideas
As tempting as it might be to imagine the Christmas trees we see today in public parks and central plazas as a quaint relic of small town life, it turns out that our modern public trees have politics woven right into their roots.
Leon Neyfakh