December 25, 2004 (Saturday)
- Colombia's FARC guerrillas kidnap a group of between seven and ten holidaymakers from a spa resort near San Rafael, Antioquia. (BBC)
- The ESA's Huygens probe separates from NASA's Cassini spacecraft at approximately 02:00 UTC, with deployment confirmed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The probe will reach Saturn's moon Titan in 22 days, where it will make an atmospheric descent to the surface and relay scientific information. (Spaceflightnow)
- Queen Elizabeth II sends her annual Christmas Message to the UK and the Commonwealth. Her theme is religious and cultural diversity and the benefits of a tolerant society. In a break from tradition, the Queen also sends a special radio Christmas Message to the UK armed forces – the first time she has made a separate radio broadcast. (BBC) (BBC)
- Portions of South and Southeast Texas south of I-10 had their first White Christmas ever as snow was recorded falling from Brownsville to Beaumont with as much as 13 inches (33 cm) in Brazoria. The snowfall began on Christmas Eve as a deep layer of below freezing (below 32 °F/0 °C) temperatures settled across the region after the passing of an Arctic cold front and an upper level low pressure system crossed the region and dumped snow in its wake. Very little snow fell north of I-10 because of the lack of moisture further from the coast. (National Weather Service)